The world’s largest conference, by and for women’s shelters and those working to end gender-based violence, is heading to Australia! The 5th World Conference of Women’s Shelters (5WCWS) is being held in Sydney, Australia, from September 15th-18th 2025.
The 5WCWS will be co-hosted by the Australian network WESNET and the Global Network of Women’s Shelters (GNWS).
The primary purpose of the 5WCWS is to provide a platform for learning and sharing experiences. The goal of this exchange is to contribute to a worldwide systematic approach, combatting violence against women and their children in order to increase safety, independence and strength of women. In this way, the 5WCWS will raise awareness about the problems of violence against women to stimulate actions to support shelters.
GOH was honored to be the host of the 4WCWS, which took place in 2019 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The 4WCWS program reflected the key issues facing both the shelter community and the broader movement to end violence against women, and was designed to produce maximum participation, learning and networking opportunities for delegates. After a delay due to COVID-19, the long-awaited 5WCWS promises to be a hugely productive and informative event.
Over 1000 people are expected to attend from 100+ countries, all coming together to end all violence against women globally. If you are interested in attending, clear your schedule for September 15th-18th 2025 for a trip to Sydney!
We hope to see you in Sydney in 2025!
For more information about 5WCWS, see their website: https://