Harm is intergenerational. So is liberation. Our research frees us.

The Freedom Research Institute brings together women, girls, and trans people of all genders to lead research on the harms we've survived — and the futures we're building.

Intergenerational: Knowledge passed down, power built up
Violence is always gendered. We show how.
A gender framework that leaves no one behind
(including our transmasculine siblings)

Articles

March 2026 · Freedom Researcher

What I Learned Interviewing My Own Community

A reflection on conducting participatory research as a system-impacted person...

February 2026 · Director

Why We Center Gender-Based Violence in Our Research

Incarceration, family separation, and criminalization are forms of gendered harm...

January 2026 · Research Associate

How We Built Our Family Separation Study

A behind-the-scenes look at participatory research design...

Publications

Freedom & Justice

Report

Ending the Incarceration of Girls and Gender-Expansive Youth

w/ Vera Institute · 2024

When Young Mothers Thrive

Report

Reimagining Child Care and Young Motherhood

w/ Alliance for Girls · 2022

A Radical Model for Decriminalization

Report

Centering System-Involved Youth

2019

Oct 2026

Family Separation Report

Major Report

FRTI Cohort Research

Coming Soon

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Basic Information

Education & Research Experience

Gender, Sex & Sexuality

Race & Ethnicity

Systems Involvement: Incarceration

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Systems Involvement: Family Policing

For each experience, select who was affected

Experience Self Child Parent Sibling Other
Removal from home
Foster care
Group home
At-home placement

Systems Involvement: Trafficking

For each experience, select who was affected

Experience Self Child Parent
Sex trafficking
Labor trafficking
Commercial sexual exploitation
Survival sex / street economy

Systems Involvement: Immigration

Select all that apply

What are you interested in?

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Your information is confidential and will only be used to connect you with research opportunities.