Girls are not only the future of our movements, but they are also the present. Be it the promotion of climate and environmental justice, the fight against racism, the defense of body autonomy, the pursuit right to education, or the provision of basic needs for people living under vulnerable conditions amidst the COVID-19 pandemic – girl-led feminist activism is transformative. Equally transformative is supporting, safeguarding, nurturing and resourcing girls, in all their diversity.
However, oftentimes the limited resources circulating within the globalised and intersectional feminist movement fail to filter down to girl-led feminist activism. “Girls to the front”, a report by FRIDA and Mama Cash, found that girl activists generally feel that their contribution is not taken seriously. As a young feminist fund committed to lasting social change, FRIDA demonstrates its trust in girl-led activism by ensuring that they have access to flexible and sustained resources for their work as well as the autonomy and space to articulate their visions of justice in their own words and on their own terms.
On this International Day of the Girl Child, we brought together FRIDA grantee partners doing girl-led and girl-centered activism and advisors for a conversation about their main challenges, achievements and dreams. Their contributions, from different regions in the global south, reflect the magical diversity of the FRIDAverse!
A note on participating interviewees:
- ЮНКА is a grantee partner from Ukraine that is led by and supports girls who are HIV-positive;
- Empowering Our Women SLU is a grantee partner that works in Saint Lucia to fight gender-based violence and promote young women’s sexual reproductive health and rights. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter too!
- Anu Bazarragchaa (Anu B) is FRIDA’s advisor. She is from Mongolia and lives in Hungary; Anu also works for Breathe Mongolia, an NGO that fights to change the poor air quality in Ulaanbaatar.
- Girl for Girls is a FRIDA grantee partner from Burundi, whose mission is to build a high standard of living for girls in rural areas on their social and economic self-promotion through participatory methods.
- AMNA is a grantee partner from Sudan working to end all forms of violence against women in the country. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
We thank all participants for their work, insightful words and trust in us. Happy International Day of the Girl Child and enjoy the reading!
What do you wish the mainstream feminist movement would better understand about girl-led organizing?
ЮНКА: [English below]
Девочки-подростки – мощная сила, особенно в плане свежих идей и креатива. Мы имеем свое мнение которое не всегда совпадает с мнением традиционного общества, но именно это помогает нам реализовывать свои идеи и идти вперед. Мы готовы заявлять о себе всему миру делиться и получать опыт. Мы не ставим себе задачу быть понятыми всеми, а хотим лишь то чтобы общество считалось с идеями и мнением феминистически настроеных людей.
[Teenage girls are a powerful force, especially in terms of fresh ideas and creativity. We have our own opinion, which does not always coincide with the opinion of traditional society, but it helps us to implement our ideas and move forward. We are ready to declare ourselves to the whole world, to share and gain experience. We do not want to be understood by everyone, we just want society to take into account the ideas and opinions of feminist-minded people.]
Empowering Our Women SLU: That girls centred organizations don’t solely focus on the rights of girls, they also include the rights of boys and no binary individuals.
Anu B: Girl-led organizing needs to be diversified a lot more. It’s usually those in privilege who often get to voice their opinions, let alone have a platform, so a big step towards age-inclusive grantmaking, in general, would be to give people of color, ethnic minority groups more ground in decision making. Girl-led organizing is still growing roots in mainstream activism, so we must grow, develop and make changes as we develop into a more age and gender-inclusive community. Say you have 5 girl advisors on a big project, at least one of them should be able to bring you a different perspective to the table as good measure. Every voice should be heard!
Girls for Girls: [English below]
Nous souhaiterions clarifier le concept des mouvements féministe de l’organisation dirigée par les filles, analyser les expériences des organisations des filles fortes et dynamiques afin de comprendre leur évolution, leurs stratégies et leur influence.
[We would like them to understand the concept of feminist movements led by girls, and analyze the experiences of strong and dynamic girls’ organizations in order to understand their evolution, strategies and influence.]
AMNA: That girl-led organizing is core to the strengthening of the feminist movement, since girls are usually more marginalized and roped of their agency and decisions, due to both their gender and their age. By supporting girl-led organizing, we’re establishing a base not only for a more inclusive form of feminist advocacy, but for one that is also well capacitated to address structural issues on the long run.
What inspires you/your group to continue your activism, especially during a time of uncertainty and anxiety?
