A safe space for young women and girls has launched in East London, acting as a "one-stop shop" for support.
The Bloom Hub in Stratford, Newham is similar to a community centre, but is exclusively for females aged 13 to 25.
It is run by Advance, a City-based charity that works with survivors of violence and domestic abuse.
Advance, which is funded by London's Violence Reduction Unit and the Ministry of Justice, also collaborate with those who are in contact with the criminal justice system.
Staffed entirely by women, the hub offers everything from coffee and snacks to clothes and counselling.
Additionally, there are private rooms for women and girls to do homework after school.
Director of services Dali Kaur believes the hub, which is looking to hire school tutors and childcare providers, help girls who are not allowed in the same spaces as boys.
They make you forget what you're feeling
She told the BBC: "There has been a large number of cases where girls from different ethnic cultures will come and say that they're not allowed in spaces where boys are.
"What they can only attend is a place which is run by women for women. What individual young women and girls turn to the hub for will vary depending on how they're feeling and what is going on in their lives.
"It might be just somewhere to hang out and chat with peers, or it could be that it's somewhere they feel safe to disclose any form of abuse."
One visitor named Billie, 22, was referred to Advance due to her struggles with anxiety, saying: "My mum and my dad were in a relationship that involved domestic violence.
“I guess from when I was born, to when I was 16, when they finally split up. That was my life. I don't think you realise how much it affects you until you're older."
Lib Peck, director of London's Violence Reduction Unit, added: "Listening to young people is and has to be at the very heart of our approach to tackling violence against women and girls.
"The hub is a new dedicated space in east London that has been developed by young people through our mentoring programme with Advance.
Listening to young people is at the very heart of our approach to tackling violence against women and girls
"It provides girls and young women with a space where they feel safe, supported, and somewhere they can build friendships.
"It meets them where they want to be and crucially provides access to trusted mentors who we know can provide life-changing support when young people need it most."
Advance received more than 1,000 referrals into its young women and girls services between October 2024 and February 2025.
Of those, two thirds of the girls were victims of a sexual offence or violent crime.
Jasmine, 20, who was abused at home for years, said she felt immediately at ease at Bloom Hub.
"They make you forget what you're feeling," she said. "You're probably upset and then you come here and you feel more happy with yourself. They understand you and they know what you're going through."
