Dr Sandra Pertek

• PhD Religion, forced migration and the continuum of violence, University of Birmingham, School of Social Policy
• MSc Social Development Practice, University College London, Development Planning Unit
• BA Interdisciplinary European Studies, University of Warsaw, the Centre for Europe
• NVQ level 2 in Counselling Skills, Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body, Institute of Islamic Counselling

Dr Sandra Iman Pertek is an interdisciplinary mixed methods researcher, gender and social development specialist with over a decade’s experience in humanitarian, development and migration settings. She is an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow, at the Institute for Research Into Superdiversity (IRiS), integrating intersectional and ecological approaches for developing religious engagement with gendered violence in forced displacement. In her PhD, Sandra explored the intersection of religion and the continuum of violence in forced migration in Turkey and Tunisia drawing upon an intersectional and ecological analysis. In her thesis, she conceptualised religion as multidimensional: an intersectional vulnerability factor and a primary coping resource across different stages of forced migration.

She has led a number of studies across the Middle East, Africa and Europe; recently the Ukrainian refugees at risk project in Poland and Ukraine, the Untold Migrant Stories project at the Mediterranean and the Forced Migration, SGBV and COVID-19 study. As SEREDA Research Fellow (Impact and Policy Lead), she has coordinated multi-stakeholder initiatives to strengthen protection in forced displacement and has undertaken a joint technical assignment on sexual and gender-based violence and migration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC).

She has consulted governmental, inter- and non-governmental organizations. For the Home Office UK she developed a theory of change (TOC) for integration and TOC guide notes based on the Indicators of Integration framework. For GIZ, she conducted religious and traditional actors mapping in Zambia in relation to prevention of violence against women and girls programme in Southern Africa. For the Islamic Development Bank, she co-developed resources to integrate gender sensitivity into Islamic micro-finance programmes for women. Previously Sandra served as Senior Policy Adviser on Gender (Global Technical Lead) at Islamic Relief Worldwide, where she spearheaded a gender mainstreaming strategy, authoring its Gender Justice Policy and integrating gender into international programmes with faith sensitive approaches. She piloted GBV programmes in Africa and Asia and learning exchange in partnership with institutional donors, including UN agencies and EU.

Sandra is a member of Leadership Council of the SVRI/JLI Faith and GBV Hub, and serves in the UN Women Roster for Eliminating Violence Against Women (EVAW) Spotlight Initiatives. She also supported several local and regional women’s organisations. She holds a PhD in Religion and the Continuum of Violence in Forced Migration from the University of Birmingham an MSc in Social Development Practice from University College London and a BA in European Studies from the University of Warsaw.

• Gender, Religion and Intersectionality in Forced Displacement session in Globalization, International Migration and Citizenship module (2023)
• Forced Migration, SGBV and COVID-19 session in Migration, Superdiversity, Policy and Practice module (2020)
• Indicators of Integration and Theory of Change session in Migration, Superdiversity, Policy and Practice module (2020)
• SGBV in Conflict session in Gender, World Politics Module (2019)
• Forced Migration and Religion session in Migration, Superdiversity, Policy and Practice Module (2019)
• Gender Mainstreaming in Humanitarian Action in Sex, death and (in)security module (2019)

Research interests

• The continuum of violence across forced migration
• Intersectionality, violence and discrimination
• Resilience, coping and mental health and psychosocial support
• Gender, religion and development
• Decolonial responses to gender and GBV (e.g. among non-conventional actors)
• Gender mainstreaming in faith-based organisations
• The development, migration and humanitarian nexus

Current projects

• Integrated intersectional and socioecological approach: Engaging with religion to strengthen protection from violence against women in forced displacement
• Protecting forcibly displaced women and girls in the Muslim world
• Developing an integrated intersectional and socioecological approach for engaging with religion to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence
• Ukrainian refugees at risk: gender-based violence, trafficking and exploitation
• Forced Migration, SGBV and COVID-19 project

Membership

• Joint Learning Initiative and SVRI Faith and GBV Hub
• GBV Community of Practice (AoR)
• VAWG Research Network

Other contributions

• April 2021 – Guest Lecture: Religion & SDG 5 – Muslim Perspective on Gender-based Violence. The Role of Religion in Current Global Challenges – UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH
• From 2021 – Member of the Leadership Council - SVRI/JLI FAITH AND GBV HUB
• From 2021 – UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab’s Expert
• April 2021 - Resilience, coping and religion among forced migrant women survivors of SGBV, Interagency Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Working Group Cox’s Bazaar.
  
  
• From 2020 – Roster of Experts - Ending Violence Against Women Spotlight Initiatives – UN WOMEN
• 2020 – Reviewer of Transforming Masculinities Manual (adapted for Muslim communities) – TEARFUND
• 2020 – Reviewer of the Theological Frameworks, training methodology (inter-faith settings in Liberia) for Engaging with GBV for Episcopal Relief & Development Liberia - Unit for Religion and Development STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY, SOUTH AFRICA
• 2019-2020 - Research Fellow - Women, Faith and Trauma Project. HUMANITARIAN ACADEMY FOR DEVELOPMENT.
• 2019 - Researcher – LOCALiTIES Project - UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG
• 2019 - Visiting Researcher – UNIVERSITY OF BILKENT (Ankara, Turkey)
• 2019 - Research Associate – Race & Equality Charter Mark - UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
• 2019 – 2018 – Chair – EUROPEAN FORUM OF MUSLIM WOMEN, Brussels (2018 – 2015 – Non-Executive Director)

• From 2018 – Research Associate - Contested Identity: Social Functioning of Polish Reverts to Islam. COLLEGIUM OF SOCIO-ECONOMICS in Warsaw (Poland).
• 2018 – Facilitator – Gender Equality, Religion and Development - DANISH HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTE
• 2017-2018 - Co-Chaired Gender Equality Workstream at the multilateral Partnership for Religion and Sustainable Development (PARD)
• 2017-2018 - Project Lead for Inter-faith events at the UN CSW 2017 and 2018 co-sponsored by UNFPA, UN WOMEN, UNFPA, OIC and Islamic Development Bank.

• 2011-2012 – Research consultant in Tanzania, Arusha and London Borough of Newham - UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON, DEVELOPMENT PLANNING UNIT