The Dolls Initiative

A Radical System of Sophisticated Power

Pan-European Network for Trans Migrant Protection

Born from Tragedy, Built for Protection

The Dolls Initiative represents Dinah Bons' most recent and innovative institutional project. This pan-European mutual aid network, enabled by technology, was born from tragedy and designed to protect one of Europe's most vulnerable populations: trans migrant sex workers.

"A secure, pan-European web of connection, protection, and visibility for trans migrants, ensuring no sister disappears without trace."

Co-founded with Victoria Maxima Caram and Aryelle Freeman Hopelezz, the initiative's mission is to create a "safe and encrypted network to protect trans sex workers in Europe, preventing our sisters from disappearing without a trace."

Memory Sparks Action: The Story of Ela and Sabrina

The Catalyst

The death of their sister Ela was a heartbreak that moved the founders from mourning into motion. For days they fought tirelessly to get her body repatriated, navigating bureaucracy, silence, and indifference.

But with the determination of their community and the courage of leaders like Dinah and Maxima, they succeeded. Not just in honoring her death, but in sparking a vision of what must never happen again.

"The initiative did not emerge in boardrooms, but 'in nightclubs, back kitchens, WhatsApp chats,' from 'mutual survival and urgent need for care when institutions turned their backs.'"

From Pain to Purpose

The catalyst was the death of their sister Ela and the struggle to repatriate her body, a painful experience that ignited the vision of a protection network.

From this pain was born "The Dolls Initiative network": a secure, pan-European web of connection, protection, and visibility for trans migrants.

This system exists solely to prevent families from losing their daughters without knowledge, to ensure every doll is seen, remembered, and protected.

A Sophisticated System of Protection

The Dolls Initiative includes a confidential, encrypted database of trans sex workers in Europe—no legal names, only social names and one trusted contact from their country of origin.

Radical Trust Technology

The system is safeguarded by radical trust: only accessible when two registered members input the password simultaneously. This ensures it can never be accessed by government agencies, police, or misused.

Key Features:

  • Encrypted, secure database
  • Social names only (no legal names)
  • Trusted contact system
  • Dual-key access protection
  • Government-proof security
  • Community-controlled access

Purpose and Protection

This system exists solely to prevent families from losing their daughters without knowledge, to ensure every doll is seen, remembered, and protected.

"We believe in sophisticated power. One rooted in care and coded in trust. One that never forgets our sisters, and never gives power to the state to define our lives or our deaths."

The initiative represents a new model of community protection that uses technology while maintaining radical principles of community control and mutual aid.

Radical Governance: Custom Checks Against Power Abuse

Having witnessed firsthand how power, even within activist and well-funded circles, can become toxic, The Dolls Initiative commits to a radical governance structure designed to prevent abuse and maintain community accountability.

Learning from Experience

The founders have seen organizations open with good intentions only to fall into internal sabotage, ego wars, and political games. People lose their heads chasing influence, forgetting the purpose.

That is why The Dolls Initiative commits to a radical governance structure that prevents these common pitfalls.

"We've seen organizations open with good intentions only to fall into internal sabotage, ego wars, and political games."

Custom Governance Provisions

Regardless of legal framework adopted, the organizational DNA is built around collective decision-making and equal power:

  • Three Directors, Equal Power: Each with full and balanced authority
  • Consensus-Based Decision Making: No decisions without agreement of all three
  • Customized Articles of Association: Legal provisions written into foundational documents
  • Dispute Resolution Protocols: Neutral mediators from Council of Elders or external trusted allies

Core Principles: Responding to Community Tensions and External Pressure

The Dolls Initiative operates according to clear principles designed to maintain integrity and community focus while navigating challenges and external pressures.

Foundation Principles

All responses—whether internal or public—are grounded in the following principles:

  • 🌟 Radical honesty and soft power
  • 🌟 Collective over individual ego
  • 🌟 Care and transparency over drama and defensiveness
  • 🌟 Protecting the integrity of The Dolls Initiative is always a priority

Communication Strategy

The initiative maintains clear communication protocols:

  • Never respond impulsively or defensively
  • Speak with one clear collective voice when needed
  • Responses come from The Dolls Initiative, not individuals
  • No naming or blaming—only mission, truth, and clarity
"Visibility comes with tension. We stay soft, honest, and committed to care."

Internal Protection & Mutual Support

Regular Check-ins

Weekly emotional/spiritual check-ins for founders to maintain connection and support.

Collective Protection

If one person is targeted: others step in to hold space, affirm, and protect. No isolation, no silent suffering—we rise together.

External Mediation

Working with external mediators or elders (neutral allies) in case of conflict to maintain objectivity and fairness.

Accountability Without Spectacle

The initiative practices private accountability, not public spectacle:

  • Acknowledging constructive feedback
  • Holding space for harm repair—in private, never as public performance
  • Naming harm if needed, but never throwing each other under the bus for public approval

Digital Safety & Communications Discipline

Controlled Communications

The initiative maintains strict digital safety protocols to protect both the network and its members:

  • Only trusted core members post on behalf of the Initiative
  • No reposting of gossip, voice notes or screenshots—even in frustration
  • WhatsApp groups moderated to uphold respect and trust
  • Clear boundaries around information sharing

Security by Design

Digital safety is built into every aspect of the initiative's operations, recognizing that the safety of trans migrant sex workers depends on maintaining secure communications and data protection.

"We recognize early warning signs and stay alert to gossip, misrepresentation of our mission, respectability politics, and tensions amplified via digital channels."

Long-Term Strategy: Holding Power Gently

The Dolls Initiative's approach to power and influence is intentionally different from traditional organizations, focusing on sustainable impact rather than visibility or growth for its own sake.

Building Trusted Relationships

The initiative focuses on building relationships with trusted allies who know their integrity, rather than seeking broad public recognition or approval.

They let their work and care speak louder than any gossip, understanding that authentic impact creates more lasting change than public relations campaigns.

Growing Stronger Through Testing

Every time they are tested, they grow stronger—rooted in sisterhood, not spectacle. This approach builds resilience and authentic community rather than fragile public image.

"They may try to shake us, but we don't break. We're built on ballroom, on blood, on bonds. We protect each other. Always."

A System of Love, Trust, and Radical Integrity

The Dolls Initiative is not just building a project—they are weaving a community protocol into every layer of the work, from WhatsApp group rules to emergency contact storage, from collective grieving to collective governance.

Sophisticated Power

Power rooted in care and coded in trust, never forgetting sisters and never giving power to the state to define lives or deaths.

Community Protocol

Weaving community values into every aspect of operations, from daily communications to governance structures.

Radical Integrity

Built for the community, by the community. Forever ungovernable by fear, forever governed by care.

"This is The Dolls Initiative. A system of love, trust, sophistication, and radical integrity. Built for us, by us. Forever ungovernable by fear. Forever governed by care."

Innovation in Community Protection

Technological Innovation

The Dolls Initiative represents a new model of how technology can be used to serve community protection while maintaining radical principles of community control and mutual aid.

The encrypted database system with dual-key access represents a sophisticated approach to digital security that prioritizes community safety over institutional convenience.

Governance Innovation

The radical governance model provides a blueprint for how organizations can structure themselves to prevent power abuse while maintaining effectiveness and accountability.

This model could be adapted by other community organizations seeking to avoid the pitfalls of traditional hierarchical structures.

Supporting The Dolls Initiative

The Dolls Initiative represents a new model of community protection and radical care. Learn more about how to support this vital work.

Get Involved Explore Other Organizations