Who We Work With

Our Network and Partners

Northumbria University’s Gendered Violence and Abuse Interdisciplinary Research Theme (IDRT) brings together researchers tackling one of society’s most urgent issues. Collaborating with academics, policymakers, practitioners, and activists, the IDRT focuses on two critical barriers to gender equality:

· Digital violations – a fast-emerging threat

· Domestic abuse – a complex, deeply rooted challenge

Our research takes an ecosystems approach, exploring how violence is enabled across homes, workplaces, media, and education. Rather than focusing solely on individual perpetrators, we examine the broader social, political, cultural, and technological systems that sustain gendered violence and abuse.

Working Together for Change

IDRT members collaborate with partners across the public, private, and voluntary sectors—locally, nationally, and globally—to generate fresh insights, shape policy, and drive meaningful change.

Changing Lives

Changing Lives has been helping people facing some of the most challenging circumstances for 50 years. We began as a small charity in the North East called Tyneside Cyrenians, later The Cyrenians, helping people who were experiencing homelessness through our hostels and day centres. We now operate nationally, helping thousands of people each year to change their lives for the better.

Women’s Aid

Women’s Aid is the national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children. As a federation we provide life-saving services across England while building a future where domestic abuse is not tolerated.

Coalition Against Stalkerware

The Coalition Against Stalkerware was founded in November 2019 in response to the growing threat of stalkerware. Stalkerware is often used to facilitate partner surveillance, gender-based and domestic violence, harassment and sexual abuse. Within a year, the alliance has grown from ten founding partners into a large international working group. The Coalition seeks to combine its partners’ expertise in domestic violence survivor support and perpetrator work, digital rights advocacy, and cybersecurity to address the criminal behavior perpetrated by stalkerware. All members commit to fighting domestic violence, stalking, and harassment by addressing the use of stalkerware and raising public awareness about this issue.

Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland (RCTN)

RCTN is a charity that provides services to women and girls who live, work or study in Tyneside and Northumberland. We are completely independent of the criminal justice system including the police. Our services are free and confidential. We are here for women and girls over 13 who have experienced any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives.

Ministry of Justice

The Ministry of Justice is a major government department, at the heart of the justice system. We work to protect and advance the principles of justice. Our vision is to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society.

REPHRAIN: National Research Centre on Privacy, Harm Reduction and Adversarial Influence Online

REPHRAIN will explore how to keep people safe online while allowing them to fully participate in digital technologies and the contributions they make to an innovative, inclusive and healthy economy and society. This activity is designed to build and lead the UK’s world-leading interdisciplinary community on this mission and provide a clear single front door to engage and build capacity with government, industry and citizens.

We Also Work With:

Cornell Tech, Amnesty International, Lloyds Bank England and Wales, Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Hague Mothers, IBM Research, Northumbria Police, The British University in Egypt, Cambridge University & Surviving Economic Abuse.