Scottish Women's Aid Collection
- Reference:GB 1534 SWA
- Dates of Creation:1973 - ongoing
- Name of Creator:
- Language of Material:English Bengali Hindi Urdu Chinese
- Physical Description:22 boxes.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of records created by Scottish Women's Aid and local women's aid groups, including annual reports, newsletters, organisational records, promotional material, publications, and other ephemera. There is also a large series of news cuttings included in the collection that were collected by workers at Scottish Women's Aid, primarily from the mid-1970s to early 1990s. The collection also includes informational materials from related organisations used by staff at Scottish Women's Aid.
This collection is currently undergoing processing as part of the Speaking Out: Recalling Women's Aid in Scotland project (2015-2017) and a number of oral histories have been collected and will be added into the archive in late 2017.
Administrative / Biographical History
Founded in 1976, Scottish Women's Aid was established to provide a national voice for regional Women's Aid groups around Scotland. The first women's aid groups were established in 1973, beginning in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as grassroots feminist organizations providing support and temporary housing for women and children experiencing domestic violence. Since the 1970s, many more women's aid groups have been founded and continue to operate throughout Scotland.
Scottish Women's Aid operates at a national level, campaigning and lobbying to bring about change to attitudes and legislation concerning domestic abuse and violence against women. They act as the coordinating body for local women's aid groups around Scotland and work to connect women and children who have experience of domestic abuse with the help they need, include connecting them with local groups and other services. Scottish Women's Aid also provides training and educational opportunities to local women's aid groups, as well as other organisations, services, and individuals.
Access Information
This collection is open for consultation, some access restrictions will apply, particularly to a number of oral history interviews. Please make an appointment with the archivist.
Other Finding Aids
The Glasgow Women's Library online catalogue .
Custodial History
The majority of the materials were deposited at Glasgow Women's Library in one donation. Prior to this, they were in the custody of Scottish Women's Aid. Some materials have been donated by individuals involved in Women's Aid in various capacities over the years and added into the existing collection.
Accruals
Further accruals are expected from both Scottish Women's Aid and local Women's Aid groups. A number of oral histories will also be added to the collection in late 2017.
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