By Natalie Brown, Communications Officer, Together for Girls
The Brave Movement to End Childhood Sexual Violence
A survivor-centered movement demanding bold and transformative action for prevention, healing and justice
The Brave Movement, a global movement of survivors and allies that aims to end all forms of childhood sexual violence, launched today (read the press release here). Led by 15 survivors of childhood sexual violence and their allies, the Brave Movement aims to end childhood sexual violence by 2030 by demanding bold and transformative action from leaders of governments and institutions to rapidly scale comprehensive programs of prevention, healing and justice.
“Together we are powerful,” said Daniela Ligiero, CEO and Executive Director of Together for Girls and a survivor of child sexual abuse. “There is so much silence and shame around abuse, but together we can break the silent scourge of sexual violence. With our collective passion, dedication and voice, we will create transformational change for generations to come. We are brave so that children can be safe.”
Meet the Brave leaders
Our framework: prevention, healing and justice:
- Prevention: Prevention efforts will be taken to scale in families, communities, schools, sport and online, therefore ensuring the safety of all children.
- Healing: Children, adolescents and adults who experienced sexual violence will access child and survivor-centered services and engage in processes that help them heal.
- Justice: Children, adolescents and adults who experienced sexual violence will access fair, survivor-centered justice.
Calling for urgent action
In 2019, Together for Girls began developing the concept for a united Brave Movement, building on the impact of survivors, activists and allied organizations working across the globe. Through the Brave Movement, catalyzed by Together for Girls with support from the Oak Foundation, Together for Girls and partners have convened survivor advocates and allies from around the world to build a collective agenda. Over the past year, the Brave Movement aligned on a program designed to drive change. Priorities include:
- Global commitments to end violence: The Brave Movement created a Global Challenge to develop survivor-centered national calls to action leading to a Global Survivors Action Summit on April 27, 2022
- Funds to scale prevention, healing and justice: Survivor advocates and allies at the G7 Summit in Germany in June 2022 are calling for a G7 survivors council, domestic financing in G7 nations and a $1bn commitment to scale prevention, healing and justice in low- and middle-income countries
- Ensuring a child-rights approach to end-to-end encryption
- Abolishing statutes of limitations around the world
A survivor-centered movement
The Brave Movement was born of the idea that the voices of survivors of childhood sexual violence are pivotal to decision-making for prevention, healing and justice. In addition, meaningful change can only happen when survivors and allies work together to create change. As such, it includes two key connected governing bodies, the SAGE and Global Steering Group.
- Survivor Advocates Globally Empowered (SAGE) is a powerful group of 15 survivor leaders representing almost every region of the world and multiple forms of sexual violence against children and adolescents. The SAGE is the heart of the Brave Movement, guiding the overall vision and offering guidance and input into the advocacy strategy.
- Global Steering Group (GSG) includes five elected representatives from the SAGE, as well as leading organizations committed to the Brave Movement. The GSG focuses on leveraging global institutions to increase funding, awareness and policy change internationally. In addition to Together for Girls, allied organizations include The Army of Survivors, End Violence Lab at the University of Edinburgh, Girls Not Brides, WeProtect Global Alliance and World Vision International.
SAGE Members:
- Brisa De Ángulo, Bolivia
- Dr. Daniela Ligiero, USA, Brazil
- ElsaMarie D’Silva, India
- Florence Keya, Kenya
- Janet Aguti, Uganda
- Dr. Matthew McVarish, UK
- Miguel Hurtado, Spain
- Dr. Paul Zeitz, USA
- Robert Shilling, USA
- Rosalia Rivera, El Salvador, Canada, SAGE Chair
- Professor S Caroline Taylor, AM, Australia, SAGE Vice-Chair
- Sarah Cooper, USA
- Suresh Chhetry, Nepal
- Tabitha Mpamira, Rwanda, Uganda, USA
- Wibke Muller, Germany
Global Steering Group (GSG):
- The Army of Survivors
- Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran, MSW
- End Violence Lab at the University of Edinburgh
- Dr. Catherine Maternowska
- Girls Not Brides
- Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell
- Together for Girls
- Dr. Daniela Ligiero, GSG Chair
- Sandie Taylor, GSG Vice-Chair for Finance and Administration
- WeProtect Global Alliance
- Iain Drennan, GSG Principal Vice-Chair
- World Vision International
- Bill Forbes
- Global Survivors Advocacy Group (SAGE) representatives to the GSG
- Rosalia Rivera
- Professor S Caroline Taylor
- Brisa De Angulo, Esq.
- Sarah Cooper
- Florence Keya
- Movement Action Team
- Dr. Kathleen Cravero, GSG Community Manager
- Dr. Paul Zeitz, Movement Executive Coordinator (interim)
Join us
To learn more and get involved, visit bravemovement.org. Keep up with the conversation online by following the Brave Movement on Twitter at @bebraveglobal.
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