The “National Standards for Domestic Violence Shelters” is a toolkit that incorporates recommendations for procedures to follow in the provision of care for survivors of domestic violence.

It is the result of collaboration between WAO and numerous partners, including government agencies, shelter providers and women’s groups.

Speaking at the launching of the document, WAO Vice-President Tashia Peterson said the toolkit would serve as a guide to improving the quality of services provided at shelter homes, including WAO’s own.

“With the improvement of existing shelters, we hope that eventually all women and children who face domestic violence and need a safe space will have a place to go to heal and take back control of their lives,” she said.

She said it was her hope that the toolkit would become a catalyst for existing shelter providers to learn from each other, and for domestic violence survivors and the general public to learn what they can expect from service providers.

Rohani Abdul Karim, the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, also spoke at the launching.

She said that adopting standards to ensure all shelters meet certain minimum standards of safety, security, and confidentiality was a crucial step towards improving care for victims of domestic violence.

She added that the standards unveiled today would serve to empower survivors of domestic violence to recover from their trauma.

“Our collective goal should be that every shelter for survivors of domestic violence meets a minimum level of quality, so that any authority, whether it is the police, the Welfare Department, or a hospital, can refer a victim to any shelter and be assured that she or he will receive the same level of service and protection,” she said.

Rohani’s ministry was one of WAO’s collaborating partners in the development of the toolkit.