Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children and AVA Anti-Violence Action

The Auckland Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children was developed in 2006 to work toward achieving the ultimate goal of safety for women and children in Auckland. We recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand and are committed to honouring and upholding it in our work.

Vision
New Zealand is free of gender-based violence against women and children.
Mission
Progress a gendered and intersectional analysis of the underlying determinants of violence against women and children and policy and practice responses to the issue.

Objectives
1. Support the development and maintenance of laws and policies that are designed to prevent gender-based violence against women and children and keep women and children safe.
2. Network, and share information with each other and other organisations working towards similar goals.
3. Proactively engage with the media to raise awareness of gender-based violence againstwomen and children.

Members: Auckland Women’s Centre – Te Wāhi Wāhine o Tāmaki Makaurau, Eastern Women’s Refuge, the NZ Human Rights Centre, HELP Support for Sexual Abuse Survivors, Hestia Women’s Refuge, Inner City Women’s Group, Kia Haumaru - Personal Safety Education, Mt Albert Psychological Services Ltd, National Council of Women, Auckland, North Shore Family Violence Prevention Coordinator, North Shore Women’s Centre, Pacific Women’s Watch, New Zealand, Rape Prevention Education – Whakatu Mauri, Respect, Rodney Women’s Centre, Shakti Community Council NZ, SHINE Safer Homes in NZ Everyday, The Backbone Collective, Women’s Health Action Trust, Women’s Refuge - Tāmaki Makaurau, YWCA, Auckland.

Networking:
Tu Wahine, which provides services for Māori, works in parallel with us. We also work closely with Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga/ National Network of Stopping Violence Services and the National Network of Independent Women’s Refuges.

AVA: Anti-Violence Action

AVA is a community group focused on taking action against gender-based violence in its various forms. It advocates with law-makers, government departments and politicians on behalf of those impacted by physical, psychological, and sexual violence. AVA works to raise public awareness of the impacts of gender-based violence and of the legislative and policy changes required to reduce the harm this causes in Aotearoa New Zealand. Gender-based violence (GBV) is an umbrella term for violence and abuse which is caused and enabled by a system of unequal power between genders. This commonly appears as men using violence against women and children but also includes violence against gender- diverse people and rainbow communities. Underlying this violence at an individual level is the person feeling entitled and justified to use violence based on deep-seated traditional views of gender.