Who We Are
Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice is an international feminist organisation working to advance gender justice through the law, with a particular focus on international criminal law and accountability for gender-based harm.
We work to ensure that international justice systems recognise the full scope of gender-based violence and discrimination, and that survivors and communities most affected by harm are able to shape justice processes, from how crimes are defined, to how accountability and reparations are pursued.
Our work sits at the intersection of international criminal law, feminist legal analysis, and collective action. We combine deep legal expertise with sustained engagement alongside survivors, civil society, and justice institutions to address gaps where gender-based harm has been overlooked, mischaracterised, or excluded.
our History
Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice was founded in 2004 to carry forward the legacy of the Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice, a global feminist coalition that played a decisive role in ensuring the recognition of sexual and gender-based crimes in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
We have spent more than two decades working inside and alongside international justice systems to strengthen accountability for gender-based harm. We’ve authored more than 60 legal submissions and publications, including amicus briefs, legal analyses, and global frameworks such as the Hague Principles on Sexual Violence and Gender Report Cards, shaping how gender-based crimes are defined, investigated, and addressed in international justice processes.
Our work has been informed by engagement with thousands of survivors across contexts including Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and beyond, through participatory consultations, reparations advocacy, and survivor-informed legal and policy work.
How we work
We advance gender justice through three mutually reinforcing approaches.
legal research and monitoring
We provide rigorous legal analysis and monitoring of international and domestic laws, policies, jurisprudence, and accountability processes.
Our research supports more accurate recognition of gender-based harm and informs legal standards, prosecutions, and reparations.
advocacy and campaigns
We engage directly with international courts, policymakers, and justice processes to promote gender-competent, survivor-informed approaches to accountability for sexual and gender-based crimes.
Our campaigns respond to concrete gaps in law and practice and support sustained change beyond individual cases or moments.
solidarity and networking building
We work in solidarity with survivors, feminist organisations, and civil society networks, using our access and position to support power-sharing, safe participation, and collective action.
We convene grassroots expertise and international justice institutions, ensuring that lived experience informs decision-making.
Where Are We
Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice is based in The Hague, the Netherlands, at the centre of international justice institutions.
We work in close partnership with in-country organisations and networks in strategic locations, supporting locally grounded initiatives and survivor-led advocacy in diverse contexts.
More about us
Without transformation, international law risks reinforcing injustice instead of repairing it.
We exist to change that.
See moreAt Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice, we believe that advancing justice for survivors of gender-based violence requires expertise, strategic action, and solidarity.
Meet our Team and our Board.
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