Dear friends Firstly we would like to thank you for your massive support over the last couple of weeks We welcomed the opportunity to be able to meet Cllr Paul Convery, Cllr Janet Burgess, Ms. Lela Kogbara and Mr. Sean McLaughlin last Monday 16th of February. At this meeting we discussed a paper presented to us beforehand on the reasons why Islington Council cannot continue funding LAWA’s refuge. Unfortunately the argument kept coming back. No matter how valuable or high quality our services are, there are not 'enough resources' due to central government cuts. We were also told that we don't really add value to the local community in Islington and that we are in a world of 'imperfect decisions rather than perfect solutions’. For these reasons your support is now more important than ever. As LAWA told the Telegraph (1) this week: “Women who are accepted at LAWA become residents of Islington by staying in our refuge. They're housed in the borough. They all work here, shop here, spend their money, their children are in Islington schools" This week we saw the Parliament Joint Committee on Human Rights report on Violence Against Women and Girls in the UK (2). As highlighted by sister organisations IMKAAN (3) and EVAW coalition (4), the threat to LAWA’s refuge is a prime example of what exactly the Committee is presenting: “The Committee also expresses alarm at the prevalence of violence against women and girls across many cultures in the UK today, and heard troubling evidence from many minority groups that represent women with particular needs. The Committee was concerned at the failings of the Government to reach and protect these victims” We believe that the responsibility to ensure funding to stop violence against women and girls lie both at the local and at the national level. But commitments are only real if reflected in money allocations, and not just on paper and speeches. This is why this petition is now also being directed to Cllr Richard Watts, Leader of Islington Council and Cllr Paul Convery, Executive Member for Community Safety. We are also approaching different agencies locally and nationally to ensure we #savelawarefuge Please stay tuned for more updates and upcoming actions by following us on Twitter @LAWAlondon Watch: 'A legacy for the future': http://youtu.be/fvqv92t_kbg?list=UUR_NK7xx6bpMqXWQNoObSGQ You can also help us by donating to our emergency fund : https://www.justgiving.com/latinamericanwomensaid/ United we can win! LAWA team (1) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11418045/Latin-American-women-in-UK-need-this-domestic-violence-refuge.-Badly.html (2) https://www.politicshome.com/document/press-release/jchr-domestic-policy-violence-against-women-lagging-behind-efforts-abroad (3) http://imkaan.org.uk/ (4) http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/news/195/uks-reputation-on-womens-rights-undermined-by-patchy-provision-of-life-saving-support-services