​PARTENARIAT RESPONDER

Tehya Blake (She/Elle) is a bilingual second-year PhD student in the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University. Supervised by Dr. Stéfanie von Hlatky, her doctoral research focuses on Feminist Security Studies (FSS), International Relations, and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV). She is a graduate researcher with the Gender Lab at the Centre for International and Defence Policy (CIDP). Prior to beginning her PhD, Tehya worked as a Policy Analyst with the Department of National Defence in Ottawa. She holds an MA in Political Studies from Queen’s University (2024) and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from St. Francis Xavier University (2023).

Cora Fletcher is a PhD Student in the Department of Political Science at Dalhousie University. Her doctoral research explores the relationship between experiences of displacement and responder- perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse with a focus on prevention and accountability. Cora holds a master’s degree in political science where her research examined opportunities and constraints on women’s meaningful participation in UN peacekeeping operations. She has been a research assistant and collaborator on numerous interdisciplinary research projects related to feminist security studies, displacement, and sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. Her research interests include sexual and gender-based violence in conflict-affected and post-conflict contexts, critical feminist approaches to peace security, displacement, international peace operations, and peacebuilding.

Becky is pursuing her PhD in Socio-Legal Studies at York University, with doctoral research examining pathways from disclosure to justice for adolescent girls and boys, and women survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse. She brings more than 10 years of humanitarian experience working with refugees and conflict-affected populations across Africa, with expertise in child protection, gender-based violence (GBV), and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA). Prior to beginning her PhD, Becky completed a master’s degree in Gender and Development Studies at the University of Nairobi, where her research examined intimate partner violence among women of reproductive age in Migori, Kenya. Her research interests focus on the intersection of gender, child protection, law, access to justice, conflict-related sexual violence, safeguarding, and survivor-centred protection. Her professional interests include strengthening legal and protection systems for survivors of violence in humanitarian and conflict-affected settings.

Catharina Sophie Nowack (she/her) is a PhD student at the University of Birmingham, supervised by Prof. Dr. Sabine Lee. Her doctoral project explores how policy definitions applicable to preventing and punishing sexual exploitation and abuse may be amended to better reflect female sexual and economic autonomy as conceptualised by human rights law and practiced by local communities in mission contexts. Previously, Catharina has held positions in humanitarian assistance and development cooperation. She is a German-qualified lawyer and holds an Advanced LL.M. in European and International Human Rights Law from Leiden University where her research focussed on the United Nations Zero Tolerance Policy Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse’s compliance with the protections against sexual violence afforded to women and girls under European human rights law. Catharina is interested in decolonial and feminist approaches to human rights law and employing socio-legal methods to develop rights-based, survivor-centered safeguarding and empowerment strategies for women and girls affected by GBV in humanitarian settings.

Amaanat Gill (she/her/hers) is a PhD student in Public health Sciences at Queen's University, supervised by Dr. Susan Bartels. Her doctoral work aims to take a public health lens in exploring the health and wellbeing outcomes of RP-SEA and access to medical, psychosocial, and other support services among survivors. Before beginning her PhD, Amaanat completed an MSc in Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba where her thesis explored adaptable HIV services for female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also holds a BSc in Life Sciences and BA in Global Development Studies from Queen's University. Over the years she has contributed to global health research in maternal child health, family planning, gender-based violence, HIV, and planetary health. Amaant's methodological interests include mixed-methods, evidence synthesis, gender-based analysis, implementation science, and community-based participatory approaches. Her research interests include global health, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, health systems, and community-based research in humanitarian settings.