Guernsey may have new women's refuge by end of year

The new refuge will be funded by assets seized from criminals

Guernsey may have a new women's refuge by the end of the year, according to the deputy in charge of tackling domestic abuse.

Deputy Susan Aldwell, domestic abuse and sexual violence lead for the States, said she expected a new refuge to be open before next year's election and that it could "hopefully be in place by the end of the year".

She said the new refuge would be funded by assets seized from criminals and that a new site had been earmarked.

Guernsey's current refuge, which is run by domestic abuse charity Safer, is currently "chock-a-block", said Mrs Aldwell.

Naomi Wood, head of services for Safer, said the organisation had recently converted a staff room into a bedroom at its refuge because of rising demand.

She said more than 500 people used the charity's support services last year, adding those were "the ones we know about".

Recent research from Jersey found that 97% of women had reported sexual harassment and Guernsey Police said that despite a lack of local data they expect a similar situation locally.

Ms Wood said the States, police and charities should learn lessons from improvements in Jersey.

"I think it's a brilliant idea and they've done so much work in such a short period of time and we absolutely should be using that experience," she added.