The Equality Institute (EQI) is a global feminist agency working to end violence against women and girls.

Founded in 2015 by Dr. Emma Fulu, EQI was born from the belief that violence prevention would benefit from more organisations and programmes working with a distinctly intersectional feminist approach.

The Equality Institute is built on a culture of respect, collective-care and boundaries, that enables people to prioritise their wellbeing and individual needs, alongside work and advocating for social change. Once a little idea to drive big change, EQI has now evolved into an established organisation, grounded in local engagement, while setting a global agenda.

The Equality Institute covers every region in the world. 20 countries and counting. EQI have worked with the governments of Australia, Cambodia, Kazakhstan and beyond to improve systems and serve women and girls. Our clients have included the United Nations Development Program, Oxfam, the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Amnesty International.

Global estimates indicate that 35% of women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. That is 818 million women, almost the total population of sub-Saharan Africa and almost three times the population of the United States.

A pregnant women talking with a young man about sexual and reproductive rights

In 2014, Emma’s career took her to South Africa to lead one of the largest global programmes to prevent violence against women and girls in low- and middle-income countries. In tow, were her 4-month-old twins who she was still breastfeeding and her two-and-a-half-year-old toddler. In the midst of a seriously intense period of travel, alongside a severe sinus infection, Emma burnt out. And she made one of the hardest decisions of her life – to resign from her job, with no employment in sight, pack up their lives and move back to Melbourne. In doing so, she was forced to reassess her life and she recognised that her commitment to the rights of women and girls did not have to come at the expense of her health.

So, in 2015, Emma founded The Equality Institute. Drawing upon nearly two decades of global experience developing research methods, advising policy makers and leading large-scale research and evaluation projects on VAWG, Emma leads the team at Equality Institute.

Emma is regularly invited to speak publicly at events all over the globe and publishes widely in both high-level journals and mainstream media.

Click here for Dr Emma Fulu’s bio