The Maison de Lina believes that violence towards women is a social issue. Unequal gender relations in our society have historically contributed to male domination and, consequently, female submission. The different forms of violence that men subject women to within the private sphere of a relationship are manifestations of the power relations present in our wider societies.

Domestic violence is not the result of a loss of control, but is rather a means chosen to dominate the other person and assert power over her. In order to place and keep the woman in a state of inferiority and to force her to adopt behaviours that comply with his desires, the man uses different control strategies. The first signs can prove subtle and difficult to spot.

Domestic violence can take several forms: verbal, psychological, physical, sexual and financial. The repetitive episodes of tension and violence, alternating with episodes of justification and reconciliation, constitute what is called the cycle of violence. As a result, the woman loses a little more confidence in herself each time and begins to doubt her perceptions. Despite her best efforts, she is not able to end the violence or change the situation, which keeps her is a state of helplessness.

A woman who asks for help has often experienced several cycles of domestic violence. She arrives at the shelter with very low self-esteem, especially since society has contributed to her feelings of guilt because she was abused and stayed in this situation. Not many people know that the first two stages (tension and abuse) serve to control the woman, while the other two stages (justification and reconciliation) are intended to keep her in the relationship.

In addition, to enable women to regain power over their lives and therefore promote their autonomy, we use a feminist approach.