This summer, many women and children are fighting for theirs.
This Advocacy Advertisement was prepared by Women’s Refuge NZ and is being published by the New Zealand Herald as advertorial.
As summer arrives, families pack their cars for long-awaited holidays, friends reunite for road trips, and many of us look forward to well-earned downtime with those we love. It’s a season for freedom, fun, and reconnection and a time to relax and recharge.
But while many of us can’t wait for this time, thousands of women across the country are on a very different kind of journey. For them, this season doesn’t represent peace it represents fear, uncertainty, and survival.
Unfortunately, the holiday period is also the busiest time for Women’s Refuge. The combination of close quarters, financial strain, and increased alcohol use can create the perfect pressure cooker for family violence. What should be a time of celebration becomes, for some, the most dangerous time of year.
For women escaping abuse, the journey isn’t about sightseeing or relaxation. It’s about courage. The courage to leave everything behind and take a leap into the unknown. Walking away often means leaving a home, personal belongings, financial stability, and sometimes even friends or family. It means starting again with nothing but hope. Hope that somewhere ahead lies safety and peace.
That’s where Safe Nights come in.
A Safe Night is much more than a bed for the night. It’s a warm meal after a day filled with fear. It’s a secure place where a mother can finally exhale, and a child can sleep without nightmares. It’s the first step toward rebuilding a life. For just $20, you can give a woman and her children not only a roof over their heads, but also the comfort, care, and dignity they deserve.
Each Safe Night offers more than physical safety. It provides emotional support, compassionate guidance, and the resources women need to move forward from counselling and legal assistance to essential supplies and advocacy. It’s about empowerment, independence, and healing.
When you donate, you’re not just giving money, you’re giving a moment of peace. You’re offering a mother the chance to rest without fear, a child the chance to dream freely, and a family the chance to imagine a brighter future.
Every dollar is a milestone on the road to recovery. Every Safe Night helps a woman refuel her strength, rebuild her confidence, and rediscover her voice. Together, we can make sure that every woman has a chance for their journey to not end in fear, but in safety and hope.
This summer, as you plan your own travels, take a moment to think of those on a far more difficult road. A small act of generosity can change the direction of a life forever.
Because freedom shouldn’t depend on circumstance.
Safety isn’t a privilege. It’s a right.
Together, we can help thousands of women and children achieve a violence-free life.