Erin Pizzey
| Erin Pizzey | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Erin Patria Margaret Carney 19 February 1939 Qingdao, Republic of China |
| Residence | South London |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Known for | Establishing Europe's first domestic violence shelters, founding the charity Refuge |
| Notable work |
Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear, Prone to Violence |
| Spouse(s) |
Jack Pizzey (m. 1959; div. 1976) Jeff Shapiro (m. 1980; div. 1994) |
| Children | 2, Cleo and Amos |
| Website | www |
Erin Patria Margaret Pizzey (born 19 February 1939) is an English family care activist and a novelist. She became internationally famous for having started the first domestic violence shelter in the modern world, Chiswick Women's Aid, in 1971, the organisation known today as Refuge. Haven House is often cited as the first women's refuge (called women's shelters in Canada and the U.S.), but at the time of their founding they only worked to help the mentally ill transition from committed life in a hospital to life in the outside world. By contrast the refuge started by Erin Pizzey was focused on removing victims of domestic abuse from their abusers, in an attempt to break the cycle.
Pizzey has been the subject of death threats and boycotts because of her research into the claim that most domestic violence is reciprocal, and that women are equally capable of violence as men. Pizzey has said that the threats were from militant feminists.
She was born Erin Carney in Qingdao, China in 1939, along with her twin sister Rosaleen. Her father was a diplomat and one of 17 children from a poor Irish family. In 1942, the family moved to Shanghai; shortly thereafter, they were captured by the invading Japanese Army and exchanged for Japanese prisoners of war. She is the sister of writer Daniel Carney, known for his novel The Wild Geese.
Having initially engaged with the British Women's Liberation Movement, Pizzey distanced herself along with others when she witnessed what she described as "irregular and disrespectful behaviour" towards the money donated by desperate women across the UK. Pizzey confronted them over this behaviour, which according to Pizzey included claiming that telephones were tapped and labelling people they did not like as MI5, police and CIA Informers or Agents. She also was concerned about overhearing discussion of plans to bomb the London store Biba; she reported on this to the police after warning the people involved. Subsequently, Pizzey became aware that the police had the group and offices under surveillance. Pizzey says that she and her fellow members of the Goldhawk Road group (named after the street Pizzey lived on) were seen as trouble, because they did not accept others' behaviours and views. Erin was told she was to be watched.
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Wikipedia