The premise of this research proposal is to question the one-size fits all human rights education (HRE) programmes delivered to all women living in varied cultural contexts (Bajaj et al., 2017) and the presumption that all HRE programmes have universal positive impact. This multi-disciplinary study in education and forced migration explores women’s experience of displacement and their perceptions of the role HRE programmes and legal instruments play in dis/empowering them on the ground.  My research uses a feminist new materialist approach to question notions of vulnerability and empowerment as shaped by human rights education programmes and legal instruments (e.g. Colombian Law 1258 regarding violence and discrimination against women). It seeks to include women’s lived experiences in academic debates regarding displacement, empowerment and agency.