We are the
Institute of Domestic Violence, Religion & Migration

Our team covers expertise in multiple languages, cultural contexts, religious traditions and theological hermeneutics and has direct links to an extensive list of grassroots partners and communities of practice around the world.

An international team crossing borders, sectors and disciplines

Meet the team

Dr Romina Istratii

Dr Romina Istratii

Director

Dr Romina Istratii

Dr Romina Istratii

Director

Dr Romina Istratii is UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Lecturer at the School of History, Religions and Philosophies at SOAS University of London, co-chair of the SOAS Centre of World Christianity and honorary Research Associate at the Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge. She specialises in the ethics and practice of gender and development work in religious societies and has over 13 years’ experience working in development-oriented research to promote epistemological reflexivity, ethical research practices and healthy partnerships and collaboration models. She previously acted as Principal Investigator of Project dldl/ድልድል currently leading its renewal phase as the founding Director of the Institute of Domestic Violence, Religion and Migration.

Isobel Brown

Isobel Brown

Communications Officer

Isobel Brown

Isobel Brown

Communications Officer

Marketing and Publicity Coordinator with a diverse background in public relations, marketing, and fundraising, supported by a law degree from Oxford University, where she specialised in Feminist Legal Studies. As Publicity Coordinator for BAWSO, the leading charity in Wales advocating for Black and minoritised victims of abuse, violence, and exploitation, Isobel championed community-based approaches to addressing gendered violence. She amplified survivor voices through media campaigns, events, and digital marketing strategies. Her work has focused on increasing visibility, raising awareness, and advocating for systemic change. Passionate about the dissemination of research and awareness-raising, Isobel is committed to improving agency practices, elevating public understanding, and platforming experts by experience to shape and inform policies and practices.

Benjamin Kalkum

Benjamin Kalkum

Practice Expert

Benjamin Kalkum

Benjamin Kalkum

Practice Expert

Benjamin Kalkum is researching religion and gender norms, particularly masculinity norms, in Sub-Saharan Africa. He has worked in Ghana, Zambia, and Ethiopia on topics such as HIV prevention, early pregnancy, and sexuality education, always with a focus on the intersection of gender and religion. For example, during his time in Zambia, he became curious about the teachings of local traditional marriage counsellors, and in Ethiopia, he investigated the potential of religion as a positive resource for SGBV survivors and the inclusion of religious actors in response programs. Benjamin has been a research associate to Project dldl/ድልድል since 2020.

Dr Natalia Paszkiewicz

Dr Natalia Paszkiewicz

Academic Expert

Dr Natalia Paszkiewicz

Dr Natalia Paszkiewicz

Academic Expert

Dr Natalia Paszkiewicz is an anthropologist with a particular interest in migration and refugee studies. Most recently, she worked as Project Manager of the UKRI-funded research and innovation project ‘Bridging religious studies, gender & development and public health to address domestic violence: A novel approach for Ethiopia, Eritrea and the UK’. The project was dedicated to the development and strengthening of religio-culturally sensitive domestic violence alleviation systems. Natalia has 20 years' experience working with migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in different capacities, including as a researcher involved in applied social sciences projects, as a practitioner in the third sector in the UK, and in the humanitarian sector in the Horn of Africa.

Dr Mahmoud Ali Gomaa Afifi

Dr Mahmoud Ali Gomaa Afifi

Academic Expert

Dr Mahmoud Ali Gomaa Afifi

Dr Mahmoud Ali Gomaa Afifi

Academic Expert

Dr Mahmoud Ali Gomaa Afifi is a specialist in contemporary Islamic studies, Quranic interpretation, Islamic law, Islam in the UK, and Islamic feminism. He received his PhD in Religious Studies from Lancaster University in 2023, with his thesis addressing how imams in the UK interpret Qur'ān 4:34 in connection with their practical treatment of wife abuse. He previously acted as postdoctoral researcher for Project dldl/ድልድል at SOAS University of London, and collaborated with Dr Romina Istratii on a research project that examined the feasibility of developing an interfaith approach toward domestic violence in Egypt and Ethiopia. Dr Afifi is currently a collaborator in the Institute’s programme 'Developing Inter-faith Approaches for Clergy Training on Domestic Violence.'

Dr Sandra Pertek

Dr Sandra Pertek

Co-Investigator

Dr Sandra Pertek

Dr Sandra Pertek

Co-Investigator

Dr Sandra Pertek is UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the School of Government and School of Social Policy, and Senior Research Fellow at the International Development Department at the University of Birmingham. Previously, she was Lecturer at the Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University and Teaching Fellow (POLSIS) and ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Birmingham, following her role as an Impact and Policy Fellow in the SEREDA project at the Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS), where she is actively affiliated. Dr Pertek is a co-investigator to the Institute’s programme 'Integrating Domestic Violence Research in Migration.'

Dr Mirna Guha

Dr Mirna Guha

Academic Expert

Dr Mirna Guha

Dr Mirna Guha

Academic Expert

Dr Mirna Guha is a political sociologist who researches experiences of gendered violence and social injustice in the lives of survivors from racially and culturally diverse communities globally. Mirna has a PhD in International Development from the University of East Anglia and her doctoral thesis analyses everyday violence in the lives of marginalised women selling sex in India. In her current role as Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, she specialises in collaborative research with statutory, voluntary and community organisations to inform and evaluate the impact of specialist domestic abuse services for socio-economically marginalised victims-survivors. Currently, Mirna is leading a Medical Research Council research grant to foster the leadership of Black and racialised women working within the VAWDASV sector and generate evidence on the impact of burgeoning specialist services for survivors from these communities in East England.

