WEAVE: Mapping Global Feminist Action in a Digital Space

From its seed in 2021 to its multi-country launch at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2025, the WEAVE Collective has brought together feminist researchers, activists, and designers from Australia, India, South Africa, and Nicaragua to spotlight the transformative role of women’s movements in preventing violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Equality Institute has been a founding member and lead creative partner, guiding the project from in-country participatory research, to authoring the Global Summary Report and Policy Brief, to collaborating on the design of a digital identity, narrative-led website, and a suite of communications products, with Play on Play Studio. 

The Challenge

WEAVE—Women Engaged Against Violence Everywhere—emerged in a moment of global urgency. Women’s movements are facing backlash, shrinking democratic space, and the criminalisation of activism. Violence continues to be used as a tool of political, economic, and social control. Progress, while real, remains fragile. 

Despite this, feminist movements have proven to be one of the most powerful forces in ending violence, driving legislative reform, building safe spaces, and shaping public discourse. Yet their role is still under-recognised and underfunded. The challenge was not only to document and evidence their impact across diverse contexts—but also to share these stories in ways that would reach, move, and mobilise global audiences.

The Solution

Phase 1: Building the Collective & In-Country Research 
The WEAVE Collective was formed by researchers and activists from Australia, India, South Africa, and Nicaragua. It began with members leading research in their own country contexts.

EQI partnered with Aboriginal community-controlled organisations—Galiwin’ku Women’s Space (Yolngu women-led refuge in Arnhem Land) and Strong Women Talking (First Nations healing program in Meanjin Brisbane)—alongside the Australian Human Rights Commission, to document the impact of First Nations women’s organisations on violence prevention.

The project used an Indigenist feminist research approach and fostered two-way learning: EQI gained insight into Indigenist strategies and ways of working, and partners strengthened their research capacity. This work culminated in the report: A Sharing of Stories: Indigenous Women’s Movements in Australia, part of the multi-country Sharing Stories from the Margins series. 

Phase 2: Global Synthesis & Policy Advocacy 
EQI led the authorship of the Global Summary Report, in partnership with members, weaving together findings from all four countries into a unified evidence base highlighting the essential role of feminist movements in preventing VAWG. Alongside it, the Global Policy Brief distilled these insights into concrete recommendations for governments, donors, and international bodies. 

Phase 3: Design, Narrative, and Digital Transformation 
In partnership with Play on Play Studio, EQI led the creation of a full visual identity, narrative-led website, and a suite of communications materials. Every element of the design embodied feminist values – authenticity, accessibility, and celebration of collective power.

The weave motif, present throughout, symbolises connection and solidarity. Blurred imagery sharpening on hover mirrors the act of bringing underrepresented voices and stories into focus. Interactive storytelling, intuitive navigation, and visual symbolism challenge academic norms and make complex research accessible to activists, funders, and the public. While acknowledging challenging realities, the site remains joyful – highlighting strength, courage, and collective power as a vibrant counter-narrative to crisis fatigue. 

The Impact

In March 2025, WEAVE’s research and digital platform launched at three high-profile events during the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Already, the work has been cited in policy discussions, amplified by feminist networks, and engaged with by academic institutions and UN agencies. 

Beyond metrics, WEAVE helps shift how feminist research is shared and valued. It disrupts the traditional academic silo, transforming rigorous, participatory research into a dynamic, community-centred digital experience.

By blending personal testimony, cultural art, and strategic design, WEAVE creates a public resource with longevity, one that educates, inspires, and advocates across contexts and borders. 

In a crowded digital landscape, WEAVE offers something rare: a platform that honours nuance while sparking action, celebrates courage while acknowledging struggle, and shows the world that collective feminist action is not just powerful, it’s unstoppable. 

Visit the WEAVE site here.