We dedicate our leadership to movement-building and mobilize others to shape transformative solutions to address sexual violence. As WHRDs, we collaborate across institutions, fields, sectors and borders —whether it's confronting powerful offenders, pushing for investigations and prosecutions or changing laws, policies and practices.

 

Transformative leadership means working collaboratively across differences, building positive visions for long-term change, figuring out the strategies, partnerships, and divisions of labor across institutional and sector boundaries required to get there, and starting down the road to implementing them. We know it requires challenging the structural status quo and putting in the time to build authentic relationships. At its core, it is movement building.

 

SAHR is uniquely placed in the movement as it is led by women human rights defenders who understand how sexual violence manifests in our communities and who have the guts and grit to find bold and progressive solutions.

 

We ideate and transform narratives around sexual violence and apply them in our

practical day to day activism of changing laws, policies, practices and attitudes.

​

Our Values

​

We are audacious 

We strive for justice. This entails taking risks, dangers  and challenging the status quo. Together, we find the grit, and courage needed to propel forward women human rights movements and take actions, which are truly transformative. 

 

We see through the lens of intersectional feminism 

We believe that various forms of inequality operate together and exacerbate each other. In our work, we always take into account that people’s social identities overlap, creating compounding experiences of discrimination. 

 

We act interdependently

We cultivate relationships grounded in participatory frameworks that prioritize active listening, humility, and allyship. We tap into the power of the collective through shared resource mobilization and creative collaboration toward the common goal of ending sexual violence. 

 

We are grounded in resilience

We confront injustice and inequality with tenacity, conviction and compassion. We recognize that affecting meaningful and sustainable change requires patience and perseverance. We believe in the possibilities that open up when one remains curious in the midst of challenges. 

 

We humble ourselves and share power

We believe that good leaders develop the power and skills of others, while understanding that change is inevitable and challenges to our leadership can be healthy and productive; we always make sure the organization is focused on the mission.

 

We thrive through inclusion

We respect all beings, build authentic relationships, engage especially with communities at the margins and move forward together. We welcome diversity of thought and viewpoints, understanding that everyone has a unique perspective, while still continuing to challenge one another with care. 

 

We encourage multidisciplinary experimentation 

We prioritize continuous learning, commit to self-reflection, and honor multiple ways of knowing. We endorse approaches that are human rights-based, trauma- as well as faith- and spiritually-informed. 

 

We work with a transformative justice approach  

We believe in Justice that is non-punitive, rooted in community and institutional restoration, rehabilitation, accountability and equity.  We believe in the importance of healing from the distress caused by the spillovers of any form of violence to families, communities and the organizations working to support them.