Principles

Sophia Forum upholds core principles that lead and define our work. These include the foundational belief that women’s rights are human rights, and that all women, in all our diversity, should have our rights upheld.

We have developed specific statements of principles relating to the rights of trans women, and about HIV prevention for women.

Trans rights are human rights

Sophia Forum supports all women.

The goal of feminism is to move toward gender equality and justice for people of all genders. To this end, feminism investigates and challenges the forces that cause injustice or inequality. However, those forces are not the same for all women, because forces of oppression (sexism, transphobism, racism, classism etc.) intersect.

Sophia Forum recognises intersectionality.

Sophia Forum recognises trans women have unique experiences and face specific discrimination and discriminatory practices, particularly in health care settings. Stigma and discrimination, lack of social and legal recognition of their affirmed gender, and exclusion from health services, employment and educational opportunities represent fundamental drivers of HIV risk in transgender women worldwide.

Sophia Forum stand with trans women to address this discrimination.

HIV prevention

In addition to our work to protect and promote the rights of women living with HIV, Sophia Forum also works on access to HIV prevention. We campaign for equal access to effective HIV prevention for women vulnerable to HIV acquisition. Our work on prevention is shaped by Prevention Principles, to uphold effective and equitable prevention for all:

  • No individual means of prevention should be considered in isolation, but as part of a comprehensive package of prevention
  • Preference should be given to education/ programmes/ interventions that are: evidence-based; least burdensome; accessible to all; equitable to all; monitored for impact with data disaggregated by gender, sex, age and other factors.
  • Any decision-making on access, availability and programmes should have meaningful involvement of all communities that might benefit (including women).

We are currently campaigning for access to PrEP for women in the UK. You can find out more about this campaign in our statement, which was endorsed by UK and global organisations and networks.