Women’s Shelters

WIZO estimates that over a million women, children, and men are locked in the cycle of domestic violence in Israel. In the last five years alone, over 100 women were murdered by their spouses/partners. For the past 40 years, WIZO has been Israel’s pioneer and leader in the fight against this terrible scourge, developing a comprehensive array of services and programs for the treatment and prevention of domestic violence through advocacy, legislation, public education, legal services for battered women, and much more. WIZO’s approach is broad and holistic, addressing the individual, familial and public aspects of this problem.

WIZO operates two shelters for women victims of domestic violence and their children in the South and Center of Israel. The locations are not disclosed in order to protect the safety of the residents. These are first and foremost safe havens for protecting women and their children, who are forced to flee their homes due to severe violence from their domestic partner, including the threat of murder. Children who come to the shelters are either witnesses to the abuse or have been abused themselves. Many have severe trauma from the events.

The duration of stay can vary between 3 months and 18 months. For safety reasons, the women are placed in shelters that are far from their home communities, which adds to the traumatic effect, especially for children, who are torn not only from their homes but also from their school, friends, and familiar surroundings.

In the shelters, women and children are provided diverse therapeutic services, assisting them in escaping the cycle of violence and building a new life once they leave the shelter. Families live in the shelters in a “commune”-like
setting with a common kitchen and shared cooking and cleaning responsibilities. In times of high demand, some 40-50 mothers and children reside in the shelter at the same time.