Across Europe, the first safe houses were women’s shelters. They shelter those who experience violence in the most intimate space: at home. Women’s shelters stand as a testament to decades of feminist activism, offering refuge and support to survivors of patriarchal violence. Yet, even as these vital spaces expand, their underfunding and evolving institutional frameworks continue to spark debate about autonomy, access, and the true meanings of safety and self-determination in a patriarchal world.

In Europe, women’s shelters and victim support structures are the hard-won achievement of myriad feminist initiatives. The first European women’s shelters were opened in the early 1970s with the beginnings of the women’s shelter movement.¹ They formed part of a broader feminist intervention to combat patriarchal violence and support women and children suffering from intimate partner violence and exploitation.

Today, despite their increasing institutionalisation under the pressure of international conventions against gender-based violence, women’s shelters and victim support centres remain underfunded and a key object of feminist investment.

In Switzerland, safe houses are primarily associated with the “Frauenhaus”, the women’s shelter. These “houses” describe themselves as refuges that offer crisis intervention for “women and their children affected by physical, psychological and/or sexualised violence and who are in need of both physical protection and counselling”.² These shelters accommodate women, usually including trans persons, of all age groups and walks of life who are in urgent need of a refuge.

Feminist movements both within and beyond Switzerland are united by a practical demand: the right to self-determination, rather than just focusing on safety or freedom. This self-determination starts with the requirement that women need to enter safe houses on voluntary terms, which implies that they speak to the shelter staff themselves. Even when referred by the police, placement is conditional and requires at least a brief phone conversation with the safe house staff.

Following the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in 2014³, the number of safe houses for women and girls has continually risen. The umbrella organisation of the women’s shelters in Switzerland and Liechtenstein (DAO) lists 23 shelters with a total of 436 beds. In 2023, 2427 women and children spent an average of 48 nights at a safe house. The first 35 nights are usually paid by cantonal Victim Aid. Following this emergency period, there are significant cantonal differences regarding the financing models and the ways in which a stay may be prolonged.

In 2023, 69% of the women admitted were non-Swiss nationals.⁴ The resulting assumptions that migrant men are more violent than Swiss men overlooks that not every victim of domestic violence needs shelter: (non-Swiss) women who lack financial means and social networks are more likely to flee to a “Frauenhaus”, while well-connected (Swiss) women may figure out private solutions. Moreover, research has shown that the Swiss police force takes stronger measures when faced with domestic violence exerted by racialised perpetrators (Khazaei 2024) – which is again reflected in shelter statistics.

Besides the women’s shelters, there are also specialised shelters, e.g. safe houses for victims of trafficking. They are run by different actors with different moral aspirations and levels of institutionalisation. And, safe houses are experienced in different ways by the different people who stay in them. Understanding these varied experiences is essential to addressing the complexities of safe house care and improving support for those who rely on that care.

Author: Serena O. Dankwa

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References

Council of Europe: Gender Matters. (2022, December 2). The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention).

DAO Umbrella Organisation of Women’s Shelters in Switzerland and Liechtenstein

DAO Umbrella Organisation of Women’s Shelters in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Annual Report 2023 (PDF).

Khazaei, Faten. 2024. “Intersectional Making of the ‘Sri Lankan Case’: The Racialization of Domestic Violence in the Swiss Police Force.” The British Journal of Criminology 64(2): 400–416.

Women Against Violence Europe. (2014). WAVE Country Report.