This week at Abianda we’ve been sharing reflections under the theme Hidden, But Not Silent, voices from across our organisation exploring what it means for young women’s experiences to be misunderstood, overlooked or misread by the systems around them. For International Women’s Day, our founder   Abi Billinghurst   offers a reflection on hope, participation and the steady work of shifting systems so girls and young women affected by exploitation and violence can be seen, hear

Happy International Women's Day. This morning's reflection comes from Alex M, our Training and Development Lead. Drawing on her own experience of being seen and supported as a young girl, Alex reflects on what happens when those conditions, time, curiosity, belief and relationship, are absent for others. Across this week of Hidden, But Not Silent, we’ve heard how young women’s voices are often misunderstood, overlooked or misread by the systems around them. Alex’s piece bring

Today’s reflection comes from Rula , an Abianda Trustee whose work spans systems change and children’s services. She offers a personal lens on quiet resistance, the subtle, everyday ways women reclaim space, autonomy and power, often overlooked by systems that only recognise certain kinds of strength. Shopping in the men’s section… Conforming is not my thing. Shopping in the men’s section is one small act of rebellion.  I grew up in an era where girls’ clothing was fitted, r

Today’s reflection comes from Antoinette, Abianda’s Head of Partnerships & Development, sharing a perspective from being new into the organisation — exploring how participation, trust and care are practised, and how that quietly reshapes leadership, voice and belonging. Since joining Abianda, I’ve been struck by how trust is practised here, not just talked about. Trust in time. Trust in people. Trust that you don’t have to over perform competence or resilience to belong. Week

Today’s reflection comes from  Carla , an Abianda Trustee with over two decades of experience across safeguarding and the Violence Against Women and Girls sector. Her piece names how systems often misread young women’s resistance, and what becomes hidden when process, thresholds and professional language take precedence over listening, care and accountability. I’ve sat with young women labelled as disengaged, resistant, hard to reach, when in reality they were calculating ris

Today’s reflection comes from  Tallulah Maria Santos , a member of Abianda’s Young Women's Advisory Group and one of our first Interns. Her piece centres young women as experts in their own lives, naming what it means to be misunderstood, spoken over, and still hold clarity about your own power, dreams and aspirations. “Hidden but not silent” is not just a theme, it is a commitment. It is about recognising the women whose compassion fuels our communities. It is about ensuring

This week, in the lead-up to International Women’s Day, Abianda will be sharing a series of reflections under the theme Hidden, But Not Silent . Across the week, you’ll hear voices from across our organisation, from Abianda’s Young Women's Advisory Group, trustees, our team, and our founder Abi. This is a moment to centre the incredible women who shape Abianda every day, and the knowledge, care and resistance they bring into the work. These are not polished statements or camp

Following on from our last blog on Digital Harm … Sophie (Admin and Operations Intern) and Fee (Head of Programmes - Borough Provision) are curious; what were your reflections on our first set of questions? You can find a reminder of them below… If online spaces were safe for young women and girls, what would they notice? About the spaces and about themselves? What difference might this make?  How does Social Media support us to resist in powerful and positive ways?  When it

Last week’s announcements on knife crime, and the wider statement on modernising the youth justice system, feel like a genuinely positive moment. Not just because of the policies themselves, but because they are underpinned by long-term, more dependable investment in Youth Justice Services. In his statement on building a modern youth justice system fit for the future , Jake Richards recognises two things that many in the sector have long known: that the system has made progre

At the end of last year, our wonderful new Head of Partnerships and Development  Antoinette Wood   reflects on the Youth Endowment Fund's Children, Violence and Vulnerability 2025: Exploitation and Gangs report . As the year draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what really matters in the work I do, and where I want to be putting my energy. What’s already clear in my first couple of weeks at Abianda, is how closely our values align. A shared belief that young women and gi

At Abianda we work with young women and girls affected by criminal exploitation and violence. As part of our reflections of this year’s 16 Days of Activism, Fee (Head of Programmes for Borough Provision) sat down with Sophie (Admin & Operations Intern) to talk about what she thinks it's important that we highlight about this year’s theme of Digital Harm, with the young women and girls we work with in mind.  We started off by reflecting on the statement provided by a statement

The past year at Abianda has just been full of great opportunities. I have been reflecting on everything that being at Abianda has taught me about the world and the challenges that most young women and girls face. I have always loved Abianda’s approach and being able to be a part of evoking that approach has been amazing. Working alongside passionate, skilled women has been amazing to see and do and you guys really are a testament to Abianda and everything it stands for. Even

