Standard 1: You are committed to preventing violence against women and have structures, strategies and policies that explicitly promote gender equality.

Strong leadership is a cornerstone of organisational change. Leadership commitments need to be embedded in policies so that there is continuity in the workplace, contributing to lasting structural change.

• You have well-informed leaders who are committed to actively promoting gender equality in strategies, policies and in their individual actions.
• You appoint key staff to lead work on gender equality and give them the time and resources they need to take action.
• You implement measures of accountability that will support change – these might include public statements, targets and quotas, and procedures to avoid bias.
• You deliberately promote gender equality through communications and keep staff and stakeholders informed – not just about your organisation’s commitment but also its progress towards achieving workplace equality.