A blog by Paula Walters (Chair) and Jess Taylor (Vice Chair), Welsh Women’s Aid
Leading the national umbrella body in Wales working to end violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence, is a responsibility all our Trustees take very seriously.
Our work as a federation builds on the four decades of work by women in Wales, who have grown our federation from the grassroots to where we are today. What we achieve during our term as Trustees must also leave a legacy that moves us closer towards our charity’s purpose: a world in which women and children live free from domestic abuse, sexual violence and all forms of violence against women.
Underpinning our organisation’s development has been a shared commitment to equality, human rights and non-discrimination. As Trustees, these principles remain as central to the work of our Board as does making sure it’s informed by the experience of specialist services and survivors of abuse.
All our Trustees are volunteers who bring an exceptionally diverse range of skills, experience and knowledge to our work. We’ve made sure the Charity Code of Governance is integrated across our systems and procedures, and we have a strong, committed and highly-experienced senior leadership and staff team working across Wales to deliver our priorities and services.
But what also unites us – the real reason we volunteer our expertise and time to do this – is our shared passion for our charity’s values and our determination to prevent and eradicate violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence for good.
As experienced Trustees, we know that our strong governance framework and commitment to equality, transparency, integrity, collaboration, empowerment and excellence could be attributed to any well-run organisation.
So we firmly believe in making sure our feminist approach and our value-base informs everything we do, from how we behave to eachother and others, how we use our power positively, to how we communicate, collaborate and deliver on our goals.
We are accountable to our beneficiaries, so we value placing survivors and their lived experience central to our work, and to advocating a rights-based approach. We are committed to capacity building high-quality services and to evidence what works in preventing violence and abuse.
We believe in inclusiveness and in challenging the impacts of sexism, racism, economic inequality, immigration control and other oppressions. So we value action to disrupt oppressive practices and misuse of power that perpetuates abuse.
Ultimately, we know that violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence is predictable and preventable, because it is founded on the unequal position of women and girls in society. Which is why we also value advocacy and activism to achieve our goals to end violence against women, and place vital importance in building a movement that creates social change and liberates women and girls from multiple and intersecting oppressions, to benefit everyone.
If you are interested in supporting or contributing to the work of our Board of Trustees, in joining our movement, or finding out more about our work, contact us on [email protected]
Our 24-hour, confidential, multi-lingual Live Fear Free Helpline is available for anyone impacted by or concerned about violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence: 0808 8010800 http://www.welshwomensaid.org.uk/what-we-do/live-fear-free-helpline/