Our History
Respeito is a Charity and a company limited by guarantee, founded in November 2016, based in London, in the borough of Lambeth.
Founders
Lambeth has the 6th highest incidence of domestic abuse in Greater London. With an estimated 50,000 Portuguese speakers living in the borough, it is thought that a significant number are affected by domestic abuse.
Further studies confirm that domestic violence has been identified within a range of complex social factors such as socio-economic, and poor education in articles such as “Portuguese-speaking Community in Lambeth: a scoping study” (2015) and “Navigating migrant infrastructure and gendered infrastructural violence: reflections from Brazilian women in London” (2022). Due to language barriers and the stigma attached to domestic abuse this migrant population experiencing vulnerability do not get the information and support they need, perpetuating the cycle of abuse.
The study “Portuguese-speaking community in Lambeth: a scoping study” (2015) was developed by Maria Joao Melo Nogueira who is co-founder of Respeito and current Executive Director of the organisation.
In order to respond to the needs of migrant domestic abuse survivors
identified as a result of the study, and due to the lack of domestic abuse service provision for this specific sector of the community, Maria Joao Melo Nogueira and Fernanda Correia (leader at the Portuguese Community Centre - 2015) were encouraged and motivated to co-found Respeito in November 2016.
Since the organisation was formed, lived experience representation became a priority for the organisation at the management level as a way to amplify the voices of the Portuguese-speaking migrant survivors and to guarantee an appropriate intersection with our community.