Who We Are
ADLIGA is a feminist foundation dedicated to advancing democracy, human rights, gender equality, and civic participation through solidarity, education, and knowledge production.
Founded on more than fifteen years of experience in feminist civic education, democratic engagement, and human rights advocacy, ADLIGA works across borders to support women affected by repression, war, displacement, political persecution, and exclusion.
We bring together women human rights defenders, civic leaders, educators, researchers, artists, activists, and community builders who are shaping democratic futures under increasingly difficult conditions.
ADLIGA operates from a simple conviction:
Democracy cannot survive where women are excluded.
When women lose safety, voice, visibility, and influence, democratic societies lose resilience, diversity, and legitimacy.
Supporting women is therefore not only a matter of equality.
It is a matter of democratic sustainability.
Our Mission
To strengthen the safety, participation, and influence of women facing repression, conflict, displacement, and political exclusion while advancing democratic culture, human rights, and feminist solidarity across Europe and beyond.
Our Vision
We envision democratic societies where women can exercise their rights without fear, participate in public life on equal terms, and contribute fully to shaping political, social, cultural, and economic decisions.
We believe that democracy becomes stronger when women are protected, heard, represented, and empowered.
Our Historical Perspective
For generations, women have played a central role in defending communities, preserving social cohesion, resisting authoritarianism, and sustaining democratic movements.
Yet women remain disproportionately affected by political violence, conflict, forced migration, repression, and exclusion from decision-making processes.
Across Europe and neighbouring regions, democratic backsliding, shrinking civic space, war, and authoritarian governance continue to threaten women’s rights and participation.
ADLIGA was created in response to this challenge.
We work to ensure that women are not merely protected from crises, but recognised as essential actors in democratic transformation.
The 3 Ps of ADLIGA
Protection
Protecting the foundations of participation
Safety is a precondition for democracy.
Women who face persecution, violence, displacement, intimidation, or political exclusion require more than humanitarian support. They require solidarity, visibility, and access to networks that allow them to continue participating in society.
Protection at ADLIGA means creating conditions in which women can remain active, connected, and engaged despite adverse circumstances.
Areas of work include:
- support for women at risk;
- solidarity initiatives;
- emergency assistance;
- relocation and integration support;
- support for women human rights defenders;
- international visibility and advocacy;
- community resilience and wellbeing.
Protection preserves agency.
Participation
Strengthening democratic engagement
Democracy depends on active citizenship.
Women must have equal opportunities to influence decisions, organise collectively, participate in public debate, and shape the future of their communities.
Participation is not limited to electoral politics. It includes civic action, community leadership, public dialogue, cultural engagement, and democratic learning.
Areas of work include:
- civic education;
- democratic participation;
- leadership development;
- advocacy and public engagement;
- community organising;
- cross-border exchange;
- democratic culture and citizenship education.
Participation builds democratic capacity.
Power
Building feminist influence and democratic knowledge
Democratic transformation requires more than participation.
It requires influence.
Power is the capacity to shape institutions, public narratives, policies, and collective futures.
ADLIGA understands feminist power as the ability to transform knowledge into action and participation into structural change.
Areas of work include:
- feminist research;
- publications and educational resources;
- policy expertise;
- knowledge production;
- public dialogue;
- capacity-building;
- democratic innovation;
- feminist perspectives on peace, democracy, and human rights.
Power creates lasting change.
Our Theory of Democratic Change
Protection → Participation → Power
Protection enables women to remain active.
Participation enables women to build leadership and influence.
Power enables women to shape democratic institutions and public life.
Through this process, individual resilience becomes collective capacity, and collective capacity strengthens democracy.
Our Strategic Areas
Women at Risk
Supporting women facing persecution, exclusion, violence, displacement, or political repression.
Democracy and Civic Participation
Advancing active citizenship, democratic engagement, and inclusive participation.
Human Rights and Equality
Promoting universal rights, dignity, and equal opportunities.
Feminist Leadership
Strengthening women’s influence in civil society, communities, and public life.
Education and Learning
Creating spaces for democratic learning, civic education, and critical reflection.
Research and Knowledge Production
Developing feminist perspectives on politics, democracy, citizenship, peace, and social change.
Women in Exile
Supporting displaced women as agents of democratic resilience and community development.
Peace and Nonviolence
Promoting peaceful civic participation, dialogue, and democratic conflict transformation.
What Makes ADLIGA Different
Many organisations work on women’s rights.
Many organisations work on democracy.
Many organisations work on human rights.
ADLIGA works where these fields intersect.
We connect protection with participation.
We connect solidarity with democracy.
We connect education with social transformation.
We connect feminist knowledge with civic action.
Our work begins with women at risk.
Our goal is stronger democracies.
Women at Risk. Democracy at Stake.