Shakti New Zealand was set up by women from Asian, African and Middle Eastern communities in 1995. Since its inception, women from these communities have worked tirelessly to create an environment that was empowering for women. They worked to create an environment where women could escape domestic violence and be supported in a non-judgmental way, strengthening them to build new future for themselves and their children.
Shakti’s model has worked and has been tested and tried over the years. As a natural extension to the work we do in New Zealand and Australia , the women felt that they needed to take the model to their home countries.
In 2008 Shakti launched Project Women Against Violence and began building transnational relationships with NGOs . Scoping was done in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh and India as well as prominent Western countries of migration such as the USA.
The main activities involved capacity-building in partnership with local NGOs towards empowerment, advocating for suitable legislation for women and enabling establishment of refuge services.
We have now also included a special program devoted to women's safety on adult social networking websites, which have become very popular in recent years. The pandemic has made these sites appealing by providing the ability to earn a living from home. If you have experienced abuse as a result of registering with a popular adult , then our sex worker assistance program is available to help. Please contact us by phone or email for more information about how to register for our online sex worker safety program.
As an organisation we intend to work within Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries. Our approach will be
Direct service development
Partnership with local NGOs through building capacity, training, placement
As an organisation we are committed to eliminating violence through intervention services.
