Nancy Pareja

Peruvian psychologist and founder of a grassroots network combating gender-based violence in Latin America.

Nancy Pareja (born 1958) pioneered domestic violence prevention in Peru through her organization Red de Mujeres, established in 1989. A clinical psychologist, she documented the link between poverty and gender violence in the Andean region, publishing Voces Silenciadas (1995), a seminal study on rural women’s trauma. Her work inspired the UN Women Latin America office’s 1998 anti-violence protocols. Pareja also co-founded the Proyecto Mujer training center, which has educated over 50,000 activists. Her advocacy during the 1990s Shining Path conflict highlighted how political instability exacerbates gender inequality. Pareja’s 2000 speech at the UN Beijing Conference emphasized intersectional approaches to women’s rights. Despite limited media coverage, her model influenced policies in Bolivia and Ecuador.