Keeping women and children safe is a choice.

With your support, we can choose to meet courage with care, & turn fewer women away.

Last year, Women’s Legal Service WA was forced to turn away more than 3,000 women who reached out for legal help and safety support, not because they didn’t qualify, but because we simply didn’t have the capacity. Each number represents a woman who had the courage to ask for help and was told to try somewhere else. 

This is not an abstract policy failure; it is a systemic failure. It is happening now, and the consequences are devastating.

What we already know  

Women’s safety is not a mystery; it is a choice. 

Across Australia: 

• We are not short on evidence. We are overwhelmed by it.
• Multiple inquiries, royal commissions and national reviews have already identified what works to prevent and respond to domestic and family violence.
• There are clear recommendations sitting on the shelf, waiting for leadership, funding and accountability.
• When political will, sustainable funding and accountability align, women’s safety improves.
• When they don’t, the human cost is devastating, particularly for women in regional and remote communities, where options are already limited.
• When legal, housing and support systems fail to connect, the consequences are real and sometimes fatal. 
   

What this means for Women’s Legal Service WA 

Frontline women’s legal services across Australia are forced to turn away up to 1,000 women every week due to capacity constraints. So far, in 2026, WLSWA has had to turn away over 1265 women. At WLSWA, every woman we turn away is a woman left more exposed to violence, navigating unsafe situations without legal advice, protection, or advocacy.

Demand far outstrips capacity, and women are being left without the legal protection and support they need to stay safe. This is why sustainable funding for frontline services is critical and why community support matters now more than ever.

This EOFY, your support can help us:

• Increase our capacity to assist women seeking safety
• Reduce the number of women turned away
• Provide timely legal advice at critical moments
• Advocate for systems that keep women & children safe

The evidence is clear.

The gap is not knowledge; it is capacity.

Thank you for standing with women seeking safety.