Sofia Scarlat

Sofia Scarlat is a 19-year-old advocate from Romania, working on women and children’s rights, gender-based violence and human trafficking prevention, sexual health and reproductive rights, and youth empowerment. She is the founder of the country’s first and currently only youth-led, gender equality organization, Girl Up Romania, where she has coordinated advocacy, research, and education initiatives that have reached thousands of young Romanians, supported survivors, and led to successful, country-wide policy change. Scarlat also has experience organizing, consulting, and researching for UN structures such as UN Women, where she served as one of the youngest members of the Generation Equality Youth Task Force, and for organizations such as Innovations for Poverty Action and the Clayman Institute for Gender Research. 

Scarlat’s work was recognized internationally, receiving nominations for awards such as the International Children’s Peace Prize and the Princess of Girona International Award. She has also presented her work at conferences such as Women in Development (London) and TEDxBucharest, and as a Global Young Leader for Women Deliver. 

Sofia is a student at Stanford University, majoring in Sociology. There, she serves as the university’s Co-Director for Sexual Violence Prevention Committee, organizing to prevent campus sexual violence through advocacy and policy-change efforts. She is currently conducting research on the lives of women in rural Romania, with the support of a Chappell Lougee Grant.