 Ivy Josiah was the executive director for over 15 years, and was succeeded in February 2015 by Sumitra Visvanathan, a lawyer and humanitarian aid worker who worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the previous 16 years.WAO's belief is that none deserves to be battered, and that all people have the right to self-determination and should have control over conditions that shape their lives.WAO aims to "create and promote respect, protection and the fulfillment of equal rights of women and to work towards the elimination of discrimination against women, in particular in the elimination of violence against women".