ЮНКА: [English below]
Есть примеры сильных женских фигур (Джейн Адамс, Фрида Кало, Гейл Рубин и тд.), которые в более печальные времена продолжали свою работу, активизм, движение вперед, несмотря на неопределенность и тревоги. В данный момент весь мир угнетен и подавлен пандемией, но нет времени отчаиваться, нужно продолжать активистскую деятельность, научный феминизм, марши за права женщин и угнетенных групп. Нас вдохновляет чувство идентификации и единство
[There are examples of strong female figures, such as Jane Adams, Frida Kahlo, Gail Rubin, etc, who, in sadder times, continued their work, activism and moving forward, despite uncertainty and anxiety. At the moment, the whole world is oppressed and suppressed by the pandemic, but there is no time to despair. It is necessary to continue activism activities, scientific feminism, marches for the rights of women and oppressed groups. We are inspired by a sense of identity and unity.]
Empowering Our Women SLU: Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, women and girls are the most affected group. The lack of economic mobility has limited women’s ability to perpetuate various tasks within their households, as well as acquire items of basic needs. Women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive rights are being violated. It is extremely important to continue raising awareness on period poverty within rural communities, and work for its elimination through the execution of projects.
Anu B: My little sister. I want to create a safe world where every kid grows up in a safe, loving society that accepts them for who they are and not for who they are expected to be. In a world full of silence, we must be the voice that breaks it!
Girls for Girls: [English below]
Notre groupe est inspiré de continuer par l’activisme parce que les meurtres, les abus continuent et nous devons toujours tenir pour défendre la cause des opprimés que nous représentons.
[Our group is inspired to continue the activism because the murders, the abuses continue and we must always defend the cause of the oppressed that we represent.]
AMNA: We are frequently reminded of the times when racism and segregation were deeply rooted in our communities, as well as all the sacrifices and struggles sudanese activists had to endure to ensure that future generations have access to basic rights. We find strength and solidarity with the women and girls we know within our lives, and are collectively inspired by their resilience and by the resilience sudanese women and girls have shown and continue to show in face of conflict and political chaos. This not only motivates us, but further strengthens our sense of responsibility, to actively advocate against gender-based violence and ensure every sudanese woman and girl is safe and secure.
What role can girl-led organizing play in mainstreaming movements and struggles that often don’t get the spotlight they deserve? What issues particularly affect you and your community?
ЮНКА: [English below]
Мы инициативная группа ЮНКА -представляем интересы девочек подростков Украины, защищаем права ВИЧ позитивных девочек – Мы стали видимыми. Мы Голос тех, кто не решается сказать, кого не слышат, кому стыдно, кто не так силен и смел, чтобы говорить и бороться за равенство. Выступаем за борьбу с дискриминацией и увеличением осознанности общества.
[We represent the interests of adolescent girls in Ukraine and we defend the rights of HIV-positive girls. We have become visible. We are the voice of those who do not dare to speak, who are not heard, strong and courageous enough to speak and to fight for equality, who are ashamed. We stand up for anti-discrimination and community awareness.]
Empowering Our Women SLU: Girl-centered organizations can use social media platforms to help share and amplify awareness on certain issues that affect girls within their community or region. Presently, sexual reproductive health and rights is an extremely huge issue within St. Lucia.That is why it is extremely important that girl-led/ centered grassroot organizations make a collaborative effort to address it.
Anu B: A big factor in what we do is fight the stigma that comes with age. Be it climate change affecting crop yields, coral reefs bleaching, or even dzud frequency increasing – all of these directly affect the livelihoods of young girls around the world. To me, girls have the power to fight back, raise their voices and make change. Little by little, progress is happening, and we need our next generation to make realistic demands to save our planet.
Girl for Girls: [English below]
Soulever les nouveaux problèmes auxquels l’organisation dirigée par les filles sont confrontés. Mettre en place et veiller à ce que les voix des filles soient entendues et représentées dans le discours féministe afin que les jeunes filles aient un meilleur accès à des opportunités de renforcer leurs capacités en vue d’accroître la visibilité et l’influence de leur activismes pour les droits des filles et auprès d’autres acteurs clés. Les filles dans notre communauté sont victimes d’inégalités, d’exclusion, de discriminations et d’abus. Leurs droits sont bafoués et beaucoup se voient refuser: le droit à l’éducation, à la protection contre les violences liées au genre, de prendre les décisions qui concernent leurs corps et leur futur, à des opportunités égalitaires et de participer activement et de manière égalitaire dans la société.
