SAHR

SAHR

Co-ED, Sara Bergamaschi, presents SAHR and the importance of movement-led work to end SGBV

Impact & Achievements

SAHR was founded in 2008 as a student-led network of from all over the world, primarily from the global south. For a decade, SAHR operated as a student-led pro-bono group and is now a peer-led network, by HRDs for HRDs. 

SAHR has received international recognition and awards for its "jaw dropping" work from the former UK Attorney General, Dean of SOAS, University of London and the Clinton Global Initiative Conference, amongst others.

With a focus on access to justice in the global south and Muslim-majority countries, SAHR has represented survivors of SGBV, mentored and supported lawyers in SGBV cases, and, submitted expert and amicus opinions to aid and advocate international and local courts.

Below is a summary of some of our notable work.

Our Work

1.

Cases

    • In 2019, SAHR represented victims in a systematic case of sexual harassment by a professor at renowned university. The case was submitted to the Constitutional Court of Colombia and through several other legal and administrative avenues.

    • SAHR also made submissions on holistic reparations in the Case of Jineth Bedoya Lima before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The case involved Jineth Bedoya Lima, a journalist, who was abducted, kidnapped and taken to a warehouse where she was sexually abused and assaulted by several men.

    • The Inter-American Court of Human Rights declared the Colombian State responsible for the violation of the right to personal integrity, personal liberty, honor and dignity, and freedom of thought and expression of Colombian journalist, Jineth Bedoya - because it did not implement effective protection measures for the victim, even when it was aware of the risk she faced because of the issues she covered and because she was a female journalist.

    Our work in Colombia was led and represented by our  Legal Associate, Angie Garcia.

  • In 2019, when we launched our first fellowship program, we supported Yasmine Bjornum, a young human rights defender from Vanuatu fighting for justice for survivors of rape and sexual assault by a serial sex offender, who held a high position in the Vanuatu medical circle. 

    The case was stuck “under investigation” for 4 years. Within one year of SAHR support, particularly holding the prosecution office responsible for the undue delay, the case was revived within one year of SAHR’s support and offender set for trial. This case was a testimony of the transformative potential of SAHR’s support to WHRDs.

  • In 2019, SAHR represented Ms. Sabrina Prioli, an Italian humanitarian aid worker who survived conflict-related rape in Juba, South Sudan during a breakout of civil war between the South Sudan army and rebel groups in 2016.

    Her mission: to bring justice to her case, to move governments and multi-lateral institutions to recognise rape as a weapon of war and take practical actions to safeguard victims’ right of reparations.

    Through 2019, SAHR negotiated reparations with the government of South Sudan to ensure that they fulfill their international legal obligations to remedy her as a victim of armed conflict.

    The negotiation with the South Sudan government was beset with difficulties due to a fledgling transitioning government, long history of impunity and political unwillingness to be accountable towards victims of war crimes.

    With the support of a group of Italian lawyers, in 2022, the case was resolved, setting an important precedent for the recognition of reparations for conflict related sexual violence, and, paving the way for justice and accountability for thousands of other South Sudanese survivors. 

    ​Read her story here and a report by Human Rights Watch on her case.

  • In the last 10 years, SAHR supported local legal aid organisations such as Medica Afghanistan and Women for Justice Organization (WJO) to advocate for justice for survivors in SGBV cases. SAHR provided mentorship  in the investigation of those cases, searching for victims and witnesses to come forward, applying and arranging for their protection, interviewing them and taking their statements, documenting evidence, designing the legal strategy for the case, drafting legal arguments, preparing court submissions and building a strategic alliance of local and foreign organizations, and advocating in court.

SAHR's Founder, Natasha Latiff, working with Yasmine Bjornum on her case to map out potential witnesses

Picture of the trial in South Sudan
Source: Human Rights Watch

Natasha Latiff and Humaira Ameeri in Geneva to submit before the CEDAW Committee and attend Swiss legal proceedings for one of our cases in February 2020.

2.

