WAVE Network

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WAVE Network

WAVE (Women Against Violence Europe) is a feminist network of European women NGOs promoting human rights of women and children.

09/05/2026

Europe Day is a good moment to ask what Europe really means in practice.

Every right and protection we benefit from today was built by people choosing cooperation, dialogue, and solidarity over time. That is what makes Europe work.

But we are also seeing challenges. Women’s specialist services are under pressure. Shelters and helplines are being asked to do more with limited resources, even as the need for support remains high.

Across the WAVE network, organisations continue to provide essential services every day. They support women and girls, advocate for change, and keep core European values alive in real and practical ways.

If we want a Europe that protects and supports everyone, we need to invest in these services.

This Europe Day, we celebrate what has been built and the people behind it. And we look ahead to what still needs to be strengthened.

You can support this work by sharing, engaging, or contributing to organisations working on the ground.

07/05/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined our webinar as part of our “Knowledge into Power” series. 💐

We were proud to launch Agents of Change, a study three years in the making. Based on the experiences of WAVE members across Europe, it highlights how women’s specialist services (WSS) respond to violence against women and girls at multiple levels.

WSS provide tailored, survivor-centred support, build partnerships and prevention efforts in communities, and play a key role in shaping policy and advocacy. Together, this multi-level approach is what makes them so effective.

At a time of increasing backlash and funding constraints, this study provides strong evidence for why specialist, feminist services are essential.

The study was developed by WAVE researchers Léa Dudouet, Elena Floriani, and Marta Konrad.

Read the study here: https://wave-network.org/agents-of-change-study/

04/05/2026

We were so happy to see so many of our members join our recent webinar on technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

With the help of Asha Allen and Marie Seck from the Center for Democracy & Technology Europe, we explored how the EU Directive on Violence against Women and the Digital Services Act can be used in practice, from understanding survivors’ rights to navigating reporting, redress, and platform accountability.

A key takeaway: technology-facilitated violence is not separate from offline violence, it is part of the same continuum of abuse.

At WAVE, addressing this is a core part of our work to end all forms of violence against women and girls. Through advocacy, awareness raising, and collaboration with experts and frontline organisations, we continue working to ensure that survivors’ experiences in digital spaces are recognised and addressed.

Thank you to CDT Europe and to everyone who joined and shared their insights. We’re excited to keep learning and building knowledge together in this space.

If you’d like to support our work, you can do so here: https://wave-network.org/donate/

30/04/2026

As Sexual Assault Awareness Month comes to a close, one thing remains clear:

Survivors of sexualised violence across Europe are still facing a critical lack of access to specialist support.

According to the WAVE Country Report 2025, 85% of the required specialist services are missing.
Only around 600 centres exist, while over 3,500 are needed.

This gap has real consequences. In many cases, reaching out for specialist help does not mean support is available.

Raising awareness matters. But ensuring access to survivor-centred, trauma-informed services is what truly makes a difference.

Read more: https://wave-network.org/wave-country-report-2025/

29/04/2026

Właśnie ruszył portal bezprzemocy.edu.pl – ekspercki serwis poświęcony zapobieganiu przemocy wobec kobiet i przemocy domowej.

💬 Dobrze zaprojektowana profilaktyka wymaga wspólnego języka, wiedzy opartej na dowodach i narzędzi, które można zastosować w praktyce. Właśnie dlatego taki portal ma ogromne znaczenie: pomaga przejść od ogólnej deklaracji, że trzeba zapobiegać przemocy, do konkretnych działań możliwych do wdrożenia w instytucjach i społecznościach.💬
- Agata Teutsch, pomysłodawczyni i autorka portalu.

Portal bezprzemocy.edu.pl pokazuje, czym jest profilaktyka przemocy wobec kobiet, jakie programy przynoszą efekty, jak należy je projektować i jakich błędów nie powielać.
Dostarcza przykładów, ram interpretacyjnych i narzędzi, które mogą wspierać instytucje oraz środowiska zawodowe w bardziej świadomym, systemowym podejściu do zapobiegania przemocy.

▶️ Jeśli w swoim mieście, województwie, szkole lub uczelni, organizacji lub instytucji odpowiadasz za:
✅️ kwestie bezpieczeństwa
✅️ edukację, np. programy szkolne, wychowawcze, rozwojowe
✅️ programy samorządowe
✅ ️pomoc społeczną
i in.;
➡️ Jeśli chcesz planować i wdrażać działania z sensem, o sprawdzonej skuteczności

- ten portal jest dla Ciebie!