[Girl-led organizing can raise new issues facing their activism. There is also space to ensure that girls’ voices are heard and represented in feminist discourse so that they have better access to opportunities to build capacities in order to increase the visibility and influence of their activism. Girls in our community are victims of inequality, exclusion, discrimination and abuse. Their rights are violated and many are denied: the right to education, to protection against gender-based violence, to make decisions that affect their bodies and their future, to equal opportunities and to participate actively and equally in society.]
AMNA: In Sudan, the major issues facing adolescent girls include the right to education, child marriage, female genital mutilation, and lack of secure and safe online presence. It’s clear that adolescent girls are finding ways to challenge sexism and patriarchal violence. The risks to their wellbeing and safety reinforces the importance of society taking more responsibility. However, rather than other people assuming this responsibility in a way that sidelines young girls and reinforces they don’t know their priorities, society should give them the tools to address these issues in an efficient manner, empowering them to be agents of change. In AMNA, adolescent girls are directly engaged in designing and implementing programs and projects that concern them, as well as those that concern their wider communities.
Do you feel supported by the donor community and philanthropy? What remains missing?
ЮНКА: [English below]
На данном этапе мы не имеем достаточного влияния, так только стали на этот путь, но уже уверенно смогли заявить о себе благодаря Frida | Молодежный Феминистский Фонд (Frida). Нам удалось воплотить небольшую часть идей, но это только малая доля того, что мы хотели бы сказать миру. Мир удивительный и нам хотелось чтобы наше место в нем было примером для других девочек, девушек, женщин, чтобы наш пример вдохновлял их. Нас сейчас поддерживает общественная организация «СПИД-помощь», и мы верим, что в ближайшем будущем станем интересны для доноров и филантропии, которые подхватят нас и помогут нам раскрыть свой потенциал.
[We don’t have enough influence at this stage, we are just starting down this path, but we have already been able to assert ourselves confidently thanks to FRIDA. We managed to implement a small part of our ideas, but this is only a small fraction of what we wanted to say to the world. The world is a wonderful place and we wanted our place in it to be an example for other girls. We are currently supported by AIDS Help, and we believe that in the near future we will be of interest to donors and philanthropists who will pick us up and help us reach our potential].
Empowering Our Women SLU: Yes, we do receive support from various donors within our community. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this support has been extremely meager due to lack of funds received from governmental and/or international agencies.
Anu B: I’d like to thank all of our individual donors, funds, and businesses for helping FRIDA function properly. I feel fully supported by the transparency and eagerness to help by our community.
Girls for Girls: [English below]
Nous nous sentons soutenu par les donateurs comme nous commençons déjà avec FRIDA et espérons être soutenu par d’autres.
[We feel supported by donors like the relationship we are building with FRIDA and we hope to be supported by other donors in the same sense.]
AMNA: Trust-based relationships are yet to be the core of the relationship established between young-women/girl-led collectives and donors. More often than not, funds allocated for addressing girls’ issues lack the flexibility needed, as well as the resolve to make sure the work being done is girl-centered. Donor community must avoid reinforcing ideas about girls not knowing what’s best for them, and ensure the work they do for girls is with girls and not just a reflection of their assumptions about what girls’ challenges are.
Your wish for this International Day of the Girl is….
ЮНКА: [English below]
Мы верим, что девочки всего мира будут в безопасности, здоровы, свободны в выборе, смогут учиться, мечтать и достигать целей!
[That girls around the world are safe, healthy, free to choose, able to learn, dream and achieve goals!]
Empowering Our Women SLU: That more pressure be applied on policy makers and world leaders in regards to enforcing more stringent mandates that focuses on the rights and wellbeing of girls globally.
Anu B: For every girl to realize they have the strength to make their dreams come true. Fight on!
Girl for Girls: [English below]
De participer ensemble avec le monde entier pour contribuer à mettre fin aux différentes formes des violences faites aux filles à travers le monde et au Burundi en particulier. De contribuer à renforcer les capacités des filles à briser les barrières posées par les stéréotypes et l’exclusion dans la communauté burundaise.
[To participate together across the world to help put an end to the different forms of violence against girls around the world, and particularly in Burundi. To help build the capacities of girls to break down the barriers imposed by stereotypes and the exclusion that girls face in Burundian society.]
AMNA: A girl from AMNA’s community has articulated her own wish for the International Day of the Girl: “We genuinely wish for a better environment for girls, one where they may pursue their interests and hobbies without danger of female genital mutilation, child marriage, or even other impediments that may prevent them. We wish that additional attention is paid to their concerns, as they are frequently excluded, not just because they are girls, but rather because they lack the opportunity to speak their demands.”
