support for women Archives

10 April 2025

Create your own safety plan. Start your journey to a safer place.

A safety plan is a personalised, practical strategy designed to improve your safety while experiencing abuse, to help you prepare for leaving an abusive situation, or to support you after you have left. This plan contains key information tailored to your unique circumstances and will help you prepare for and respond to different scenarios. It … Continued

29 April 2024

Have you also experienced Monica’s nightmare? You can change this!

https://youtu.be/5kf7JFs_SwM Monika is one of many women who have lived in silence, fear, and a sense of powerlessness for years. Unfortunately, her story is still a reality for hundreds of Polish women living in the UK. But you don’t have to be alone. As Opoka, we have been helping women like Monika for years – … Continued

28 April 2024

Information about our helpline

Our confidential helpline operates from Monday to Friday, between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. However, we only answer calls on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Outside these hours, we handle other aspects of support, such as returning calls, responding to urgent messages, and collaborating with other professionals. Important! Our helpline … Continued

24 February 2024

Freedom Program

The next edition of the Freedom Programme begins on March 4th. This is a 12-week program designed for women who have experienced long-term domestic violence. The course is led by accredited Polish-speaking specialists.

28 November 2023

16 Days Campaign: Stop Violence Against Women and Girls

Every year, Opoka supports the UN Campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, from November 25th to December 10th.

26 May 2023

The first Safe Houses in the UK with specialised and organised support for Polish women with children are NOW OPEN!

Opoka is a unique and first-of-its-kind bilingual, specialist domestic violence prevention centre in the UK. We are proud to offer for the first time safe accommodation with specialist support in our two homes for Polish women with children up to the age of 10. Our homes are NOW OPEN! and we have started accepting referrals. … Continued

10 April 2021

Staying in a home should not mean danger. Domestic violence in Polish families in the UK

Statistically, every week, two women living in England and Wales are killed by or within reach of their current or former partner, and nearly one in three women in the country, aged 16-59, has experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. Unfortunately, for many families struggling with the horror of domestic violence, the lockdown meant being … Continued

9 April 2021

Interview: “The hardest thing is to leave everything behind and leave the home…”

Mrs Aneta, you experienced domestic violence. Would you like to share your story? Yes. I personally experienced and survived life-threatening and sustained domestic violence during my first marriage in Poland (1990-2002). After years of suffering from this abuse, I finally found the inner strength and dared to free myself from it. That was 19 years … Continued

11 February 2021

Helpline for Polish women in the UK regarding domestic violence — a safe and confidential support number.

Safe and confidential helpline for Polish women — open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10:00 to 13:00 Please note that the helpline 0300 365 1700 operates on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 10:00 and 13:00, excluding public holidays and Bank Holidays. The line is operated in Polish and is intended solely for Polish women experiencing … Continued

21 November 2020

STOP to violence against women and girls – The ’16 Days’ campaign

The following post is about the ’16 Days’ campaign, which annually raises awareness about the issue of violence against women. Learn how the Opoka organisation in Bristol supports Polish women in the UK and why this campaign is of such great importance. ⬇️ STOP violence against women and girls – the ’16 Days’ campaign.’

Tag: support for women