About
Who we are
Violence is preventable. Every day, all across the globe, people are implementing policies and programs that are proven to prevent sexual violence against children.
Safe Futures Hub is a joint initiative between the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI), Together for Girls, and WeProtect Global Alliance focused on solutions to end sexual violence against children. With support from Oak Foundation, we work together to identify and elevate interventions that prevent childhood sexual violence.
Safe Futures Hub is designed to meaningfully include underrepresented perspectives often excluded in the past, and unite people working across specialties to protect children, including advocates, strategists, policymakers, and those on the frontline.
Together, we know we can create a safer future for all children.
Our mission and vision
Our vision is a future where every child thrives, free from the threat of sexual violence.
We work in partnership, understanding the urgent need for more collaboration, innovation, and diversity in order to combat this complex and horrific issue.
“ We recognize the profound impact of leveraging multiple forms of knowledge, including firsthand experiences from the field, lived experience, academic research and administrative data. This dynamic fusion of different forms of knowledge serves as the catalyst for generating new insights, fostering discussions, and igniting actionable solutions. ”
Elizabeth Dartnall, Sexual Violence Research Initiative
Our pillars of work
Our approach begins with redefining knowledge, emphasizing diversity and collaboration across sectors, combining practical experience, other forms of knowledge with academic insights. By prioritizing stakeholder input, we ensure that our initiatives are demand-driven, aligning evidence with the real needs of the childhood sexual violence prevention community.
We aim to bridge global inequalities in knowledge production and exchange, particularly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, by developing user-friendly resources and fostering better communication and collaboration among stakeholders.
Our commitment to fostering new knowledge for impactful change centers on addressing critical evidence gaps while embracing inclusivity as a catalyst for progress. We are dedicated to curating high-quality, timely evidence related to childhood sexual violence by integrating scientific research, practical insights, and user research.
We challenge existing power dynamics within knowledge production by forging inclusive partnerships with local communities and organizations, ensuring culturally attuned evidence generation.
We also expand the evidence base by championing practice-based wisdom, harmoniously integrating it with scientific research to unlock actionable insights. Our user-centered research, rooted in diverse lived realities, informs our innovative approach, enriching our knowledge base with perspectives that drive meaningful change.
Our goal is to mobilize knowledge for action and influence by making evidence- and practice-based knowledge accessible to diverse audiences. We collaborate with stakeholders to translate knowledge into practical tools and products that are context-appropriate and user-friendly.
We acknowledge the obstacles stakeholders face in accessing evidence, such as high costs, language barriers, and accessibility issues, and work to overcome these challenges. Language justice and cultural diversity are at the heart of our efforts to ensure that our products have global relevance.
Meet our team
Leadership Team
- Daniela Ligiero, Executive Director, Together for Girls
- Elizabeth Dartnall, Executive Director, Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI)
- Iain Drennan, Executive Director, WeProtect Global Alliance
- Nicolas Makharashvili, Director, Safe Futures Hub: Solutions to End Childhood Sexual
Violence
Advisory Group
- Afrooz Kaviani Johnson, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
- Arturo Haker Roa, Centro de Investigación Imagina; Universidad de los Andes
- Ben Mathews, Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
- Bernadette Madrid, Child Protection Network Foundation (CPN)
- Clare Bangirana, AfriChild Centre
- Deborah Fry, Childlight; University of Edinburgh
- Fridah Wawira, Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW)
- Greta Massetti, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Helena Duch, Oak Foundation
- Jenessa Bryan, SOS Children’s Villages
- Leo Ratledge, Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
- Lilian Otiso, LVCT Health
- Lina Digolo-Nyagah, Prevention Collaborative
- Lorraine Radford, Consultant
- Manjeer Mukherjee, Arpan (Elimination of Child Sexual Abuse)
- Patrick Krens, Child Helpline International
- Sabine Rakotomalala, World Health Organization (WHO)
- Sendrine Constant, ECPAT International
- Shanaaz Mathews, University of Cape Town
- Steve Crump, DeafKidz International
- Wangu Kanja, Wangu Kanja Foundation
Safe Futures Hub Core Team
We work across organizations, timezones, and specialities to form the Safe Futures core team.
Constanza Ginestra, Shailey Hingorani, Nicolas Makharashvili, and Arti Mohan at the ISPCAN Congress 2024
- Ashleigh Howard, Together for Girls
- Arti Mohan, Safe Futures Hub/Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI)
- Arunima Gururani, Safe Futures Hub/Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI)
- Begoña Fernandez, Together for Girls
- Constanza Ginestra, Together for Girls
- Manuela Balliet Ahogo, Together for Girls
- Shailey Hingorani, WeProtect Global Alliance
- Roz Pen, Together for Girls