Selam Reta

Selam Reta

Practice Expert

Selam Reta

Selam Reta

Practice Expert

Selamawit Reta has a strong interest in Eastern and Western philosophy, with a focus on understanding the state of being and its social implications. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Theology from Holy Trinity Theological University and is pursuing a Master's in Theology from Agora University. Professionally, she is a Software Project Manager, with a BSc in Computer Engineering and an MBA. Selamawit is passionate about exploring social conditions and their theological significance.

Henok Hailu

Henok Hailu

Practice Expert

Henok Hailu

Henok Hailu

Practice Expert

Henok Hailu, is a Faculty at the Department of Psychiatry, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. He is a currently attending PhD in Clinical Psychology, Nasarawa State University Nigeria. He is also the current president of Ethiopian Psychologist’s Association and Executive committee Member of Pan African Psychological Union PAPU. Henok is Young Clinician and researcher in the area of mental health with a focus on indigenizing mental health concepts in to the local (African) context and religion. He has 10+ years’ experience of work.

Dr Aysha Ahmed

Dr Aysha Ahmed

Practice Expert

Dr Aysha Ahmed

Dr Aysha Ahmed

Practice Expert

Dr Aysha Ahmed is an experienced academic researcher and has completed her research on domestic Violence and experiences of Bangladeshi women in the UK. She works as an independent researcher and has published research on domestic violence and Bangladeshi women, and faith. Her professional expertise includes working in statutory and academic research settings and is an expert in working with South Asian communities in addressing harmful practices. Dr Ahmed is a registered social worker with Social Work England and has over 35 years of experience in working with children safeguarding and social care management. She is the founder and director of AASHA. Previously Dr Ahmed supported Project dldl/ድልድል as a community-based researcher.

Dr Pamela Aben Shelley

Dr Pamela Aben Shelley

Academic Expert

Dr Pamela Aben Shelley

Dr Pamela Aben Shelley

Academic Expert

Dr Pamela Aben Shelley specialises in the intersection of Christianity and intimate partner violence. In 2023, she earned her PhD in Public Health and Health Promotion from Brunel University London. Her thesis focused on intimate partner violence within the African Christian community in the United Kingdom. Dr Shelley actively engages with African-majority churches in England to raise awareness about intimate partner violence and encourage discussions surrounding faith, abuse and support. She is a clinical research nurse at the Women's Health Research Department at University College London Hospitals. Dr Shelley previously worked as a midwife at Rosie Hospital in Cambridge and as a contract health and disability nurse assessor for the Department for Work and Pensions. Her personal experiences and professional background shape her research and practice. She focuses on intimate partner violence in Christian and ethnic minority communities, women's health, and health promotion.

Dr Shilan Fuad Hussain

Dr Shilan Fuad Hussain

Academic Expert

Dr Shilan Fuad Hussain

Dr Shilan Fuad Hussain

Academic Expert

Dr Shilan Fuad Hussain is currently a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow in Gender Studies and Cultural Analysis and a Senior Consultant for gender-related issues in society. She is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She was previously a Visiting Fellow at the Washington Kurdish Institute (U.S.), and a Doctoral Fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy(Switzerland), where she has published several papers. Since gaining her PhD, she has continued to publish in academic peer-reviewed journals and has developed a track record in the field of Cultural Analysis alongside Gender Studies. She is an interdisciplinary academic and works on a variety of topics, among them: cultural representation, production, and practices; gender-based violence and women’s human rights; state policies enhancing female equality; FGM, sexuality, and arranged/forced marriages; the social impacts of masculinity; and multi-identity in the diaspora – which are topics that mirror her published papers. Her current work sits at the intersection of sociology and cultural analysis, and its symbiotic relevance to modern society.

Our Story
Replicating the Project dldl/ድልድል Model

The Institute for Domestic Violence, Religion, and Migration builds on the research and intervention model developed and implemented by Project dldl/ድልድል to develop and strengthen religio-culturally sensitive domestic violence alleviation systems in East Africa and the UK. The model was developed and implemented between 2020 and 2024 in Ethiopia and the UK. The main components of this model are presented in the graph below:

Copyright: Dr Romina Istratii

Inspired by the ethos and aims of Project dldl/ድልድል, the Institute of Domestic Violence, Religion & Migration seeks to:

  • Employ, refine and scale up and out the Project dldl/ድልድል Model of collaboration and co-creation in domestic violence responses
  • Continue to promote the decolonial ethos guiding the approach of Project dldl/ድልድል to achieve culturally relevant and locally led responses in communities internationally
  • Share the Project dldl/ድልድል Model and better integrate the lessons learned and evidence produced into policy and practice
  • Promote stronger bridges between religious and secular stakeholders at both practice and policy level

To find out more about the impact achieved through Project dldl/ድልድል, read the Impact Case Studies available on our website.

Our partners