Any woman suffering from domestic abuse must contend with enormous difficulties in escaping an ‎abusive relationship. These difficulties are even more daunting for orthodox women. Until Bat Melech was established, battered Orthodox women had nowhere to turn to for help.

For a number of ‎reasons, Orthodox women in abusive relationships do not take advantage of the social services ‎provided for abused women. First, they fear the stigma associated generally with welfare services in ‎the Orthodox community. Second, they distrust non-religious authorities; the Orthodox community ‎generally does not look kindly on members who seek outside help for domestic problems.

Many Orthodox women fear that ‎admitting openly that their husbands beat them will negatively impact the religious community’s ‎perception of their families.

Bat Melech is the only organization in Israel to respond to this urgent need by providing ‎apartments that serve as shelters for abused Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox women.

Today, Bat Melech runs a network of shelters and safe havens that provide social, financial, emotional, and legal assistance to woman and their children, who are victims of domestic violence.

Click here for statistics about the number of women and children Bat Melech has served.