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• PhD Religion, forced migration and the continuum of violence, University 麻豆精选, 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 Pertek is UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the School of Government and School of Social Policy, and Senior Research Fellow at the International Development Department at the University 麻豆精选. She was previously Lecturer at the Institute for Global Health and Development at Queen Margaret University, and Teaching Fellow at POLSIS and ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity (IRiS) at the University 麻豆精选, where she is actively affiliated.

In her PhD studentship (School of Social Policy), Sandra explored the intersection of religion and the continuum of gendered violence in forced migration in Turkey and Tunisia, integrating intersectional and ecological approaches. Her thesis conceptualised religion as a multidimensional factor - intersectional vulnerability and a primary resilience resource across different stages of forced migration. She has led several studies across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, including the “Protecting Forcibly Displaced Women and Girls in the Muslim World” project, the “Ukrainian Refugees at Risk” project in Poland and Ukraine, the “Untold Migrant Stories” project in the Mediterranean, and the “Forced Migration, SGBV, and COVID-19” study. As the SEREDA Impact and Policy Fellow, in partnership with the Women’s Refugee Commission, she coordinated a multi-stakeholder Geneva-based roundtable to enhance protection in forced migration and undertook a joint technical assignment on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and migration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Currently, Sandra leads an interdisciplinary and policy-oriented, £1.3m UKRI-funded research initiative, Making Aid Work for Displaced Women, which investigates how better integration of Islamic philanthropy and the international humanitarian system can improve outcomes for displaced women.

With over a decade of experience as a gender and social development specialist in humanitarian, development, and migration settings, Sandra has consulted for various governmental, inter-governmental, and non-governmental organisations. For example, for the Home Office UK, she developed a , along with TOC guide notes based on the Indicators of Integration framework. In collaboration with GIZ, she conducted religious and traditional actor mapping in Zambia for a violence prevention programme in Southern Africa. For the Islamic Development Bank, she co-developed  programmes for women. She also provided technical support to the European Commission on how to engage with religion, gender, and violence and has collaborated with the Danish Human Rights Institute, UNHCR, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on policy and capacity-building initiatives.

Previously, Sandra was Senior Policy Adviser on Gender (Global Technical Lead) at Islamic Relief Worldwide, where she authored its Gender Justice Policy and spearheaded a gender mainstreaming strategy. She also piloted gender-based violence (GBV) programmes in Africa and Asia, and facilitated learning exchanges in partnership with institutional donors, including UN agencies, the EU, Sida etc.

Sandra has also served on the Leadership Council of the SVRI/JLI Faith and GBV Hub and was part of the UN Women Roster for Eliminating Violence Against Women (EVAW) Spotlight Initiatives. She has supported several local and regional women’s organisations and remains an active contributor to networks focused on gender, religion, and forced migration.

She has published articles on gender, religion and forced migration in leading journals and co-authored the monograph, ‘On the Significance of Religion in Violence Against Women and Girls’ (Routledge). Her new monograph, ‘Violence against Women, Religion and Forced Displacement: Experiences and Humanitarian Responses’, is underway. Sandra also guest lectures at various academic institutions.

She holds PhD in Gender, Religion and Forced Migration from the University 麻豆精选, MSc in Social Development Practice from University College London and BA in European Studies from the University of Warsaw.

Sandra has contributed to the following modules:

• Gender, reproductive and sexual health (MSc, QMU, 2024)
• Sexual health policy and programming in practice (MSc, QMU, 2024)
• Feminist Political Ideas (BA, POLSIS, 2024)
• International Relations (BA, POLSIS, 2024)
• Postcolonial Britain: Race, Identity & Belonging (BA, POLSIS, 2024)
• 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
• Ukrainian refugees at risk: gender-based violence, trafficking and exploitation
• Forced Migration, SGBV and COVID-19 project

Membership

• British Sociological Association
• The International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM)
• Joint Learning Initiative and SVRI Faith and GBV Hub
• GBV Community of Practice (AoR)
• VAWG Research Network

Other contributions

Select blog posts/op-eds:

• Pertek, S. (2023)
• Pertek, S. (2023)
• Pertek, S., Al-Dawood, A. and Saleem, A. (2023)
• Pertek, S (2021) Untold Forced Migrant Stories
• Pertek, S (2018)
• Pertek, S (2019)
• Pertek, S (2021)  

Policy briefs:

• Pertek, S. (2024) Prioritising protection and inclusion of conflict-affected displaced women and girls in Muslim-majority contexts. Policy Brief. University 麻豆精选.
• Pertek, S. (2023) Protection from violence against women in forced displacement. Integrating religion into intersectional and socioecological approaches. Policy Brief. University 麻豆精选.
• Pertek, S. (2022) The SEREDA project. Highlighting the continuum of SGBV in forced migration. Policy Brief. University 麻豆精选.
• Pertek, S., Phillimore, J., Goodson, L., Jones, L., and Stevens, A. (2021) Forced migration, sexual and gender-based violence and health: findings from the SEREDA project. Policy Brief. University 麻豆精选.