Our principles
Our international work is based on three guiding principles:
- Partnership approach on equal footing
- Human rights-based approach (HRBA)
- Experience-based learning
Through these principles, we strive to ensure the relevance and quality of our activities, by working with partners in professionalizing services to women exposed to violence.
Equal footing with partners
Together with sister organisations and partners, we identify themes of intervention according to the local context. This means that we develop and implement projects in close cooperation and through mutual dialogue with partners.
From experience, we know that a work approach based on equal footing, ultimately benefits the survivors of domestic violence.
Three arguments for equal footing:
- Local actors are strong agents in their own rights and can mobilize target groups and ensure local ownership and participation.
- Local partners have an in-depth knowledge of the cultural context and can contribute with valuable analysis, needs assessment and local coordination of the activities.
- Partnerships based on equality ensures trust and close collaboration that benefit all involved. Danner itself relies on the valuable insights and experiences of our international sister organisationsWe focus, and draws on this experience to develop our own approach and competences at our Resource Centre and women’s shelter in Denmark.
Participation, equality and empowerment - HRBA
Danner seeks to integrate human rights based principles such as participation, equality and empowerment throughout a project from development to implementation. We believe that every woman holds the right to a free and healthy life without fear and violence. The State is the ultimate duty bearer to secure all inhabitants access to human rights.
We support and strengthen women and women's rights organizations, and we do so by integrating a human rights based approach (HRBA) into the methodological work.
Danner does both training of professionals and cooperation with civil society actors in order to eliminate violence against women.
Empowerment of professionals working with survivors of domestic violence is important, when it comes to preventive efforts. Danner's training strengthens the understanding of the importance of a human rights based approach to this work.
Danner has succeeded in establishing professional networks in various countries, to keep states accountable as duty bearers for combating violence and ensuring gender equality.
Experience-based learning approach
An important part of the preparation of activities lies in the choice of training methodology, as knowledge and experience lie with the local actor and the project target group. Local knowledge is strengthened through joint reflection - rather than transfer of knowledge alone.
We integrate the principles of experience-based learning when implementing our projects or carrying out training sessions. We strive to ensure a sense of equality with the professionals we train and work with, and we seek to accomplish that new knowledge is generated jointly based on the individual participants' experiences.
