About Us

Girls Involvement in Rights and Leadership (GIRL) is a women’s rights grassroots non-governmental, non-religious, non-political and non-profit making organization based in Gauteng Province, in South Africa. GIRL implements human rights advancement projects focusing in the towns, slums, shanty towns and remote areas in Gauteng and Mpumalanga Provinces.

With special interest in the empowerment of girls and women to contribute in transforming the society positively and impacting a positive change.

It provides programs and services that meets the needs and challenges of socially and economically disadvantaged women and girls, and prepares them for personal, career, and economic success.

As a youth-led organization, GIRL aims to engage and empower girls and young women in their diversity including LBTQ adolescent girls, young sex workers and girls who use drugs. GIRL's work is focused on advancing the rights of marginalized women and girls especially Sex Workers and LBTQ girls and young women. 

GIRL is an intersectional, multi-issue, multi-strategy organization that takes a holistic approach to women’s rights. Our official priorities are winning economic equality and securing it with that will guarantee equal rights for women;

Championing abortion care rights, reproductive justice along with other women’s health issues; opposing racism; fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in all areas, including employment, housing, health services, and child custody; and ending violence against all women, no matter race, age, or socio-economic class.

Girls and Women Empowerment is Our Priority. The overall objective of the organization is to strengthen processes that promote economic development of girls and women and create an environment for social change.

Vision

Communities and Societies where the rights of girls and young women in their diversity including LBTQ adolescent girls, young sex workers and girls who use drugs are recognized and protected.

Our Mission

GIRL's Mission is to advance the rights of marginalized women and girls in their diversity including LBTQ adolescent girls, young sex workers and girls who use drugs. GIRL delivers programs and provide services that meets the needs and challenges of socially and economically disadvantaged Sex Workers and LBTQ girls and young women.

Through our guiding principle, we strive to address a number of structural inequalities which are layered in social organization and mindset, and present the building blocks of gender based discrimination and violence.

The issues we devote our efforts to are combating the historical gender inequalities which assign girls and women a subordinate role in society and the family, making their contribution and participation unrecognized and undervalued. 

We try to work with society and its individual members in parallel so that we ensure raising public awareness on the pervasive negative effects of patriarchal structure and protecting the rights of the vulnerable through giving them the chance to be actors on their own.

1. To expand access to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) information, services and resources for Girls and Young Women.

2. To expand access to timely HIV prevention, treatment and support services for girls.

3. To address structural barriers that promote stigma and discrimination against women and girls working as Sex Workers.

4. To strengthen advocacy for improved community and legal environments where the rights of Women and Girls working as Sex Workers are recognized, promoted and respected.

5. To reduce stigma and sexual and gender-based violence against girls and young women.

1. We will participate in, contribute to and gain from Girls Involvement in Rights and Leadership (GIRL) and the work of other Human Rights Organization, considering that cooperation is essential to our purpose.

2. We will treat one another as equals, with mutual trust, respect, and solidarity.

3. We will be open, transparent and reliable in our decisions and relationships.

4. We will communicate with and about each other in a respectful, non-violent and nonaggressive manner.

5. We affirm and believe that every human being has dignity and equal rights and we will respect all persons accordingly.