Dowiedz się, jak inwestować w przyszłość bezpieczniejszą dla nas wszystkich. Odwiedź bezprzemocy.edu.pl.

Portal powstał, dzięki wsparciu finansowemu Women Against Violence Europe WAVE Network

29/04/2026

We’re proud to have contributed to the report adopted by the European Parliament calling for stronger, consent-based r**e legislation across the EU.

At a time when violence against women and girls is rising, not only online but across all areas of life, stronger and more consistent protections are urgently needed. 1 in 6 women in the EU, around 30 million, has experienced sexual violence.

We also contributed to a ZDF news segment, where WAVE’s Executive Director Stephanie Futter-Orel explained why definitions of r**e still differ across Europe, and why that matters in practice.

The question should be simple: how did the accused make sure she actually agreed? Yet too often, the burden still falls on women to prove what happened to them.

At its core, the message is clear: r**e should be defined by the absence of consent, not the presence of force or self-defense.

Watch the full segment here (in German, but absolutely worth it, and easy to translate):
https://www.zdfheute.de/politik/eu-parlament-abstimmung-initiative-nur-ja-heisst-ja-gewalt-gegen-frauen-100.html

28/04/2026

Looking back at the WAVE Regional Meeting Eurasia 2026 in Vienna 🤍

In February, women’s rights organisations from across Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, and Georgia came together for three days of honest conversations, shared realities, and much-needed connection.

A few months on, we’re still thinking about the WAVE Regional Meeting Eurasia 2026 in Vienna 🤍

In February, women’s rights organisations from across Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, and Georgia came together for three days of honest conversations, shared realities, and much-needed connection.

Participants spoke openly about shrinking civic space, financial instability, digital security risks, and the growing pressure of anti-gender narratives. These challenges haven’t gone away.

But neither has the response.

The meeting created space to exchange practical strategies that continue to shape the work today:
• stronger risk management and safety planning
• more adaptive communication approaches, balancing visibility and security
• improved digital protection of sensitive data
• renewed focus on staff wellbeing and burnout prevention
• exploring more sustainable and flexible funding models

One of the strongest takeaways was solidarity in practice, from cross-border cooperation to support from unexpected allies.

A few months later, that sense of connection and shared purpose still matters. Because behind every strategy are people continuing to do this work, often under pressure, and still showing up for survivors.

🔗 Read more: https://wave-network.org/wave-regional-meeting-eurasia-2026/

23/04/2026

Across Europe, access to specialist support for survivors of sexualised violence remains critically limited.

The WAVE Country Report 2025 shows that 633 specialist centres were reported across Europe, while 4,248 are needed to meet minimum standards.

This leaves a gap of 3,615 services, meaning the vast majority of required support is still missing.

These services provide immediate, trauma-informed, and long-term support to survivors of sexualised violence.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month is not only about raising awareness. It is about ensuring that support is actually available when it is needed.

Read more: https://wave-network.org/wave-country-report-2025/

22/04/2026

In a time of rising backlash against women’s rights and increasing funding pressures, strong evidence is more important than ever.

Join us on 5 May for the launch of WAVE’s newest research publications on women’s specialist services across Europe.

We’ll be presenting:
📄 A new study on the impact of feminist specialist services
📊 The WAVE Country Report 2025 (covering 46 countries)

These tools are designed to support advocacy, strengthen services, and hold governments accountable.

🗓 5 May | 11:00–12:30 CEST
🔗 Register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/E7nPF4Q2Bn

Open to everyone – feel free to share!

21/04/2026

What does the EU budget say about what we value?

From 25–28 March, WAVE participated in a high-level conference in Nicosia on the future of the EU budget (2028–2034), and what it means for gender equality across Europe.

A key concern: proposals to remove earmarked funding for gender equality risk reversing progress made over the past decade.

“Victims of gender based and domestic violence need specific support from experienced professionals – women’s shelters are crucial and need more long-term funding.”
— Katrin Schneeweis, BAKHTHI (AÖF)

The Nicosia Declaration calls for gender equality, care, and social priorities to be at the heart of the EU budget.

🔗 Read more: https://wave-network.org/advancing-gender-equality-in-the-eu-budget-wave-at-the-nicosia-conference/

Adresse

Wien

Telefon

+4315482720

Webseite

https://www.wave-network.org/

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