When a woman hears the words “I believe you,” it can be the difference between despair and survival.
This International Women’s Day, we honour the life-saving power of women supporting women – and the community and care that make recovery possible.
To mark International Women’s Day, Sara* shares how specialist support from Woman’s Trust saved her life.
“I remember walking in to see the therapist. It was the first time someone had said, ‘I believe you.’ I broke down crying. I wasn’t imagining it. The abuse was real.”
For Sara, that moment of being believed was life-changing.
In Woman’s Trust group workshops, she heard other women tell stories that sounded painfully familiar. “I thought, this abuse is all out of the same rulebook. It was incredible to hear.”
For the first time, she felt the isolation begin to lift.
“The relief of being believed was transformative,” she says. “It felt like a weight lifted. I felt safe. From that point, I could process what had happened. I became much stronger.”
Through specialist counselling and group support, Sara learned about coercive control, trauma and the impact of abuse on identity and self-worth. She began to understand that what she had experienced was not her fault. Education and therapeutic support helped her reclaim her voice.
It gave her the confidence to stand up in court, to challenge prosecutors and to insist on her voice being heard. “Without those foundations, I wouldn’t have got to that stage,” she says.
But Sara’s story is not unique.
Domestic abuse accounts for more than half of all violence against women and girls in the UK. Beyond individual incidents, the majority of sexual violence, stalking and abuse is perpetrated by intimate partners or family members as part of domestic abuse.
For 30 years, Woman’s Trust has delivered specialist mental health support for survivors. Yet too many women are still left without the help they need – and far too many lives are lost.
Without coordinated national action and sustained investment, survivors will continue to face long waiting lists, limited provision and barriers to accessing life-saving care.
That is why Woman’s Trust is calling for urgent action.
We are calling for the Government to provide funding of at least £27.5m per year to deliver specialist counselling and therapeutic support in the community, for women and girls.
The evidence is clear: specialist support saves lives.
In 2024/2025, 92% of the total women Woman’s Trust supported reported experiencing depression, 89% anxiety/stress, and 89% feelings of isolation before receiving our support.
However, after our support, 93% improved their self-esteem, 90% felt less isolated and 86% felt more control over their future.
This International Women’s Day, we honour the strength of survivors like Sara. We celebrate the power of women supporting women.
And we renew our call for a future where every survivor who reaches out for help is met with belief, safety and the care she deserves.
Today, we are also asking for your support.
A donation to Woman’s Trust will change a woman’s life and help her to rebuild for her future.
Please donate here
*Name changed to protect identity.
Woman’s Trust in the press:
Woman’s Trust has been in the spotlight, showing the lasting impact of domestic abuse and the vital role of specialist support.
For International Women’s Day, the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy featured our work, highlighting how domestic abuse is driving a mental health crisis – and recovery is being ignored.
The New Statesman shared a powerful story of a Woman’s Trust client let down by the probation system after abuse, illustrating the trauma caused when support systems fail.
And in The Big Issue, our Trustee, Laura McCarthy, called for mental health support to remain central to the Government’s VAWG strategy, ensuring survivors can recover and thrive.
These features reinforce why our work matters – so every woman affected by abuse can access the support she needs to rebuild her life.
