Women are leading change

In the spring of 2019, Alaa Salah stands on a car roof in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Surrounded by thousands of people, she sings: “We will not be silent in the face tyrants!” The crowd shouts: “Revolution!” The photograph of her in a white dress became the symbol of a movement that led to the peaceful overthrow of dictator Omar al-Bashir. It was strongly supported by Sudanese women. After 30 years of oppression, they were now at the forefront of the struggle for freedom from dictatorship and for their own rights.

The icons of the great protest movements of the 20th century were typically men, such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X or Desmond Tutu. Today, they are mostly women: Greta Thunberg founded Fridays for Future, Shakira Wafula became the face of the Gen Z protests in Kenya, Maria Kolesnikova embodies resistance in Belarus. Even Black Lives Matter was initiated by women. The global feminist movement is now more connected than ever and is about much more than women’s rights. Women are fighting for human rights, justice and democracy. In Argentina they are standing up against cuts to social services, in Mexico against murders and forced disappearances, in Nigeria against police violence, in Poland against authoritarian politics. Women are particularly affected by all of these issues.

Governments that restrict women’s rights also tend to suppress other human-rights and civil liberties. The development of women’s rights is therefore also a barometer for free societies: In a functioning democracy guided by the rule of law, women gradually gain rights, protection and justice. However, when women’s rights are curtailed, it is often a sign of autocratic tendencies. Misogyny and autocracy reinforce each other, scholars have found: Those who want to consolidate power hierarchies tend to crack down on women. “The oppressive state is a rapist” – this phrase echoed around the world in the anthem of the MeToo movement, “Un violador en tu camino” (“A rapist in your path”). 

Autocracies are on the rise around the world. This makes a strong women’s movement all the more important. Yet we hear little about most women’s struggles and achievements, since their resistance is often quiet, and progress takes time. But women are not silent anywhere, not even in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have literally silenced their voices. Across the world, from Uzbekistan to Nigeria, women are fighting for laws against domestic violence, campaigning for education and health and taking legal action against exploitation in the workplace. Domestic workers in Brazil are organising, as are market women in Tanzania. Activists are entering politics and fighting for human rights and equal opportunities.

All these initiatives and personal struggles are making a difference. Women around the world are a driving force for greater justice, democracy and freedom. This affects us all, and their achievements deserve more attention.

Eva-Maria Verfürth is the editor-in-chief of D+C.
euz.editor@dandc.eu