NCHR Occasional Paper Series #9 2017

Sarah Gwyneth McMains completed her Master of Philosophy in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights at the University of Oslo in 2017. Her master’s thesis is titled “Translating feminist norms and strategies through sexual and gender-based violence programming in Somalia: An explorative approach to understanding norm internalization”. In it, she explores and analyzes various translation processes of international norms into a domestic setting through SGBV programming in Somalia. The goal of the exploration was to deepen understanding of the nuanced processes involved in norm internalization and how it impacts the long-term sustainability of SGBV programming. Her research and fieldwork in Kenya were funded by a scholarship graciously received from Fritt Ord.

She currently volunteers with the Vigdís Freedom Foundation (Oslo) as a Project and Legal Coordinator. The Foundation is a non-profit organization that advocates for and supports women prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders.