Rights of Women

What Rights of Women does

Rights of Women is a UK registered charity and company limited by guarantee (Charity No. 1147913, Company No. 08002509), founded in 1975 and headquartered at 52-54 Featherstone Street, London. It operates exclusively in England and Wales, providing free, specialist legal advice and information to women experiencing all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG), including domestic abuse, sexual violence, forced marriage, and harassment. The organisation delivers services through three primary channels: (1) free and confidential telephone advice lines staffed by specialist women solicitors and barristers across family law, criminal law, immigration and asylum law, and employment law, supporting more than 3,000 women annually; (2) an extensive library of online legal guides and handbooks accessed by over 500,000 website visitors each year; and (3) paid professional training courses for practitioners working with women. Adjacent programmes include the Family Justice and Domestic Abuse Partnership (a Surrey-based multi-stakeholder initiative launched in 2023) and ongoing policy, campaigning, and judicial-review work that has shaped legislation including the Family Law Act 1996, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and LASPO-related jurisprudence.

The organisation is funded through a diversified mix of charitable donations, grants from approximately 15 trusts and foundations (including Henry Smith Charity, Esmée Fairbairn, London Councils, Trust for London, Tudor Trust, and Justice Together Foundation), London VAWG Consortium commissioning, and pro bono support from law firms such as Dechert LLP and Sharpe Pritchard LLP. It is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) at Levels 1, 2 and 3 in Asylum & Protection and Immigration, by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for its solicitors, and by the Bar Standards Board for its barristers. All services to beneficiaries are provided free of charge; there is no commercial pricing model. Governance sits with a Board of Trustees chaired by Jayne Butler, with Estelle du Boulay serving as Director. As of 2025 the organisation is recruiting a new Chair, coinciding with its 50th anniversary.

Name

Rights of Women

Legal name

Rights of Women

Website

https://rightsofwomen.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rights of Women is a London-based charity founded in 1975 that provides free specialist legal advice, online legal guides, and professional training to women in England and Wales experiencing violence against women and girls (VAWG), supported by grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Offices of Lawyers (54111), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC), Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

Keywords

• Women's legal aid
• Domestic violence advice
• Family law charity
• Free legal advice
• Women's rights charity

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Relies on donations from supporters to fund operations
2. Grant Funding: Funding from trusts, foundations, and organizations including Henry Smith Charity, Esmee Fairburn, London Councils, and others
3. Pro Bono Support: Receives pro bono support from professionals and firms such as Dechert LLP

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rights of Women provides free, confidential specialist legal advice to women in England and Wales experiencing violence against women and girls (VAWG) across family law, criminal law, immigration and asylum law, and employment law, delivered via telephone advice lines and supported by online legal guides. The charity also runs paid training courses for professionals working with women, delivers the Family Justice and Domestic Abuse Partnership programme, and conducts policy and campaigning work to influence law and policy on women's access to justice.

Product overview

Rights of Women is a charity providing free specialist legal advice and information services to women in England and Wales experiencing violence against women and girls (VAWG). The organization operates telephone legal advice lines staffed by specialist women solicitors and barristers, offering advice across family law, criminal law, immigration and asylum law, and employment law. Alongside the advice lines, Rights of Women provides accessible online legal guides and handbooks, professional training courses, and engages in policy and advocacy work. Key publications include the 'From Report to Court' handbook for sexual violence survivors, domestic violence injunctions guides, and immigration guides covering Article 8 rights. The Family Justice and Domestic Abuse Partnership project provides free resources for professionals working with domestic abuse survivors. The organization does not charge for its services as it is a registered charity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Telephone Legal Advice Lines Free and confidential telephone advice lines providing specialist legal advice to women in England and Wales across family law, criminal law, immigration and asylum law, and employment law, staffed by specialist women solicitors and barristers.
• Online Legal Guides and Handbooks Accessible online legal guides and publications covering criminal law, family law, immigration and asylum law, and employment law topics, helping women in England and Wales understand their legal rights.
• Professional Training Courses High quality practical training courses for professionals working with women, covering family law, criminal law, immigration and asylum law, and sexual harassment.
• Family Justice and Domestic Abuse Partnership A partnership project led by Rights of Women to improve family justice practice for survivors of domestic abuse through joint working models and free resources for professionals.
• Policy and Advocacy Policy, campaigns and advocacy work to ensure women's voices are heard and to bring about real change in women's access to the law and justice.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3000+ women supported annually through free legal advice lines
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• End Violence Against Women CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRights of Women is a member of the End Violence Against Women Coalition which campaigns to end all forms of violence against women and girls.
• London Violence against Women and Girls ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRights of Women is a member of the London VAWG Consortium which delivers a range of specialist services for the benefit of women and girls affected by domestic and sexual violence.
• DA SEEN Surrey (Survivor Engagement Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Family Justice and Domestic Abuse Partnership, representing survivor engagement in Surrey.
• Surrey County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Family Justice and Domestic Abuse Partnership, providing Safer Communities Strategic Lead for VAWG.
• Your Sanctuary (Surrey Domestic Abuse Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Family Justice and Domestic Abuse Partnership, CEO Fiamma Pather chairs the domestic abuse sub-group in the Local Family Justice Board.
• Surrey Children's ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Family Justice and Domestic Abuse Partnership, providing service manager for children's services.
• University of SurreyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing academic expertise through Professor Liz Williams, Professor of Legal Education and Director of Clinical Educational Programmes.
• Sharpe Pritchard LLPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity partner of Rights of Women throughout the 50th anniversary year (2025).
• Dechert LLPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro bono researchers from Dechert LLP contributed significant time to developing herstory pages.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Refuge: One of the UK's largest specialist VAWG charities operating refuge accommodation, helplines, and policy advocacy; comparable in serving women experiencing domestic abuse and influencing legislation, but anchored on refuge services rather than specialist legal advice.
• Women's Aid Federation of England: National federation of domestic abuse services in England; comparable in mission (ending VAWG), free advice delivery model, and policy advocacy role, though Women's Aid focuses more on refuge provision than specialist legal advice.
• Rape Crisis England & Wales: National umbrella body for specialist rape and sexual violence support services; overlaps with Rights of Women's sexual violence advice line, criminal law guidance ('From Report to Court'), and survivor advocacy.
• AVA (Against Violence & Abuse): UK charity working to end violence against women and girls through training, resources, and policy; comparable in professional training delivery and prevention/response focus, with significant overlap in funder ecosystem.
• Centre for Women's Justice: UK charity focused on strategic litigation and policy advocacy on VAWG and women's access to justice; closely comparable in legal-specialist mission and litigation track record, though smaller and litigation-centric.
• Southall Black Sisters: Provides specialist advice, casework, and legal advocacy for Black and minority ethnic women experiencing VAWG; overlaps with Rights of Women on legal advocacy and immigration advice, with a distinct intersectional focus.

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Advice: National network providing free, independent advice on legal, debt, and welfare issues including family law and discrimination; comparable free legal advice delivery model, but operates as a broad generalist rather than VAWG specialist.

Emerging players

• Fawcett Society: UK charity campaigning for gender equality and women's rights; overlaps with Rights of Women's policy and advocacy arm, but focused on systemic gender equality policy rather than frontline legal advice.
• Surviving Economic Abuse: UK charity addressing economic abuse as a form of VAWG; intersects with Rights of Women's family and employment law advice, providing a specialized adjacent mission rather than direct legal advice.

Regional players

• Welsh Women's Aid: Federation of specialist VAWG services in Wales; comparable in mission and free advice delivery, but operates as the devolved national body within Wales rather than competing in England.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rights-of-women

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 →

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