Rights4Girls works to change the narrative and policies that punish girls impacted by gender-based violence and advocates for solutions that provide girls and young women with access to safety, justice, and support. They do so by centering the voices and experiences of marginalized girls to ensure that their lives are contemplated in mainstream conversations around justice reform and gendered violence and that their needs are prioritized. Their work includes public education campaigns, policy development and advocacy, research, training and technical assistance, and coalition building.
Funding from The Jensen Project will enable Rights4Girls to promote survivor-centered justice reform across the country, increase public awareness and understanding of partial decriminalization policies as the common-sense, survivor-centered approach to sex trade policy reform in the media and public discourse, and fight to stop full decriminalization efforts from being passed or implemented in any jurisdiction as these efforts continue to arise.
Through GrantTank, The Jensen Project will fund these public awareness efforts, survivor mobilization, policy expertise, and advocacy efforts.
Earlier this year, Rights4Girls worked together with survivor partners and allies to help make Maine the first state in the country to enact the Equality Model, a partial decriminalization legal framework. When these bills were signed into law, many survivors reached out and were very emotional about the passage of this historic legislation. Rights4Girls also worked together with survivors in Illinois to pass the Prevent Unfair Sentencing of Youth Act, legislation protecting child sex trafficking victims from harsh sentences when they are accused of harming their abusers. That Rights4Girls, together with the support of The Jensen Project, was able to prioritize and elevate the voices and needs of survivors in Maine and Illinois to secure two major victories is just the beginning in what we hope will become a string of survivor-centered successes!
The Jensen Project was connected to Rights4Girls through multiple partner agencies and their reputation within the field. Rights4Girls bridges the gap between the youth justice space and anti-trafficking, which we know are irrevocably intertwined.
We were impressed with their efforts, and their in-place collaborations and former successes made our decision to fund this organization an easy one. Rights4Girls collaborates with national and local organizations, including multiple GrantTank recipients.
Rights4Girls is led by Executive Director Yasmin Vafa. Ms. Vafa is a human rights attorney and nationally recognized advocate who, along with her team, works tirelessly on behalf of women and girls.
Funding from The Jensen Project will enable Rights4Girls to promote survivor-centered policies, increase public awareness and understanding of the Equality Model, and fight to stop full decriminalization efforts from being passed.
A yearly grant program, funding up to $2 Million to advance economic empowerment and housing opportunities for agencies who serve adult female survivors of human trafficking.
Armed with the latest news and insights on anti-trafficking organizations and policies, you can join us in the fight against sexual violence.
It takes funding for organizations to help women impacted by sexual violence, but it’s just the starting point. The Jensen Project’s holistic approach empowers nonprofits with grants, resources, and ongoing support to fuel the fight against sexual violence.