How we work

Danner assists in building the capacity of professionals working with survivors of gender-based violence, including staff at civil society organizations, shelters, listening centers, health care professionals, police, lawyers and state officials.

Compassion fatigue can occur when working directly with people who are traumatized, such as women and children exposed to violence. Symptoms vary, but are similar to those of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), stress and hyper arousal.

Burnout is the extreme consequence of long-term pressure at work. Not only is compassion fatigue and burnout a problem for the individual employee who experiences this, but also for the colleagues and the workplace in general.

As an integral part of all training, we include a focus on self-care, and we provide tools to staff, so they can give the best possible assistance to traumatized women and children, while taking care of themselves in order to avoid compassion fatigue and burnout.

Connecting civil society

Danner assists local civil society organizations in building professional networks that support shelters, GBV professionals and other practitioners to work more closely using the same theoretical and methodological foundations and approach. We believe that the most effective way to reduce violence against women is to strengthen the civil society in the country.

We see civil society organizations as change agents who can bring about change in norms and structures that enable violence against women.

Professionalized civil society organizations can play a key role in mobilizing political and public support for legal reforms that both hold perpetrators accountable, provide support and protection of violence survivors and promote social norms that makes violence against women unacceptable. 

Special protection of vulnerable groups

Danner works to raise awareness on the special circumstances surrounding vulnerable groups such as refugee and migrant women, and women in unstable areas. Our work includes awareness raising on the status and legal rights of these women, counselling of migrant women exposed to violence through dialogue meetings and individual sessions, as well as a call for political focus and change; to ensure the safety of these groups and secure their rights, as they are formulated in international conventions, such as the Istanbul Convention.

Advocacy and awareness raising

Danner supports civil society actors in their fight against the taboo on domestic violence and to hold State actors accountable in the struggle for gender equality and better protection services for violence survivors.

Image: Vibeke, one of Danner's founding mothers, celebrates March 8th 2019 by repainting the iconic feministic signs - with media attention.