Women’s Specialist Services (WSS) are essential in tackling violence against women and girls, yet they are increasingly under threat from gender-neutral policies and anti-gender backlash across Europe. WAVE’s latest study, Agents of Change: Women’s Specialist Services and Their Feminist, Multi-Level Approach to Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, highlights the critical role of WSS and makes the case for preserving their feminist, gender-specific, intersectional, and human rights-based approach. Drawing on interviews and a survey across the WAVE Network’s members, it examines the impact of WSS across three levels:

• Individual – how feminist, gender-sensitive approaches deliver tailored support centred on women’s and girls’ intersecting needs.
• Community – how WSS build multi-agency partnerships, train professionals, and drive prevention efforts.
• Societal – how WSS shape policy and advocacy, and the challenges they face, including funding cuts and backlash against women’s rights.

Rooted in the experiences of European feminist organisations, the study serves as an advocacy tool, making the case that WSS are essential not just for survivors, but for society as a whole.