Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
We are committed to fostering a culture that celebrates diversity and prioritises inclusion in our work.
At Synergy, everyone is valued, people are respected, differences are celebrated, and opportunity and equitable treatment are afforded to all.
Equitable Partnerships
We believe in creating equitable partnerships that support and increase the capacity of local organisations and enrich our understanding of how to apply best practices in ways that are responsive to needs and realities on the ground.
Robust Accountability
We adhere to “Do No Harm” principles in our programming. We hold ourselves and our partners to the highest ethical standards and are committed to working with donors who also uphold the same values and principles.
In 2013, as the scale of arbitrary arrest, detention, and torture reached unprecedented levels in Syria, Synergy for Justice Founding Directors Ingrid Elliott and Christy Fujio and Medical Director, Dr Coleen Kivlahan, began training Syrian lawyers and doctors in forensic medical documentation. Christy, Coleen, and Ingrid taught them how to apply the international best practices of the “Istanbul Protocol” and laws to document human rights violations and hold perpetrators accountable. These doctors and lawyers learned how to document and build legal cases for crimes like torture and sexual violence used as weapons of war.
Christy, Ingrid, and Coleen knew that training programmes met only part of the immense needs among survivors of torture and sexual violence. They leveraged their experience working as part of multidisciplinary teams with legal, medical, psychosocial, and organisational development experts to establish Synergy for Justice in 2015.
Christy and Ingrid designed the organisation to support and sustain the existing local efforts of Syrian and other human rights activists and practitioners working on the front lines around the world. In 2016, Synergy for Justice received funding to strenghten a partnership with a Syrian NGO operating in Turkey.
Currently, the original trainees are documenting cases in compliance with international standards, training and mentoring forensic medical documenters, running survivor support systems, and actively working to reduce stigma in Syrian communities. These original trainees formed their own legally registered organisation in Turkey, Lawyers and Doctors for Human Rights. Synergy’s ongoing support has allowed them to develop critical partnerships with local NGOs and international justice organisations. Their medical reports have been accepted by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria and by European courts asserting universal jurisdiction.
Today, Synergy for Justice continues to be led by expert women practitioners who believe in the power of collaborating with local organisations. Synergy is expanding, and our directors now act as thought leaders advocating for perpetrators to be held accountable and increasing the capacity of justice actors to predictably provide robust, survivor-centred justice. All Synergy initiatives, including capacity building, mentorship, tool development and implementation, and financial support for local actors, capitalise on our multi-disciplinary team’s expertise and diverse perspectives.
Human rights lawyer with more than 15 years of experience building and supporting global programs in diverse settings to improve access to justice and protection services, including medical, mental health, shelter, and livelihoods.
More DetailsCriminal investigator and prosecutor with 25 years of experience, including investigating and prosecuting international crimes. Specialised focus on CRSV. Lead drafter of The Murad Code.
More DetailsInternational criminal investigator, analyst, and legal adviser with over 16 years of experience in domestic, hybrid, and international criminal justice initiatives.
More DetailsMulti-disciplinary expert addressing the global challenge of missing persons with more than 25 years of experience working in international relations, human rights, and conflict prevention.
More DetailsHuman rights lawyer with expertise in international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and civilian protection in the Middle East/North Africa.
More DetailsInternational lawyer with over 20 years of experience in human rights and rule of law, including trial monitoring and advocacy, capacity building, research and policy development in countering human trafficking, migrant smuggling and other transnational crime and criminal justice issues.
More DetailsSenior physician executive leader for primary care services at the University of California, San Francisco. She is engaged in U.S. health policy, redesigning care, and public health.
More DetailsDirector of Programmes with over 15 years of experience in human rights, humanitarian and international development programmes in north and central Africa and the Middle East.
More DetailsFinance Manager with over 16 years of experience working in and overseeing financial operations of non-governmental organisations and private sector organisations.
More DetailsOrganisational Development and MEAL professional with 15 years of experience working with international organisations and their local partners in conflict, emergencies and development context focusing on the MENA region
More DetailsProgramme Coordinator with 10 years of experience working with international and local organisations in legal programming.
More DetailsHuman rights lawyer with over 15 years of experience leading and managing complex projects focused on access to justice, human rights, transitional justice, and capacity building of judicial actors in conflict and post-conflict settings.
More DetailsMEAL Coordinator with over 10 years of experience working with INGOs and international development projects.
More DetailsOperations Officer with over 20 years of experience in humanitarian and development programs.
More DetailsCommunications Officer with over 3 years of experience working for local and international NGOs.
More Details2023 Annual Report
Synergy for Justice Annual Report for 2023-2024 reflects a year of dynamic growth and impactful work. Expansion of our work - into Iraq and South Sudan - were highlights from this past year that we are proud of. Our roots as an organisation are in the Syrian conflict, but we have long known that our methodologies, in terms of working with local partners and supporting survivors of human rights violations, are applicable to populations around the world.
Alongside this, we continued documenting cases of torture and sexual violence, while publishing key resources such as the Syria Supplement to the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict and contributing a medical journal article on the effects of sexual violence on men in Syrian detention centers.
We are deeply grateful to our partners and donors for their continued support, which enables us to pursue justice and accountability across different contexts.
2022 Annual Report
Synergy for Justice has been growing steadily over the past year as we continue to expand partnerships, strengthen our programming, and explore new geographic areas where our models and expertise would positively impact local justice and accountability processes.
Synergy does not aim to grow simply for the sake of growth; we carefully consider where we can add value by bolstering the efforts of people and communities on the ground to enhance justice and accountability and to support survivors of human rights violations.
We would also like to thank the many people who donated to Synergy for Justice throughout the year. The support provided by individuals allows us to target funds where we see the greatest need, and we appreciate your trust in us to use funds appropriately and effectively to achieve the greatest impact for survivors of human rights violations.
2021 Annual Report
We are excited to share our first annual report. Synergy for Justice is almost seven years old. We are proud of what we have accomplished this year and deeply grateful for our partner organisations and funders for making it all possible.
Formed in 2015 by a group of expert women practitioners who believe in the power of partnering with local organisations to support survivors and enhance justice and accountability, Synergy intentionally kept a low profile in the early years to protect the identities of personnel and partners who were at grave risk for their work documenting torture and sexual violence in the Syrian context.
As the years passed, and we have learned to mitigate risks posed by the sensitive nature of our work, we realised that we have the potential to enhance justice and accountability on a much greater scale if we raise our profile, share our work, and contribute publicly and transparently to global initiatives.