Donkey charity receives more donations than four leading domestic abuse charities combined

[IwantToRetire]

A donkey welfare charity received more donations in a single year than four leading domestic abuse charities combined, new figures show.

Data from the Charity Commission register reveals that four domestic abuse charities – Women’s Aid, Refuge, IDAS and SafeLives – together raised far less money through donations than The Donkey Sanctuary.

The four domestic abuse charities received a total of £11.3m during the 2022-2023 financial year, while The Donkey Sanctuary was the recipient of £51.7m in 2022.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/domestic-abuse-donkey-charity-funding-b2607499.html

I can remember there was a news story about this situation, maybe as much as 10 years ago. I wonder if the difference is getting bigger.

It's baffling to me that anyone wouldn't prioritise a living thing on the brink of extinction above a living thing that we have far too many of.

So why donate to women's aid, refuge if they're not actually helping women out?

Donkey Sanctuary is working to make women’s lives better too (hope the link works). I’m pretty sure I’ve seen something about them working with traumatised people here in the UK as well.

https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/articles/donkey-welfare-is-a-feminist-issue

I’m really disliking the way this thread is pitting a charity which helps both animals and women across the world, against another, as if caring about one issue means you don’t care about the other.

I was in a violent marriage. Like a PP I got no useful help from any organisation. It was on me to fix it, and despite being broken down by the abuse, my choices (hard and frightening, but my decisions) got me out. Animals don’t get those choices, and I resent the implication that donating to help them is somehow wrong.

I've got the same problem in my area, Space for Autism charity which is a vital service is closing down but the animal charities are doing really well because of huge donations. Nobody cares about the disabled people 😔

This is so reductive.

Are you saying we have far too many children with disabilities? That’s rather an unpleasant, eugenicist attitude

I think she just means there's a huge population of humans that are driving animals to extinction.

No, that we have too many human beings.

50% of the examples she was answering were of adults who had been blinded in the course of being soldiers/members of the military and adolescents-adults receiving help getting jobs. Not much there relating to the execution of disabled children.

It is always sad when a charity that helps people has to close because of funding, but it is totally disingenuous to suggest that nobody cares about disabled people.

I work with disabled children and adults and regularly see how much charity they benefit from for things like equipment, experiences and therapies. The problem is that there is always so much more that can be done, not that people don’t donate. Charities for disabled people get government funding too.

Animals wouldn’t need charity if it weren’t for humans and suffering is suffering, no matter what sentient being experiences it.

I know women who point blank refuse to leave abusive men, even with all the help in the world

So money you give to WA wouldn't be going to them... would it? (Genuine question)

Presumably the main expenses for WA go on women who seek and need help (usually with their kids)?

People always give more to animal
Charities than any other cause.

I worked in legal publishing many moons ago; the donkey sanctuary and the likes advertised hugely in publications intent on obtaining legacies from wills.

Domestic violence against women is still some dirty secret and the shame / blame still seems to be on the women instead of the perpetrators. I was so pleasantly surprised when Queen Camilla decided to champion domestic violence charities and regularly gives speeches to raise awareness.

Tbh there's an argument that instead of the implicit suggestion of some on here that people shouldn't donate to animals, the victims of domestic violence shouldn't need to rely on charity the state should prosecute perpetrators and be the safety net for the victims. It's the same as hospices, so much of the funding comes from charities when the state should be funding more. Instead of turning on each other and ranking the deservedness of one charity over another maybe we should be asking why the state is missing in a lot of spheres it should be leading in.

The Donkey Sanctuary does lots of work overseas to support families who rely on working animals for their livelihood. This often benefits women as women can have more responsibility to collect water for example and use a donkey to do this. If the donkey is fit and well cared for this job will take less time and allow more time for work, childcare etc.

It is not just about giving mistreated donkeys sanctuary.

There is also an outreach and therapy side of their work where they provide therapy to children to help with mobility issues plus visits to care homes for example.

Donkeys are cute and look good on advertising boards. I adore them. But I think DV charities should be much better supported. I get a lot of ads for Refuge on Twittex but only because much of my algorithm on the platform is regarding women's rights.

The DS spends A LOT of money on Instagram. I suppose it depends on how much of their budget they are willing to spend on advertising vs how much they'll get back. They wouldn't do it if it wasn't worth their while.

Just came back to thread, and I started it partly because (and I dont know why) about every 5+ years this statistics is roled out. So one one level it must work, and I didn't put this in my OP because of the MN rules but is part of a new campaign by Refuge with the Independent.

Refuge is very corporate and I assume that got professional advice on how to slant it.

Without going into details Refuge is very different from many local refuges which usually survive on some local funding and endless applications of pots of money for health, etc..

This has actually made me want to donate to a DV charity. I'll need to research them though to make sure the money is used appropriately and actually for the people impacted and not charity bosses etc.

