Guiding Principles and Core Values

  1. Governments and societies are responsible for ensuring women's human rights.
  2. Violence violates women's human rights and equality.
  3. The women's shelter movement plays a critical leadership role in the global effort to end violence against women and their children.
  4. We recognize that women and their children can experience multiple forms of violence and oppression.
  5. Our work is guided by the diverse experiences of violence and oppression faced by women and their children.
  6. Perpetrators must be held accountable for their violence.
  7. "We recognize that violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women" [3] which perpetuates violence and discrimination against women and their children.
  8. Our work is guided by the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
  9. We work to advance women's leadership in the global movement to end violence against women.
  10. Our core values are consistent with feminist values and include: accessibility; autonomy; dignity and respect; empowerment; equality and equity; inclusiveness; integrity; safety; solidarity; and transparency.