What We Do
The Student Activist Support Centre (SASC) is a human rights–focused organisation dedicated to the protection, empowerment, and support of student activists and human rights defenders across universities and colleges. SASC works to ensure that student activism is safe, effective, inclusive, and sustainable, especially in environments where students face repression, political intimidation, institutional abuse, and shrinking civic space. Grounded in human rights, Pan-African solidarity, and social justice, SASC supports student movements by providing protection services, legal support, advocacy, capacity building, research, and psychosocial care
Protection and Emergency Support for Student Activists
Student activists are often exposed to arbitrary arrests, suspension, violence, and intimidation because of their work. SASC provides rapid response protection and emergency support to students facing immediate risk.
Our protection services include:
- Emergency support for students facing arrest, detention, suspension, expulsion, or threats
- Legal referrals to human rights lawyers and legal aid organisations
- Court support, trial monitoring, and due process advocacy
- Emergency medical and welfare referrals for at-risk activists
- •Engagement with universities and authorities to prevent further violations
Focus: Student safety, legal protection, and crisis response.
Human Rights Monitoring and Documentation on Campuses
SASC documents human rights violations against students to support accountability, advocacy, and reform in higher education.
We document and monitor:
- Arbitrary arrest and detention of students
- Torture, ill-treatment, and harassment
- Academic exclusion and unfair disciplinary processes
- Gender-based violence and sexual harassment
- Violations of freedom of expression, assembly, and association
SASC produces incident reports, public statements, and evidence-based submissions to national, regional, and international human rights mechanisms.
Focus: Accountability, evidence, and student rights protection.
Capacity Building and Political Education for Students
SASC strengthens student movements through training, leadership development, and political education.
Our programmes include:
•Human rights and constitutional literacy training
•Non-violent activism and movement-building workshops
•Leadership, organizing, and advocacy skills development
•Strategic communication and digital activism training
•Political education grounded in decolonial, Pan-African, feminist, and social justice perspectives
Focus: Building informed, ethical, and resilient student leaders.
Advocacy and Solidarity Building
SASC leads student-centred advocacy and builds solidarity across movements, institutions, and borders.
Our advocacy work includes:
•Campaigns for academic freedom and democratic space
•Public statements and policy positions on student rights
•Engagement with universities, governments, and regional bodies
•Building alliances with civil society, labour movements, and student unions
•Strengthening regional and Pan-African student solidarity networks
Focus: Amplifying student voices and defending democratic participation.
Psychosocial Support and Activist Wellness
Student activism carries emotional and psychological risks. SASC integrates mental health, wellness, and collective care into movement support.
Our wellness approach includes:
- Psychosocial support referrals for student activists
- Peer support and resilience-building initiatives
- Trauma-informed responses to repression and violence
- Promoting sustainable activism and burnout prevention
Focus: Protecting the mental and emotional well-being of student activists.
Research, Policy Engagement, and Knowledge Production
SASC produces research and policy analysis to influence higher education governance and student-centred reforms.
Our work includes:
•Research briefs and policy papers on student movements
•Engagement with policymakers and parliamentarians
•Advocacy for inclusive and rights-based education policies
•Archiving student struggles to preserve movement history
Focus: Evidence-based advocacy and institutional reform.
Supporting Refugee, Asylum-Seeking, and Displaced Students
SASC is committed to protecting the right to education for refugee and displaced students, who face compounded risks within higher education institutions.
We support refugee students by:
•Facilitating legal referrals related to documentation and residency
•Advocating for inclusive university policies and non-discrimination
•Supporting access to accommodation, scholarships, and welfare services
•Documenting xenophobia, harassment, and institutional neglect
•Providing psychosocial support referrals and safe participation pathways
•Promoting solidarity between refugee and local student communities
Focus: Inclusive education, dignity, and equal participation.
Our Commitment – SASC believes that student activism is a cornerstone of democracy and that students must be protected, empowered, and supported to participate freely in shaping their societies. We stand with student activists, human rights defenders, and refugee students to ensure that education spaces remain sites of freedom, justice, and transformation