Law Reform

In Afghanistan, SAHR worked with lawyers and civil society to repeal discriminatory laws and enact gender-competent legislation.

In 2010, at the request of the Afghan Family Law Drafting Committee, we reviewed the initial draft of the family bill together with renowned professors of law including Professor Mohammad Fadel, Assistant. Professor Kecia Ali, Professor Ayesha Shahid and Professor Rebecca Probert and in consultation with international organizations (the bill was never passed due to objections by Parliament).

In 2014, SAHR drafted amendments to Criminal Procedure Code 2014 to incorporate protection measures for minor, at-risk and vulnerable witnesses and victims, to ensure they would be protected for participating in the justice process.

Between 2016 - 2020, SAHR provided technical support to local legal aid organisations in Afghanistan on drafting or amending the Anti-Harassment Law 2016, Elimination of Violence Against Women Law 2009, and, Penal Code 2017.  SAHR coached lawyers to bring test cases in court to prohibit the use of forensic reports on virginity - some of which were successful and stopped the referral of women for virginity examination by police, prosecution and judiciary. Virginity testing was later prohibited by law under the Penal Code of 2017.

Learn More

Humaira Ameeri in an advocacy meeting with civil society, academics and members of the government.

Advocacy with the former 2nd Vice President to prohibit virginity testing as a form of torture.

"Natasha worked and supported me to achieve my dreams of being a great human rights lawyer."

Yalda Ahmadi, lawyer, Afghanistan

3.

Capacity Building & Mentorship

Workshops

  • Afghanistan

    Between 2012 and 2014, SAHR led the first training in Afghanistan on how to use gender equity within Shariah law to strategically litigate child custody cases, rape cases, adultery, divorce due to harm and domestic violence. SAHR ran mock trials and mapped arguments and the counterarguments for different scenarios.

    Within 6 months, the lawyers were able to obtain the release of rape victims from prison or reduced sentences in 19 cases and obtain divorce for 36 cases of domestic violence. After 6 months, they obtained justice for hundreds of other women.

  • Throughout 2008 - 2020, SAHR delivered workshops and working group dialogues on "Women's Rights in Islam",  and “Tactical Approaches to Combating Sexual Violence” to human rights defenders from Kenya, Indonesia, Nigeria, Nepal, Syria, Pakistan, and, Egypt, amongst other countries. The key themes for most of the workshops are Debunking Rape Myths and Stereotypes, Investigating Sexual Violence and Approaching Reparations Holistically. 

Mentorship

  • Between 2016 - 2018, SAHR's founder was providing monthly mentorship to a group of 10 lawyers from Medica Afghanistan, a legal aid and women support organisation on case advocacy and quality assurance.

    SAHR also connected lawyers and judges from India and Nepal with women human rights lawyers from Afghanistan to exchange experiences and learn more how to use the law as a strategic tool towards gender justice. 

    In 2020 and 2021, to support diverse HRDs seizing opportunity for strategic litigation and law and policy reform, SAHR provided mentorship and financial support to WHRDs fighting:​

    • To recognise former wives of Boko Haram soldiers as victims and give them access to holistic reparations in Nigeria;

    • To make justice more accessible to disabled survivors of sexual violence in Indonesia;

    • To recognize sexual, health and reproductive rights of diverse and lesbian women in prison in Mexico; and

    • To strengthen public institutional accountability and financial reparations for sexual harassment committed by a civil servant in Argentina.

SAHR presenting landmark case law on rape at an exchange workshop with Moroccan lawyers and rights group, UFL, in 2019.

“Where did you get this defense statement from? This is exactly how a case should be argued.”

Judge in one of the Afghanistan trials

Natasha Latiff conducting a workshop on proving crime of rape in 2019

4.

Research

In 2015, SAHR conducted a research on enforced disappearances of men in Kashmir by insurgent groups and the Indian army in the wake of Kashmir’s fight for independence, and the effect of these disappearances on the wives of these men, also known as ‘half-widows’. We created comics to explain how these women could obtain compensation from the Indian government. The investigation and awareness work was conducted by SAHR Associate, Deya Bhattacharya. 

