As feminist organisations and women’s specialist services across Europe continue to confront mounting pressures, ranging from shrinking civic spaces to political backlash and persistent structural inequalities, solidarity remains one of our greatest sources of strength. In these challenging times, creating spaces to connect, exchange, and strategise has become more important than ever.
That is why the WAVE Network has been investing in stronger regional cooperation through our WAVE Regional Meetings, reaffirming our commitment to building collective feminist responses to violence against women and girls (VAWG). The episode “Across Borders, Against Violence: Feminist Solidarity in Action” of the WAVE podcast shines a spotlight on this growing movement of regional resistance and cross-border solidarity, amplifying the voices and reflections of those leading the work on the ground.
The WAVE Regional Meetings: A Hub for Feminist Strategy and Exchange
Since 2023, WAVE has been facilitating regional exchanges in six areas across Europe: East-Central Europe1, Eurasia2, North Europe3, South Europe4, South-East Europe5, and West-Central Europe6. These gatherings are much more than coordination spaces. They are spaces for reflection, mutual support, and strategic alignment, where women’s rights defenders, feminist activists and service providers can speak openly, identify shared challenges, and shape collective responses rooted in lived realities.
In 2024, the first in-person Regional Meetings were launched, deepening feminist connections across countries. From Bucharest to Istanbul to Riga, WAVE member organisations came together to strengthen their networks and respond to pressing concerns, including political attacks, discriminatory policy shifts, and underfunding of women’s specialist services.
Spotlight on Three Regional Gatherings
East Central Europe (Bucharest, Romania – March 2024)
Co-organised by WAVE member Necuvinte, this meeting focused on funding, supporting refugee women, and developing effective responses to violence against women across borders, among other.
Ionela Pleșan
Necuvinte, Romania
Feminist organisations and women’s specialist services need sustainable and predictable funding. We need safe spaces for reflection and solidarity, like in the WAVE Regional Meetings, not just pressure to deliver results. We also need our voices to be heard in public and political spaces, not just tolerated.
South Europe (Istanbul, Türkiye – April 2024)
Co-organised by WAVE member Mor Çatı, the gathering addressed growing state hostility toward feminist and LGBTQ+ movements, supporting refugee and migrant women, and legislative advocacy, among other.
Leyla Soydinç
Mor Çatı, Türkiye
Amid the growing pressures, this shared sense of struggling with patriarchy together really makes us stronger. That is why the way we are gathering in the WAVE Regional Meetings is so important. It strengthens our feeling of feminist solidarity.
North Europe (Riga, Latvia – April 2024)
Hosted by WAVE member Latvian Women’s NGO Cooperation Network, this meeting focused on tech-facilitated gender-based violence, strengthening femicide data collection, and exploring the role of women’s NGOs in civic protection.
Inete Ielite
Women’s NGOs Cooperation Network, Latvia
The political context and situation varies across countries, but we all face the same stereotypes about women’s roles in society and how women’s NGOs are perceived. But what we organised during the WAVE Regional Meetings, getting to know each other, building on our expertise and achievements, gave us an enormous feeling of solidarity and power.
The Power of Connection
Across regions, participants spoke of facing similar pressures: regressive narratives, increasing attacks on gender equality frameworks, and challenges in securing safe and sustainable funding. The meetings showed that while national contexts may differ, the structures of gender-based violence and discrimination operate in comparable ways. Through these exchanges, WAVE members are not only identifying shared problems, they are also co-developing strategies to push back.
What emerges from the podcast episode is a deep sense of empowerment, reflecting on how regional cooperation builds trust and strengthens their resolve. The message from all three speakers is clear: We need more safe and supportive feminist spaces for exchange, more political recognition, and more stable funding structures that reflect the essential work of women’s specialist services.
This episode of the WAVE podcast reminds us that regional resistance is not isolated, it is part of a broader, coordinated feminist movement across Europe. Through mutual learning, sustained dialogue, and collective power, we can move closer to a world free from violence against women and girls.
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More Informationwritten by the WAVE Office
Featured image (cover): WAVE Regional Meeting in Riga, Latvia (2025)
- Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova ↩︎
- Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Russia ↩︎
- Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark ↩︎
- Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Türkiye, France ↩︎
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- Ireland, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, Switzerland ↩︎
