GENDER JUSTICE ACCELERATOR

The SAHR Gender Justice Accelerator is the world’s first cross-border initiative designed to equip grassroots advocates with the skills, resources, and networks needed to drive legal and policy reforms that end Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and improve access to justice.

We live in a world where violence against women and girls remains one of the most urgent and pervasive human rights violations — yet legal and policy responses often fall short. Despite the scale and severity of SGBV, survivors still face barriers to justice, and marginalized voices remain excluded from decision-making spaces.

The SAHR Gender Justice Accelerator addresses this gap by investing in the next generation of advocates — young women and underrepresented civil society leaders — equipping them to collaborate with governments and drive systemic, lasting change for justice, accountability, and human dignity.

What We Offer:

Financial and Technical Support: Fellows receive a $3,000 grant to implement live advocacy projects focused on access to justice and legal reform.
Accompaniment and Mentorship: SAHR provides ongoing, tailored support, working alongside Fellows to design and execute their projects.
Capacity Building: Fellows participate in specialized workshops on legal advocacy, gender justice, and movement-building, strengthening their technical expertise and strategic vision.
Leadership Coaching: We foster confident, resilient leaders capable of mobilizing for change.
Cross-Border Solidarity: Through peer collaboration, Fellows build lasting networks, exchanging knowledge and strategies across regions.

How the Accelerator Works

Defining Priorities: Fellows identify local priorities and areas of concern related to gender justice, setting the foundation for their advocacy projects.
Designing Systemic Change: Each Fellow develops a project aimed at policy and legal reforms to foster more inclusive governance and end SGBV.
Skills Building: Fellows engage in specialized workshops that enhance their knowledge and skills in:
- Gender justice principles and international human rights standards.
- Documenting cases for advocacy and accountability.
- Survivor-centered, trauma-informed approaches.
- Collaborative engagement with community leaders, law enforcement, and government officials.
Collaborative Advocacy: SAHR works closely with Fellows to execute their projects by:
- Using empirical data and research to strengthen their advocacy.
- Pursuing multiple avenues for legal and policy change.
- Ensuring marginalized communities and survivors participate in advocacy efforts with a Do No Harm approach.
- Crafting persuasive, targeted messages for diverse stakeholders.

The Impact:

Through the SAHR Gender Justice Accelerator, we dismantle barriers to policy-making, amplify underrepresented voices, and promote intersectional justice. By investing in these emerging leaders, we accompany them to reshape justice systems, making them more inclusive, responsive, and survivor-centered.

The SAHR Gender Justice Accelerator is more than a program — it’s a movement. Together, we’re building a global network of advocates committed to ending gender-based violence and driving systemic change.

Snapshot of our 2024 impact

60

Paralegals, community leaders, police, human rights defenders and lawyers engaged with or trained in Kenya
They also supported 200 survivors

2

Court outcomes shifted in the local
justice system in Argentina

6

Advocacy reports submitted to the UN

14

Women in Afghanistan secured emergency protection

Meet Our 2025 Fellows: Driving Change, Advancing Justice

Out of nearly 600 applicants, we’ve selected 11 outstanding Fellows from Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Kenya, South Africa, and Pakistan, each leading bold, locally-driven initiatives to tackle systemic barriers to justice and advance gender justice.

These courageous women and diverse human rights defenders are at the forefront of transformative, survivor-centered change. Through their work, they are enhancing access to justice, strengthening legal protections, and amplifying marginalized voices in their communities.

