Safety, hope and new beginnings

For 40 years the Darwin Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Shelter Indigenous Corporation (DAIWS) has provided a safe place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children escaping domestic, family and sexual violence. It was established in 1986 by Aunty Maddie McIntosh. The organisation was built on her determination to ensure vulnerable women had somewhere safe to heal. 

Over the years, the organisation has expanded significantly. When General Manager Regina Bennett joined DAIWS more than 24 years ago, the service operated with just 7 staff and one property. Today, DAIWS employs 41 staff and delivers services across multiple sites, including crisis accommodation, transitional housing, outreach support and specialist family violence services. 

At its core, DAIWS is about helping women and children to move from crisis to confidence.

‘We provide a safe place for women and children to come in and have wraparound support and safe accommodation,’ Regina said.

Women often arrive carrying the effects of trauma, fear and uncertainty. Through safe accommodation, emotional support, education programs, legal referrals and practical assistance, DAIWS helps women begin rebuilding their lives. Regina says the transformation can be remarkable.

‘A lot of the time we can have clients come into this shelter and they walk in really like the whole world is on their shoulder. Then after we work with them and they've got support workers around them and they get three meals a day; they walk out really confident,’ Regina said.

Domestic, family and sexual violence support worker Ana Márquez sees similar changes through her work supporting women in Darwin hospitals.

‘When women come in here, they are very down. They have experienced something very traumatic and not feeling at their best,’ Ana says. 

‘After a few days of hot meals, warm bed and warm people, you can see how places like this can lift a woman's spirits and help rebuild confidence, empowerment and autonomy.’

With funding through our Increasing Capacity of Crisis Accommodation Services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Program, DAIWS delivers a specialist domestic, family and sexual violence support service at Royal Darwin Hospital and Palmerston Regional Hospital. The service engages women at a critical point, immediately after experiencing violence. It connects them with emotional support, safety planning and specialist referrals.

Since the program began in March 2025, the service has supported 374 women in immediate need. It has also referred around 170 women to services including crisis accommodation, outreach support and legal assistance.

‘Before the project went into the hospitals, women would come through the emergency departments and leave unassisted,’ Regina says. 

‘Now we're capturing them and referring them to services. I would say it saves women.’ 

A key element of the hospital programs is educating women to help identify domestic violence and break the cycle of their experience at home. 

‘A lot of women normalise partners behaviour, thinking that it's normal to be punched, to be hit, to be cursed at, to be called names,’ Ana says.

‘To help these women to understand that it’s not normal to be treated like this is really important.’

For Regina, the program fills a vital gap.

‘Our organisation has really focused a lot on education and programs for our women and children as well. When they come in here, we have our outreach service do 2 programs per week with them, understanding that domestic violence is not okay and educating them on how to get legal advice, get DV [domestic violence] orders in place and budgeting and life skills,’ Regina says.

‘We put a lot of focus in training for [our staff] as well in that area, in understanding where women are coming from, because every case is so different.’

As DAIWS approaches its 40-year milestone, its mission remains unchanged: to provide safety, support and hope for women and children experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence.

As Ana puts it, ‘it's more than a shelter. It's a safe place. It's a safe environment and a safe community for them.’

If this article has brought up anything for you, please know that 1800RESPECT can support you 24/7 by calling 1800 737 732, texting 0458 737 732 or visiting 1800RESPECT(Opens in a new tab/window). They provide support to people who have experienced family and/or domestic violence in the past. You can also visit Help and support for ending violence for more services.