Dr Emma Fulu

Dr Emma Fulu is a feminist activist, social entrepreneur and one of the world’s leading experts on violence against women. She has made numerous appearances on the media, including Al Jazeera, CNN, the BBC, the 7:30 Report and Q+A. 

Emma holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne. She has almost two decades of experience developing gender research methods and tools and leading research and evaluation projects on gender-based violence. Emma has dedicated her life to advancing the rights of women and girls around the globe and has led some of the most significant and impactful global studies and programs. She has previously worked at the United Nations and led the ground-breaking UN Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence. Since then, the study has been featured on the BBC, Al Jazeera, and CNN.

In 2015, Emma founded The Equality Institute and is currently its Executive Director. It is one of the world’s leading feminist organisations, working to advance gender equality and end violence against women and girls. She has grown the organisation to over 20 countries across every region worldwide. The Equality Institute has worked with the governments of Australia, Cambodia, and Kazakhstan, and with clients such as the United Nations Development Program, Oxfam, the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Amnesty International.

Since then, the Equality Foundation has trained hundreds of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to better understand what causes violence against women and girls and how to prevent it. The foundation has amassed a following of over 88,000 followers on social media. It has reached up to 3 million people in one post.

The Equality Institute has been working with over 500 academics and practitioners to establish a global research agenda. Together, they are also working to accelerate funding for violence prevention by $500 million by 2030. Locally, Emma is working with the Victorian government to train over 300 entities in support of the Gender Equality Act.

In addition to The Equality Institute, she is also the Co-Founder of VOICE, a non-profit organisation that partners with women and girls in conflict and disaster settings to amplify their solutions to violence in their communities.

As an expert on gender and gender-based violence, Emma is regularly invited to speak publicly at events all over the globe. She is a well-published academic author and enjoys public speaking, using diverse communication channels to share scientific research with a broad audience.

She also sits on several boards and advisory groups, including the Lancet Commission on Gender-Based Violence and Maltreatment of Young People, the Global Women’s Institute Leadership Council, and is the Co-Chair of the Gender and Rights Panel of the World Health Organization.