In a landmark moment for global justice reform, a trans woman is among those leading the launch of the world’s first international consulting agency of formerly incarcerated justice experts.
The first-of-its-kind Global Freedom Consulting Agency (GF Consulting) is run by individuals from around the world who have first-hand experience with the prison system.
The agency aims to provide policymakers, philanthropies, think tanks, academies, and governments with knowledge and experience to reform justice systems, and advise on community safety and alternatives to incarceration.
The launch of the organisation will take place from 14 to 16 April in Cape Town, led by the Incarceration Nations Network (INN). It forms part of a major international convening held in partnership with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the University of South Africa (UNISA), and the Department of Correctional Services of South Africa.
The gathering will showcase 34 consultants from 19 countries, working across fields including restorative justice, education in prisons, legal empowerment and reintegration. Many are alumni of INN’s Global Freedom Fellowship, a programme that has brought together justice-involved leaders from 26 countries.
Lived Experience as Expertise
Among the featured GF Consulting consultants who will participate in the Cape Town launch is Brazilian activist Dandara Zainabo, a Black trans woman, writer and law student whose work focuses on prison policy and trans rights.
Speaking to MambaOnline, Zainabo framed the launch as a profound shift in power and recognition.
“Moving from being merely studied, analysed, or cited, to occupying the space as a paid consultant with expertise, is to break with a logic that historically extracts knowledge from racialised, colonised, and marginalised bodies without restoring their power, autonomy, or recognition.”
For Zainabo, the significance is both personal and collective:
“Today, as a Black trans woman, occupying this position means affirming that our experiences are not just objects of research, they are a legitimate production of knowledge, capable of directly influencing the formulation of public policies and strategies for intersectional global justice.”
Her words underscore a core principle of GF Consulting: that those who have lived through the incarceration system are not just participants in reform conversations but essential architects of change.
From Local Struggles to Global Solutions
Zainabo emphasises the importance of grounding global solutions in local realities, particularly when addressing issues affecting trans communities.
“Internationalising experiences cannot be an exercise in softening reality, but rather in highlighting the structural violence that marks our bodies and territories.”
She points to Brazil’s ongoing crisis of violence against transgender people, noting that meaningful global dialogue must begin with honesty and specificity.
“Translating the local to the global… is about affirming identity, denouncing violations and, at the same time, offering solutions that can engage with, inspire, and be adapted to different contexts.”
Trans Justice at the Centre
Zainabo’s work places trans women, particularly those impacted by incarceration, at the centre of justice reform, a group often excluded from policy discussions.
She outlines urgent priorities, including recognition of gender identity, access to healthcare, protection from violence, and better data collection. “Today, the absence of data is also a form of violence.”
She adds: “At the heart of all this is a basic principle: transgender people need to be recognized as subjects of rights, with an active voice in the construction of policies that impact their lives. Because forgetting is also a form of violence.”
Beyond Symbolism
With global institutions involved, expectations for the convening are high. Zainabo is clear that success must be measured in tangible outcomes.
“For this meeting to be considered a material success, it is fundamental that concrete commitments emerge… the funding of initiatives led by people directly affected, and the implementation of monitoring mechanisms.”
She stresses that lived experience must be formally recognised in policymaking spaces: “Reclaiming these spaces… is a reparative action in the face of colonising violence.”
Ultimately, she envisions a future where formerly incarcerated people are not exceptions in global forums, but foundational voices.
“It’s about repositioning our knowledge at the centre, not as an exception, but as the foundation for a truly global and transformative justice.”