The report was later published at the Hindu Center for Public Policy.

Learn more

In 2012/2013,  SAHR conducted case law research to extract gender-equitable jurisprudence of Shariah courts and local courts of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Our findings were published in a online database for other HRDs to use.

Learn more

In 2020 and 2021, SAHR conducted extensive research on rape laws in Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, India and Kosovo to participate in study by  the former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against women Ms. Dubravka Šimonović, to criminalize and prosecute rape as a grave and systematic human rights violation and harmonise rape laws globally. SAHR was thoroughly thanked for producing those reports which culminated in a model legislation on rape law. SAHR’s country reports were published on the UN SR’s website.

SAHR participating in a FRIDA-led project on the history of SAHR and women's activism

SAHR participating in a FRIDA-led project on the history of SAHR and women's activism

5.

Networking

Join us in our vibrant network, where we share the significance of every event, connect with our community, and engage with Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) from across Latin America, Africa, and South and East Asia. Together, we celebrate the power of collective action and the importance of each voice. Check out these moments from our virtual and in-person gatherings, and be a part of our journey!

  • Catalina and Sara each joined Grace – a Berlin-based organization supporting female entrepreneurship, empowerment and diversity – for a day of co-working and learning about one another’s work.

  • SAHR Fellows in Kenya meet 💚 and connect on interventions to take on tough cases of gender based violence.

    Picture shows Isabella Mwangi and Hagin Watwati who were shortlisted out of over 134 fellowship applicants because they show a high potential to make high policy impact to end gender violence in their communities.

  • SAHR Founder Natasha Latiff participating in an event titled "Search for Peace in Afghanistan" co-organized with IWF.

  • “From Colombia to Argentina, our journey led us to Berlin. Embracing remote work and our shared passion for law and human rights, we stand together as feminist advocates, celebrating a friendship that transcends borders” 💚

    Our fellows Jimena Gibertoni and Yami Carballido met our team member Catalina Domínguez Fernández and had a great time together during their visit to Berlin, Germany. After having been working together for a year and holding online meetings and workshops, they finally were able to meet in person, strengthening a relationship that is not only work-related, but also transitioning to a personal one✨

  • SAHR members, supporters and volunteers after SAHR's Tales of Disobedience event in San Francisco

  • Sara Bergamaschi with Sudanese musician and SAHR supporter Mazin Jamal, adorning SAHR bracelet.

  • SAHR workshop on prosecuting sexual violence with diverse HRds from all over the world.

  • SAHR team-building

Awards

Described as "jaw dropping" work, SAHR was competitively selected by Paul Koehler, the then Dean of School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London for “Best Volunteering Project” in 2013.

​Prior to this, SAHR's Founder, Natasha Latiff, won the "Best Individual Contribution to Pro Bono Amongst UK Law Schools" (2010) The Former UK Attorney-General Dominic Grieve awarded Natasha for “Best Individual Contribution to Pro Bono amongst all law schools” in 2009.

Lead for SAHR's Justice Network, Humaira Ameeri, has also won several national and international awards including the Asia Human Rights Award by the Taiwan Democracy Foundation in 2021.

SAHR's Co-Executive Director, Sara Bergamaschi, who co-produced the HBO’s documentary "It Will Be Chaos", won an Emmy Award at the 40th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards, under the Outstanding Current Affairs category.  Part road movie and part intimate portrait of lives in transit, the movie unfolds between Italy and the Balkan corridor, intercutting two unforgettable refugees’ stories of human strength and resilience.

In 2019, SAHR was invited to speak at TEDx Rovigo in Italy, where Sara simulated a cross-examination of rape victim, to raise public awareness of secondary trauma and why victims do not report.

In 2020, SAHR was selected as Project Circle by Giving Women (GW). GW is a membership association, which seeks to build a community of informed women philanthropists and to make a meaningful difference in the lives of women and girls in need. 

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