We are delighted to present the 2025 WAVE Fempower Magazine, a vital annual publication that aligns with the theme of our annual WAVE Conference. In a time of rising anti-feminist narratives, political backlash and increasing pressure on feminist civil society, this year’s WAVE Fempower Magazine reflects the urgency and the strength of our collective response.
The 2025 edition of Fempower “Feminist Solidarity and Collective Action: Reclaiming our Power to End Violence Against Women” builds on the spirit of mobilisation and solidarity across movements, generations, and borders.
This issue features nine insightful articles from our dedicated WAVE members, who reflect on the power of community organising, share tools for resistance, and offer insights into how feminist solidarity can be a force for system change and transformation.
Launched on Day 1 of this year’s WAVE Conference and made available online for all on Day 2, this issue is not to be missed!
Articles Featured in This Issue:
Türkiye’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention in the context of anti-gender movements
Açelya Uçan, Mor Çatı (Türkiye)
The article discusses the feminist movement’s resilience and response to political backlash in Türkiye against the backdrop of the country’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as “the Istanbul Convention”, and persistent anti-gender movements.
Not Safe Here: the systemic failures to protect women and children from sexual violence and abuse in asylum accommodation
Kiesha Phillip, Imkaan (England, UK)
The article highlights the retraumatisation of vulnerable women and children in the UK’s asylum system and asylum accommodation, exposing systemic disregard and failures, and calling for urgent reform to protect women and children from trauma and abuse in asylum accommodation in the UK and beyond.
The Violence Assistance Act in Germany: a case of feminist policy advocacy
Dorothea Hecht, Association of Women’s Shelters (Germany)
The article addresses the Violence Assistance Act, which has been made possible through years of persistent advocacy of the women’s shelter movement in Germany across many political coalitions, alongside ongoing dialogue with other support organisations and policymakers, gradually bringing the idea into the political mainstream.
Towards a transnational approach to femicide data collection
Josefine Wärnsberg Kjær and Ditte Bjerregaard, Center for Violence Prevention (Denmark)
The article showcases the importance of establishing monitoring bodies to collect data on femicides, notably a so-called femicide watch, which is a multi-disciplinary body with the mandate to collect and publish data on gender-based killings of women and girls, while examining patterns in order to make recommendations for future preventative strategies.
Swear on the law: Advocating for a safer digital space
Vanja Macanović and Sanja Pavlović, Autonomous Women’s Center (Serbia)
The article illustrates the success of a socially responsible pro bono campaign in Serbia aimed at preventing and tackling tech-facilitated male violence against women and girls. By mobilising civil society and engaging male allies, the campaign achieved significant results, including legal developments to protect survivors.
The criminal redefinition of rape in the context of the Mazan Rape Trial
Team of the National Federation of Women’s Solidarity (France)
The article demonstrates how French law fails to protect victims of sexual violence. It urges a paradigm shift from rape culture to consent culture, a change that women’s organisations and specialist services have long advocated and continue to lead.
The struggle for the recognition of femicide in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Jadranka Miličević, CURE Foundation (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
The article reveals that the push for legal and social reform against femicide and violence against women and girls in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a long and collective one, spearheaded by women’s organisations across the country. It is the result of sustained advocacy and collaboration by these organisations, who have long been at the forefront of pushing for change.
Rights won, rights under threat: legal and institutional gaps in addressing domestic violence in Romania
Carmen Nemeș, Anais Association (Romania)
The article offers a legal and human rights-based analysis of the key legislative advancements, the systemic shortcomings in implementation, and the urgent need to criminalise femicide in Romania. The aim is to provide an informed perspective, grounded in over a decade of field work, on what has been achieved, what remains at risk, and where political and social conviction must focus in the years ahead.
If not now, when?
Drífa Snædal, Stígamót Crisis Centre (Iceland)
The article spotlights the mobilisation of the women’s movement in Iceland, as well as its intersection with other movements, 50 years after the women’s strike which marked a new era of empowerment in the Nordic country. It also explores how these past struggles have shaped today’s demands.
We invite you to read these impactful articles and join us in reclaiming our collective power to end violence gainst women. Access the full magazine now and be inspired by the incredible work being done across Europe!
Written by the WAVE Office