This year's 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence theme is “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”. Our Young Women's Practitioner reflects on the campaign's theme and why it is important to the work that Abianda does: This campaign validates what young women and girls go through and helps them see they're not the only ones dealing with this. The campaign reinforces that digital violence counts as actual violence, so we can recognise the real

Abianda's Young Women's Advisory Group (YWAG) have been looking into the 16 days of Activism and were asked to share their thoughts on a particular aspect of Digital Violence. They were asked the following questions on their topic, focusing on Cyberbullying... Why this topic is important to you individually? This topic is important to me as I have seen how negatively cyberbullying affects people’s mental health. Especially young people who are already going through many tran

On 13 November 2025, the NSPCC released an article detailing findings from their research into the online grooming of children through End-to-End Encrypted (E2EE) messaging platforms with some extremely concerning statistics. In the same month, OnSide Youth Zones published Generation Isolation, a report highlighting the social lives of young people and the ways in which digital spaces shape their connections and experiences, where it highlighted that young people spend 48% of

Earlier this year, our Young Women's Advisory Group (YWAG) and Intern participated in a workshop on Imagining Resistance. The workshop was a part of research project by Prof. Kristi Langhoff (University of Sussex), Dr Camille Warrington (University of Bedfordshire) and Becky Warnock (London College of Communication, University of the Arts London). Through this research, the team have designed a practical resource to support work with young people - an interactive deck of card

The first ever Abianda Insider podcast episode has been released! This is an introduction to Abianda. You'll hear from our host, Admin & Operations Intern Tallulah as well as other Abianda team members, including young women. Our next episode will be an interview with our Founder & CEO Abi Billinghurst. You can listen here . Thank you to the team at Prospex Youth Club for their support with the podcast production. We look forward to amplifying young women's voices with the

As we conclude our series introducing Abianda’s Board of Trustees, we are excited to spotlight Clare Walkeden , our Chair of Trustees, who has guided Abianda with strength, clarity, and care over the past six years. Clare joined Abianda initially to lend her skills in strategic communications and brand development - recognising Abianda as a purpose-driven organisation making a genuine, systemic impact in the lives of young women and girls. As the organisation evolved, so did

We’re thrilled to spotlight Krystle McGilvery , a long-standing member of Abianda’s Board and now our Treasurer. Krystle brings a powerful blend of financial expertise, governance insight, and compassionate leadership - all rooted in her deep commitment to financial justice and accessibility. A chartered accountant with more than 15 years’ experience, Krystle specialises in behavioural finance, combining technical financial strategy with a nuanced understanding of psychology,

We’re honoured to introduce Jude Lanchin , a fearless advocate for human rights and social justice, and one of the newest members of Abianda’s Board of Trustees. Jude brings three decades of legal expertise and a lifelong commitment to defending the rights of those most marginalised - ensuring that young women’s voices are heard, respected, and acted upon in the systems that shape their lives. A Senior Associate at leading human rights law firm Bindmans LLP, Jude is an assert

We’re proud to introduce Carla Morris , one of Abianda’s trustees and our Safeguarding Lead - a dedicated advocate for social justice and a driving force for safer, fairer systems for women and girls. With over 22 years of experience across safeguarding, care, and the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector, Carla brings exceptional expertise in supporting and advocating for and with young people. A qualified social worker, she has led frontline practice supporting tho

We’re delighted to introduce Rula Tripolitaki , one of Abianda’s newest trustees - a dynamic, strategic thinker whose energy, creativity, and deep commitment to improving the lives of children and young people are already making an incredible impact. Rula is currently Head of Delivery & Workforce at the London Innovation & Improvement Alliance (LIIA), where she works with all 33 London Directors of Children’s Services to deliver transformation at scale across the capital. Her

Introducing Our Trustees Over the past 11 years, Abianda has built a strong reputation for amplifying girls’ and young women’s voices and influencing systems to work better for them. As we look to the future and deliver on our three-year strategic plan, we’re thrilled to introduce the incredible people helping to guide that vision - our Board of Trustees. Each trustee brings unique experience, passion, and leadership to Abianda’s work. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing

Our Young Women's Advisory Group (YWAG) contributed to Taking back power: Young women reflect on exploitation, support, and regaining their agency . This was in collaboration with the Alliance for Youth Justice in support of their new briefing Exploited to exploiter? Preventing the unjust criminalisation of victims of child criminal exploitation in the transition to adulthood . The YWAG shared reflections on young women's experiences of criminal exploitation and how profess