The African Network for Women Shelters (ANWS), representing over 50 African organizations, published a Call to Action urging African governments, civil society, the international community, and development partners to enact and implement policies and legislation which are needed in order to “establish and support shelters and safe spaces for women and girls in Africa.”
The Call for Action was drafted by ANWS Steering Committee in December 2012. The committee consists of 11 African countries, including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Cameroon, Liberia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
ANWS is an affiliate of the Global Network of Women Shelters (GNWS), which was founded in 2009 to fight violence against women and their children and to promote the women’s shelter movement globally.