Here’s a glimpse of their powerful work:

South Africa: Advocating for the decriminalization of sex work to combat heightened violence, discrimination, and the lack of legal protection for sex workers.
Indonesia: Pushing for gender-sensitive judicial policies to ensure fair handling of SGBV cases and greater accountability within legal frameworks.
Mexico: Expanding legal recognition and prosecution of stalking across all 32 states and strengthening institutional capacity to address it.
Brazil: Ensuring the effective implementation of GBV laws by strengthening institutional responses in four northeastern states (Bahia, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, and Sergipe).
Argentina: Building a sustainable network of gender-sensitive legal professionals to improve coordinated services and strengthen SGBV prevention and response strategies.
Pakistan: Supporting the implementation of the Anti-Rape Act 2021 by enhancing systemic responses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through training, policy advocacy, and survivor-centered interventions.
Kenya: Improving documentation, reporting, and support mechanisms for SGBV survivors in Bungoma County through interdisciplinary and community-led approaches.

These Fellows represent the next generation of gender justice leaders, fearlessly challenging the status quo, collaborating with governments, and pioneering innovative solutions to end gender-based violence and strengthen access to justice. We couldn’t be more excited to support them on this journey!

Ana El Kadri

Brazil | SAHR’s 2025/2026 Fellow
Camila Bani

Indonesia | SAHR 2025/2026 Fellow
Amelia Devina

Indonesia | SAHR 2025/2026 Fellow
Constance Nothando

South Africa | SAHR 2025/2026 Fellows
Sonia Ijaz

Pakistan I SAHR 2025/2026 Fellow
Erfaan Babak

Pakistan I SAHR 2025/2026 Fellow
Diana Murrieta

Mexico I SAHR 2025/2026 Fellow
Bridgette Osano

Kenya I SAHR 2025/2026 Fellow
Hagin Watwati

Kenya I SAHR 2025/2026 Fellow
Yamila Carballido

Argentina I SAHR 2025/2026 Fellow
Jimena Gibertoni

Argentina I SAHR 2025/2026 Fellow

Get to know our 2023/2024 Fellows

Hagin Watwati and Norah Wakesa

Hagin and Norah are dedicated advocates for women’s rights in rural Kenya. Hagin, with six years of experience as a paralegal, serves as the Programs Co-ordinator at GUMZO Community-Based Organisation, addressing human rights violations. Norah, a psychologist, leads economic empowerment initiatives for rural women through table banking and founded a support group for Gender-Based Violence survivors, empowering them to report and overcome their experiences. Together, they have made a lasting impact in their communities.

Read their report
Isabella Mwangi

Isabella is a human rights lawyer with 10 years of experience, specializing in women’s and children’s rights. Her passion for using the law as a tool for sustainable development, especially in advancing gender equality, has driven her work throughout her career. Isabella’s dedication to justice and human rights has made a lasting impact in her field.
Jimena Gibertoni and Yamila Carballido

Jimena is an independent lawyer in Buenos Aires, specializing in gender-based violence cases involving women and the LGBTQIA+ community. She co-founded the Red de Abogadas Feministas to seek justice for survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and gender discrimination. Yamila, an Argentinian human rights lawyer, focuses on Criminal Law and provides legal counsel at the Red de Abogadas Feministas, bringing a strong gender perspective to her work.

Read their Report
Enjeela Hedayat

Enjeela is a lawyer from Afghanistan dedicated to defending women’s human rights and democratic values. She has led numerous projects focused on empowering women and eliminating violence against them. Previously, she worked with the Afghanistan Civil Society Forum and conducted research on community attitudes toward the Taliban and the challenges faced by human rights defenders in Kunduz province.

Get to know our 2020/2021 Fellows

During the launch of the Accelerator in 2020/2021, SAHR received over 300 applications from 30 countries across Latin America, Africa, South West Asia, and Central and South Asia.

Throughout the fellowship cycle, we mentored 6 civil society leaders working on multiple gender justice projects addressing widespread and systematic sexual violence in regions such as Argentina (Buenos Aires municipality), Pakistan (university), Nigeria (community affected by Boko Haram), Mexico (prison), and Indonesia (disabled community in Banda Aceh).

In total, 13 applicants were appointed as Fellows, each committed to driving impactful change in their communities and advocating for systemic legal reforms to combat gender-based violence and improve access to justice.