Jewish women and girls can now access support from Jewish Women’s Aid using a new web chat service, available on the our website. JWA announced the move into online support in March, and we accelerated development of the service in light of the coronavirus crisis and the impact of lockdown measures on women experiencing domestic abuse.

Women who want to speak to an advisor from the our domestic abuse support team, can visit the JWA website using a mobile phone, tablet or computer, and click on the chat icon. During the initial rollout, JWA web chat will be available on Monday and Wednesday, 3pm-5pm, and Tuesday and Thursday, 10am-12pm. Our well-established phone helplines for domestic abuse and sexual violence will continue at the same level as before.

JWA CEO Naomi Dickson, said, “The launch of our web chat service couldn’t have come at a more relevant time. We know it can be difficult for women to contact us during the lockdown if they are at home with the perpetrator, but web chat can be a more discreet way of being in touch if they need us. We were developing this service before the coronavirus crisis in light of its success in the wider domestic abuse sector, but we recognise that women may need online messaging now even more than before.”

Web chat is a free, confidential service open to Jewish women and girls aged 16 plus (14 plus in London).

For more information visit jwa.org.uk/webchat