GNWS

Global Network of Women's Shelters

Our Networks

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.

[Please click on the + signs in the list below to show details of each network]

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