Can I suggest that you could maybe find out about the local refuge in your area. Not only could you support them financialy, but they often need help, like at Christmas collecting toys etc., for children. And as this often means ordering something off a web site it is quite clear where your money is going.

You can use this link to find if there is a DV project near you https://www.womensaid.org.uk/womens-aid-directory/ and there will usually be a phone number or email that is not a helpline. This is for England, and NI, Wales and Scotland have similar.

NB - can we please stop making generalisations about women service providers. eg all this without JKR there would be no women only services. False. There are 3 rape crisis centres in Scotland that are women only, and yes to stop the tedious comments about what type of women, it means biological. And dont forget there 3 centres kept going despite pressure from SNP etc.. So lets give them some respect.

Donkeys overseas - even without comments on here in mentioning this to others they all say that in terms of advertising (which they have found a turn off oddly) it all seems to be about there horrible other countries who dont know how to look after animals are torturing donkeys, please send money.

Although as said up thread, it is more often that donkeys are the only resource many people in other countries have, and dont have the money, let alone the vetinary infastructure to support them.

Women escaping abuse can access council houses and benefits; they have friends and family, they can get jobs, they can get legal aid for court. It's not like they don't have other resources. Not all abused women are downtrodden and unable to help themselves.

No way with the length of council's waiting list would a woman escaping a violent relationship just walk into a council house.

Added to which it is often safer for a woman to not stay in the area where her abuser still lives. But then means the woman is isolated away from family, friendship networks.

They can claim benefits but you have to have a permanant address to do that.

You'll be amazed how few people can get legal aid.

If you end up being allocated a room in a homelessness hostel, often with antisocial men also housed in the same building, and if it is not just you but you and your children in the one room, the idea that this doesn't impact on you is just unrealistic. Let alone that the abuse could have left you with not only physical and mental health issues.

And some of the most severe cuts, leading to closure of refuges have been made by local councils. This is why it is really important to try and engage at a local level. One DV project which had 2 houses has had their funding cut because, not the politicians, by a council employee thought it was too expensive to run women only services, and women should just accept hostel accommodation.

The biggest cuts to women only provision over the past few years has been to safe secure housing for women escaping domestic violence.

I was in a violent marriage. Like a PP I got no useful help from any organisation.

I was thinking what I was going to post would be controversial but I now see others have posted similar to what I want to say.

Like the poster I'm quoting, I know more than one woman who got little help from organisations. Especially not effective help - which actually is something that needs to be provided by society and publicly funded services as another poster says
victims of domestic violence shouldn't need to rely on charity the state should prosecute perpetrators and be the safety net for the victims.

Relying on charities means access to and quality of help varies and is not guaranteed. With DV specifically it also often focuses only on emergency help like refuges. One woman I know was in a refuge but afterwards went back to her abusive husband, because the alternative was substandard unsafe temporary accomodation, mixed homeless accomodation including ex prisoners (some convicted of violent crimes). She's not safe with her husband but she was not safe in the temporary accommodation either so she chose the known other equally unsafe unknown.

I'd rather donate to an animal charity - but that's because DV needs to be addressed by societal changes, not charities. Victims would be better helped if there was more social housing, supportive benefits system, access to DV aware solicitors, improved CMS system, and better social services.

https://wunderdogmagazine.com/stories/find-foster-help-for-your-dog-if-you-need-to-flee-from-domestic-abuse/

If you can't decide between battered women and cute animals.

I've changed my name for this as it might be a bit outing.

I am notorious within my family for becoming so irate at a maudlin, played for sympathy advert that I literally shouted "Fuck donkeys 🫏!" My family were somewhat surprised and amused but I tried to explain that with all the children suffering, the women struggilng, the wars and the environmental problems, fucking donkeys were the last thing we needed to worry about.

Now whenever someone mentions a donkey, everyone immediately answers with "Fuck donkeys!" So it made an impression!

I just posted this on another thread. It's something people need to realise and advocate for, if genuinely concerned about DV victims.

Outsourcing vital support services to private companies and charities means spending priorities are focused on bidding for contracts and campaigning - instead of having well trained frontline staff providing timely and effective support. Also charities are generally only able to give emergency help.

Campaigning is important - but it's not a replacement for practical help.

DV (and violence in general) can't be addressed without taking a holistic approach that tackles wider societal issues - including the UK's shortage of social housing, the need for a supportive benefits system, improved CMS system, and access to DV trained therapists via the NHS.

Relying on charities for essential support, both for DV and other needs (support for disabled people is another example mentioned in this thread) isn't the answer.

Cherie Blair mentioned being influenced by the death of a woman who’d felt she had no choice but to return to an abusive partner who then killed her.

I wish these things weren’t happening.

Exactly what @IwantToRetire says

And too few people realise it. They only see the "success stories" where someone has thankfully had the help they need. And yes some do get the help they need. Many others don't. It's a complete lottery - a situation exacerbated by relying on charities to provide support rather than the necessary holistic societal changes.