Can you recommend effective places to donate in support of women and girls facing sex-based oppression?

[FlirtsWithRhinos]

After feeling so helpless on the most recent thread on abuse of teenage girls by gangs, I thought it would be helpful to have a thread we can ask about or highlight charities or groups we know to be effective, or at least genuinely trying, to help the women and girls facing oppression because of our sex.

So often these things happen in private or in communities that one is not part of, making it hard to know where best to donate to help or make a difference.

There are causes I would like to donate to but short of a random Google have no idea which groups exist and most importantly which are most effective. I suspect many of the orgs supporting these type of causes are operating small scale and local. I'm hoping between the women on FWR we have people who can recommend some.

This isn't a purity test thread. I don't care if I disagree with how a group defines a woman as long as they are making a difference where it matters. I also don't care if they are attached to a religious group. Many of the good people tackling gang issues are attached to churches and mosques.

Specific causes I'd like to support are

Preventing FGM, ideally through education as much as intervention, and supporting girls and women who have survived it

Protecting girls at risk of being pulled into gangs and the sexual abuse that comes with it, and supporting survivors in court and to rebuild their lives.

Groups working to give kids of both sexes social and safe alternatives to gang culture in the first place.

Women in Afghanistan.

If you know of effective groups in these areas, or have other causes you would like to know how best to supprt, please reply to highlight them.

If possible, do include whether the group is a registered charity or not. Some employers have staff donation schemes that can increase the amount donated, and of course if a charity can claim gift aid that increases it as well.

Restore UK.
Rupert has funded an inquiry into the Pakistani rape gangs that cause enormous suffering to working class girls in Rotherham and other nearby places. The only organisation that is not corrupt and is actively seeking to seek justice for victims.

Thank you, but I'm not comfortable donating via a political party (any political party!) because it's too general so may not end up going to the causes I intended it to. Same reason I'm looking for smaller groups not big wide-remit charities like NSPCC.

Are there non-affiliated charities or groups that you can recommend?

Not in these areas but might be interesting to you

*Culture Reframed is the premier science-based, global organization of scholars, professionals, and activists addressing the harms of pornography to youth.

Through robust courses and resources, we help ensure kids build resilience and resistance to hypersexualized media and pornography. In turn, they can develop healthy, respectful, and egalitarian views of sex and intimacy throughout their lives*

https://culturereframed.org/

Might be rather more meta than you're looking for right now, but the thread should mention Sex Matters, which is a UK charity now, of course.
sex-matters.org/

I've been a long-time donor to Practical Action, too, which is not specifically for women and girls but does plenty of good work that is relevant to them. Another UK charity.
practicalaction.org/learning/practical-actions-work-for-women-and-girls/

Educate Not Mutilate is a brilliant charity that campaigns against FGM. The Green Party Women YouTube channel has a video of a recent webinar they held with Hibo Wardere of Educate Not Mutilate.

Afghanistan

https://www.victoryafghanistan.org/
https://lindanorgrovefoundation.org/blog/still-fighting-for-education-for-women/
https://www.themaidenfactor.org/the-maiden-factor-foundation
https://malala.org/countries/afghanistan

Can always find good charities, often match funded, via the Big Give

donate.biggive.org/explore?sortField=relevance&term=women

Not quite what you are looking for but we all should be concerned about climate change

https://www.treesisters.org/

Fiona Broadfoot is an absolute shero. She's a survivor of prostitution who was groomed as a child. She set up the Build a Girl project to support at risk girls but I'm having trouble finding a way to donate to support her work.

Great idea for a thread!

https://www.themaggieoliverfoundation.com/

Would also recommend this interview with a survivor, with Maggie alongside. Jade's testimony has stayed with me as well as my anger at the fact it was only through the Foundation that she gained support - nothing from state services.

Also, LWS does let literally any woman brave enough speak. And, IMO, makes it much more likely that someone like me WILL be brave enough to speak - courage calls to courage and all that.

https://www.letwomenspeak.org/

I've been to her events, and I do think it's pretty revolutionary that women can just turn up and speak - I have seen women speak that KJK obviously doesn't agree with, but they're allowed to speak anyway (though sometimes the audience will disagree) - I don't know many settings where that would be the case these days. That freedom of speech is the absolute bedrock of women's rights IMO (compared to places like Afghanistan where women aren't even allowed outside without a man and certainly not allowed to speak).

KJ always lets women speak first, before any men who want to, which is also pretty revolutionary.

Her t-shirts are also fab.

Her events mean that it's visible lots of women support sex-based rights and safeguarding, and have experience of why they matter, even when naice middle class women in positions of power (like too many MPs) say we're all being silly.

Funding small, local charities which support rape survivors is a good start - such as Imara in Nottingham, who do incredible work with survivors. Wherever you are, there will be a small charity helping those who have experienced CSA - and they will be struggling.

The deliberate defunding of CAMHS (which a friend who works in the NHS tells me successive governments have promised to fund, but never do) has left a huge number of children without any support at all. Local charities are trying to help those kids but the waiting lists are miles long. Any money you give to them will be invaluable.

Radio Begum helps women in Afghanistan have a voice, and is incredibly important. Amnesty is fundraising for them.

Childline saves lives daily too.

Thank you.

Giving money to racists does not solve sexual violence.

Sex Matters have done nothing whatsoever to help any rape or DV survivor, and spend vast sums on their executives. They're currently crowdfunding to stop trans women jumping in a North London pond.

Restore politicians have consistently been found to be domestic abusers, racists and misogynists.

They promote a focus on non-white grooming gangs, shouting down any woman who disagrees with this. Islamophobia and racism are not feminism.

Restore is run by rich people.who want rid of the NHS, to shrink state support for women and limit reproductive rights. They ignored previous enquiries into grooming gangs because they wanted a focus on ethnicity, and consistently support misogynistic rapists like Trump.

There's an organisation in India called Sheroes Hangout which support women who have been the victims of acid attacks. There's a link to a donations page on their website.

There's also a running thread on MN re microloans via Lend With Care. The minimum loan is £15 but with an introductory link the first £15 is credited by Lend With Care. You can choose who you loan to.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5493143-does-anyone-lend-money-to-small-entrepreneurs-using-lendwithcare?page=11&reply=154375079

I think sometimes it is worth thinking locally. ie you can have more immediate knowledge about a group and its impact.

Nearly every women's aid local refuge is short of money and some rape crisis support lines are volunteer run but have running costs.

So depending on where you live you could look at the directory of Women's Aid affiliated groups (nb this is for England) https://womensaid.org.uk/information-support/womens-aid-directory/

And the same for affiliated groups for Rape Crisis https://rapecrisis.org.uk/find-a-centre/

So whilst high profile campaign style groups have a role in raising awareness if you are looking for groups that are actually there at the front line these directories could be a start.

And whilst the groups on each directory are registered you may find there are group run by local women who are providing a service.

Just a thought

Women’s Fund for Scotland. Have had grants from them in the past. Their grant making guidelines say “single sex”. I think they had to play it safe during the wilderness years.

Flirts, I agree with trying local, especially for

Protecting girls at risk of being pulled into gangs and the sexual abuse that comes with it, and supporting survivors in court and to rebuild their lives.

It might seem a bit left field, but local charities that help to alleviate food poverty and support things like school breakfast clubs can go a long way towards helping girls in poverty get a decent education. And education, attendance, and visibility at school is a way of keeping safe and keeping in contact with those professionals in schools who still take safeguarding seriously.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I'm going to go work out a monthly budget and set up recurring donations.