On Her Terms: 2018–2023

Overview

Amos Trust’s On Her Terms campaign transformed the lives of girls and young women on the streets so that they could live free from abuse. We journeyed with them as they took control of their own lives, challenging the injustice they experience daily.

Our experience shows that the key is forging strong, trusting relationships with these girls and then building programmes and activities from this, which a girl can engage with on her terms.

On Her Terms is Amos Trust’s campaign to transform the lives of girls and young women whose lives revolve around the street so they can live free from abuse.

On Her Terms is a methodology

We journey with girls as they take control of their own lives, challenging the injustices they experience every day.

Core principles and values of On Her Terms:

• Acknowledging the long journey many girls are on
• Respect and no judgement
• Girls are the experts of their own lives
• Recognition that most girls will have experienced acute/multiple traumas
• Each situation is different — no one size fits all
• Relational approaches are key — “Change happens at the speed of trust”
• The need to challenge systemic injustices

Key approaches in an On Her Terms methodology:

• Outreach: meeting girls where they are at (going onto the streets and the places they stay)
• Girls are given multiple opportunities to respond and are able to become involved when they are ready
• Female-only spaces and/or sessions and/or programmes are vital
• A person-centred, relational approach is key; relationships are built over time as young women learn to trust the project staff
• Programmes and activities must emerge out of these relationships
• A high degree of patience from workers is needed as the work will often progress slowly (the girls’ lives are often chaotic or controlled by others)
• The resilience of workers is key and needs to be invested in as girls will often push boundaries to see if they can trust the staff (or even themselves)
• Girls will often drop out of programmes (for multiple reasons) and they need the opportunity to be able to rejoin them when they are ready
• Skilled interventions are required for the multiple trauma girls have experienced
• The best approaches enable girls to support one another on the street and build girls’ collective strength
• Practical support such as health and hygiene, support in childcare, nutrition are often key tools to build relationships
• It is vital to challenge the systemic and structural drivers that lead to girls being on the street and to challenge gender-based violence at every level

On Her Terms is also a space:

• For learning and reflecting on what works
• For training and developing workers
• For workers from different contexts to meet and share best practice
• For workers to support one another, to stand in solidarity, to share struggles and hold the sadness together
• To develop areas of expertise (and share the unique areas of knowledge) held by the organisations involved
• To celebrate the successes and moments of progress

“My friends outside of work often ask me, ‘why do you spend your time and energy working with these kinds of girls, who live on the streets and sell themselves for sex?’ I reply, ‘your question of their worth, is exactly why I do this work. Everyone else has rejected them’.” Revina — social worker at Cheka Sana Tanzania

Collective vision

Amos Trust brought together women from eight countries who work with girls on the streets. Girls who face child marriage, prison or are involved in sex work. They shared new ways of working, with a collective vision to see girls live free from abuse. This is their story.Watch our film about On Her Terms →