Join our Networks

Continental/regional networks and a network of First Nations Women’s Shelters form the heart of the Global Network of Women’s Shelters.

These networks differ in their stage of development: some of them are established networks, others just started. All networks had a continental meeting at the 3rd World Conference of Women’s Shelters in November 2015. The Asian and European Network had their (pre)conference a day before the World Conference in the Hague. The MENA network and the First nations Women’s shelters network joined GNWS during the conference in 2015.

Chair of GNWS is Chi Hui Jung from Taiwan

The heart of the Global organization are its networks: continental/regional networks and a network of First nations Women’s Shelters. We have networks in Africa, America (North, Central and South America), Asia, Europe, Middle East& North Africa, Oceania.

Below you find information of our networks: countries involved and how to contact the network. Depending on their stage of development you can reach them by website, face-book page or email address.

African network

The African Network of Women Shelters is a continent-wide organization with membership drawn from across Africa. The ANWS came into being in February 2012 following a resolution by the African Caucus during the 2nd World Conference on Women Shelters held in Washington DC. The ANWS is an affiliate of the Global Network of Women Shelters (GNWS).

Website: www.africannetworkofwomenshelters.org

Members of the steering committee of the African Network are from the following countries:

Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Dem Rep of Congo, South Africa, Cameroon, Ethiopia & Rwanda

American network

The RIRE Red Inter-Americana de Refugios- (Inter-American Network of Women’s Shelters) was formed in 2009 with 17 participating countries. Since its inception, RIRE has had two regional meetings 2010 and 2011 in Guatemala. Over 250 participants attended the regional conference. The last meeting in the region was held in Mexico September 2013.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rireorg/about

Local Networks

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Canada, Mexico, Barbados, United States, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras & Panama

Asian Network

The Asian Network of Women’s Shelters started in February 2012 at the 2nd World Conference of Women’s Shelters in Washington DC when over 50 representatives of Asian women’s shelters gathered at a regional round-table meeting to discuss networking, share proven innovations, and learn from each other.

The Network was formally galvanized into a working organization at the 1st Asian Conference of Women’s Shelters in Taipei in September 2012, when 30 representatives from 14 countries in the region met during lunchtime sessions of the conference to draft the vision, values, purpose and objectives of the Asian Network of Women’s Shelters, and select the Network’s first steering committee.

Website: http://www.shelterasia.org

Local Networks

  • Northeast Asia: GOH / Taiwan (chair), Korea’s Women’s Hotline, NCAV/Mongolia, Tung Wah Group of Hospital / H.K, All Japan Women’s Shelter Network, Po Leung Kuk/ H.K  & JaSMin/Japan
  • Southeast Asia: CSAGA/Vietnam, Harbor COV/Cambodia, CWCC/ Cambodia, WAO/Malaysia, SCWO/Singapore, PAAVE/Singapore & Ardhanary Institute/Indonesia
  • South Asia: Saathi/Nepal, PCVC india, Naripokkho/Bangladesh & NuK/Bangladesh
European Network

WAVE – Women Against Violence Europe

WAVE has been functioning since 1994. The Network comprises approximately 4,000 women’s organisations combating violence against women and children in Europe. This includes over 100 Focal Points supported by WAVE, which work on the national level in 46 European countries. Each year a WAVE-conference is organized in a different European country

Many European countries have national networks. You can find them on the website of WAVE

Website: www.wave-network.org

Albania, Armenia, Austria (chair), Azerbeijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine & United Kingdom

Middle-East and North Africa network

The network of the Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) region joined the Global network of Women’s shelters during the 3rd World Conference in the Hague in November 2015.

Email: uafcentrehebergement@gmail.com

At the conference participants of the following countries were present: Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Morocco (chair) and Tunesia.

Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco (chair) & Tunisia

Oceania Network

Australia has been an active member of GNWS since the start.The Australian organisation Wesnet is the chair and is broadening the network through contact with other countries/islands in their continent. Organizations from New Zealand recently joined the network.

Website: www.wesnet.org.au

Australia (chair) & New Zealand

First Nations Network

Since the position of first nations in several countries is different but has a lot in common, the start of a GNWS first nation network was made at the 3rd World Conference of Women Shelters in the Hague.

Contact: info@gnws.org

Canada (chair) & New Zealand

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