AWAVA’s focus is to ‘ensure that all women and children are able to live free from all forms of violence and abuse’. The Alliance recognises that violence against women is both a consequence and cause of gender and other social inequalities, in all sectors of society and must be addressed by promoting women’s empowerment.

The Australian Women Against Violence Alliance (AWAVA) is one of the six National Women’s Alliances funded by the Australian Government to bring together women’s organisations and individuals across Australia to share information, identify issues and their solutions, to respond to and prevent violence against women and their children. AWAVA’s role is to ensure that women’s voices and particularly marginalised women’s voices are heard by Government, amplifying the work of its member organisations and Friends & Supporters.

AWAVA works towards this by harnessing the expertise of its members, consisting of specialist women’s services from the responding to violence against women sector, and working closely with government. Its members include organisations from every state and territory in Australia and represent organisations working on diverse issues including domestic and family violence, sexual assault, feminist pedagogy and women with disabilities. We acknowledge the work and expertise of specialist women’s services and pay tribute to those who have experienced violence.

Our work is guided by our Working Methods, outlining how we operate in terms of our key elements: our Advisory Group, Policy Executive Group, Friends & Supporters, staff team and contract manager The Women’s Service Network (WESNET).

You can access our Working Methods here:

AWAVA is proud to have a framework developed between us and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance. This framework guides NATSIWA’s and AWAVA’s work together on issues relating to violence against women. It builds on the positive relationship between the two Alliances and lays the foundations for constructive work together over the coming years. You can download the framework here:   

You can also download a poster about our work here: