This week, Sydney was home to the world’s largest conference led by and for frontline workers dedicated to ending gender-based violence. The 5th World Conference of Women’s Shelters (5WCWS) brought together over 1000 delegates from more than 60 countries.
Frontline workers, lived-experience advocates, policymakers, researchers, and community leaders mobilised to shape the next era of prevention and justice. It’s the first time the conference has been held in the southern hemisphere.
Over four days, the global gathering offered a rare chance to hear directly from international leaders and grassroots activists addressing gender-based violence in a wide range of contexts. The conference placed lived-experience, frontline expertise, and community-driven solutions at the centre with more than 100 presentations, 11 keynotes, and multiple plenaries. Topics included anti-oppression, exploration of new research, and working together across different settings with diverse resources and expertise.
High-profile international speakers and changemakers included Olena Shevchenko from Ukraine, co-founder of Insight NG and one of TIME’s Women of the Year, Fiona Vera Gray, a professor of sexual violence at London Metropolitan University, and US educator Jackson Katz, founder of Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Strategies, whose keynote explored how male violence against women is a men’s issue.
The packed list of insightful keynotes also featured Bandana Rana of Nepal, Professor Kylie Cripps, Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek, Heidi La Paglia Reid, Aleid van den Brink and Maha Abdo OAM.
Karen Bentley, CEO of WESNET, said the week was a “chance to spark new ideas, build lasting connections, and take home practical tools that can make a real difference.”
Olena Shevchenko added: “I hope people will leave with a stronger sense of solidarity and concrete strategies for action.” She also stressed that “in a time of global backlash against gender and LGBTQI rights, we need these networks of care and resistance more than ever.”
Minister Plibersek pointed to the unfortunate reality that “the need for women’s shelters is as great as ever,” highlighting that “we have to work together across a broad and diverse movement for change, with curiosity and collaboration.”
The conference coincided with important political moments across the globe. This week, Papua New Guinea celebrated their 50th year of independence. Mexico also celebrated its Independence Day, marking the first time in over 200 years that a woman has led the ‘Grito de Dolores’ ceremonies. These events are reminders that in an increasingly volatile global climate, spaces like 5WCWS offer vital opportunities to foster solidarity across borders and cultures.
These included an address from Rogelia González Luis, an Indigenous Zapotec feminist, teacher, and politician from Oaxaca, Mexico, who has spent decades defending women’s rights. She has founded women’s shelters and organisations supporting survivors of violence. Today, she serves in the Oaxacan government’s office for the prevention of violence against women. Her impassioned presentation addressed the deep pain that women in Mexico endure from violence, but also the hope sparked by the country’s first woman president. This theme was reiterated by Ecuadorian advocate Diana Vázquez Bravo, who highlighted the resilience and strength of Latin American women.
The conference also saw changemakers gather in region-specific sessions to discuss their unique goals and challenges. When reconvening, leaders identified a number of shared insights across the regions. A common theme was chronic underfunding of frontline services, and calls to reconnect with the grassroots, feminist origins of the movement to end men’s violence against women and children.
Palpable throughout the conference was the devastating scale of gender-based violence, and growing concerns about backlash. However, the rare opportunity to connect as a global sisterhood sparked a renewed sense of energy.
As Olena Shevchenko told delegates: “Solidarity is not just a term. It is a series of actions.”
Feature image: Photography by Fifth Castle Media.