London Abused Women's Centre

What London Abused Women's Centre does

London Abused Women's Centre (LAWC) is a non-profit charitable organization established in 1982 and headquartered at 797 York Street, Unit 5, London, Ontario. LAWC delivers free counselling, advocacy, and support services to women and girls over the age of 12 who have been subjected to intimate partner violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, and non-state torture, with parallel service access for gender-diverse survivors. Service delivery is multi-modal — in person, by phone (519-432-2204 and crisis line 1-866-863-0511), virtually, and via urgent care — and includes accessibility accommodations such as professional accredited interpretation in over 50 languages, French-language referrals through Fem'aide and Carrefour des Femme du Sud-Ouest de l'Ontario, on-site childcare upon request, and LTC/Paratransit bus tickets at no cost to active clients.

LAWC's product portfolio comprises Counselling & Advocacy, Intimate Partner Violence Services, Human Trafficking Services, Sexual Assault & Harassment Services, Non-State Torture Services, Urgent Services, Women's Support Groups (Drop-In Group and Making Connections), and Training & Education for workplaces, schools, and community centers. The organization runs two flagship brand assets: the registered-trademark Shine the Light on Woman Abuse Campaign (launched 2010, now nationally and internationally recognized, turning communities purple each November), and the annual International Women's Day Breakfast & Silent Auction (the 26th edition in 2026 raised a record $122,490). A merchandise e-commerce store at lawc.on.ca/store and 50/50 raffles provide additional transactional revenue, while free curriculum-linked Shine the Light educational resources serve schools and parents.

The business model is donation- and event-driven: services are provided free of charge to clients, and the organization is funded through individual and corporate charitable donations (eligible for CRA tax receipts, processed online, by mail, by phone, or via securities/mutual funds through CanadaHelps), merchandise sales, raffles, and fundraising events. There are no disclosed equity investors, parent entities, or government grant concentrations. Distribution is community-led — direct service delivery plus outreach through workplaces, schools, and community centers — with the founder identified as Gail Hutchinson. There is no evidence of disclosed APIs, proprietary AI/ML systems, or technology platforms beyond a standard web/e-commerce stack; LAWC's competitive position rests on brand, community trust, and specialized trauma-informed human expertise rather than technology differentiation.

Name

London Abused Women's Centre

Legal name

London Abused Women's Centre

Website

https://lawc.on.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

London Abused Women's Centre is a London, Ontario-based non-profit founded in 1982 that provides free counselling, advocacy, and support services to women, girls, and gender-diverse survivors of violence, abuse, sex trafficking, and non-state torture, funded through donations, events, and merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Violence Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Protection, Child Protection & Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response (BPAGAAAG), Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Domestic violence support
• Intimate partner violence
• Human trafficking services
• Crisis counselling nonprofit
• Women's advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: Voluntary donations from individuals and organizations, tax-deductible charitable donations eligible for CRA tax receipts. Donations can be made online, by mail, by phone, or via securities/mutual funds.
2. Merchandise Sales: Online store selling merchandise (clothing, accessories) with proceeds supporting front-line services. All sales final except for defective or incorrect items.
3. Fundraising Events: Annual events including International Women's Day Breakfast with silent auction. The 2026 event raised $122,490. Also includes 50/50 raffles and special events fundraising.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

London Abused Women's Centre (LAWC) is a feminist nonprofit organization that provides free counselling, advocacy, and support services for women and girls over the age of 12 who have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and non-state torture. Services are delivered in person, over the phone, or virtually, with supplementary offerings including training and education programs, an annual awareness campaign, a fundraising event, and an online merchandise store.

Product overview

London Abused Women's Centre (LAWC) is a feminist organization offering a comprehensive suite of support services for women and girls over the age of 12 who have experienced violence, abuse, or exploitation. The core service portfolio includes Counselling & Advocacy, Intimate Partner Violence Services, Human Trafficking Services, Sexual Assault & Harassment Services, Non-State Torture Services, Urgent Services, and Women's Support Groups (Drop-In Group and Making Connections). LAWC complements its direct services with Training & Education programs, an annual Shine the Light on Woman Abuse Campaign awareness initiative, the International Women's Day Breakfast fundraising event, and an online merchandise store. All services are provided free of charge and include accessibility accommodations such as interpretation services in over 50 languages, virtual delivery options, childcare, and transportation assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shine the Light on Woman Abuse Campaign: A registered trademark campaign that raises awareness to the issue of violence against women by turning communities purple for the month of November. Started in 2010 as a grassroots effort and has become nationally and internationally recognized.

Products and services

• Counselling & Advocacy Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• CanadaHelpsminorOthersThird-party donation processing platform allowing donors to give securities or mutual funds quickly and easily. Located at canadahelps.org.
• Lighthouse MomentsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent photography provider for the International Women's Day Breakfast. Provided professional photography services for the event documentation.
• Fem'aideminorOthersOntario helpline for French-speaking women affected by violence. Referenced as resource for French-language services (1-877-336-2433).
• Carrefour des Femme du Sud-Ouest de l'OntariominorOthersSouthwest Ontario French-language women's resource center. Referenced as resource for French-language services (519-858-0954).

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fem'aide: Ontario-wide French-language helpline for women experiencing violence, already a referral partner of LAWC and offering overlapping crisis and referral services.
• Interval House Toronto: Interval House is one of Ontario's largest shelters for women fleeing violence, offering counselling and advocacy closely paralleling LAWC's IPV and sexual assault service lines, though at greater scale in Toronto.
• Anova: Anova (formerly Women's Community House & Interval House) is a London, Ontario-based feminist organization providing shelter, counselling, and violence-against-women services — directly comparable by geography, mission, and service mix to LAWC.
• Assaulted Women's Helpline: Provincial Ontario-wide helpline serving survivors of violence, closely overlapping with LAWC's crisis line and phone-based counselling delivery channel.
• Barbara Schlifer Clinic: Toronto-based feminist clinic offering counselling, legal advocacy, and interpretation services to women experiencing violence — directly analogous to LAWC's counselling + advocacy + multilingual model.
• YWCA London Middlesex: YWCA London Middlesex delivers women's shelter and anti-violence programming in the same London catchment, competing for the same donor base, volunteers, and corporate partners as LAWC.

Broad incumbents

• YWCA Canada: National federation of YWCAs delivering shelter, housing, and anti-violence programming; comparable mission and federal advocacy footprint, though operating across a much broader portfolio of programs than LAWC.
• Canadian Women's Foundation: National grantmaking and advocacy organization funding violence-against-women programs across Canada; operates in the same sector and shares the feminist mission, though primarily as a funder rather than direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/endwomanabuse
• Xx.com/endwomanabuse
• Facebookfacebook.com/endwomanabuse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about London Abused Women's Centre