In September 2026, the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) hosted its landmark Annual Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, immediately following the World Safety Conference. Co-led by the University of Birmingham and the University of Cape Town in partnership with the Lancet Commission, the four-day gathering united leading experts, researchers, and advocates from across the UK, South Africa, Mexico, India, Brazil, Peru, and Sri Lanka.
A central milestone of this year’s meeting was advancing the program’s commitment to survivor-centred research. Attendees finalized structural frameworks for the group’s global Survivor Panels, ensuring that individuals with lived experiences directly co-design and guide the research process. The sessions also focused on critical implementation pillars for the four-year initiative (2024–2028), including safeguarding protocols, trauma-informed methodologies, fair remuneration, and sustainable project governance.
