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Activism>Inspiring
Africa | South Africa | Activism

Revealed: Meghan told entrepreneurs in Cape Town that she’s determined to ‘fulfil her heart’s desires’ and refuses to let her own needs ‘fade away’ amid her royal duties

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Meghan Markle is determined to 'fulfil her heart's desires' and not let her own needs 'fade away' now she's a member of the Royal Family - and wants to be a role model for young boys as well as girls. The Duchess of Sussex, 38, reportedly made the remarks during an event for inspiring female entrepreneurs at Woodstock Exchange in Cape Town earlier this week during her tour of South Africa with husband Prince Harry. Woodstock Exchange, the UK-SA Tech Hub, focuses on skills development and access to markets by assisting entrepreneurs, particularly women, to acquire skills, resources and
North America | United States | Activism

It’s All About Health for Women and Girls: Ghada Khan on Ending FGM

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An estimated 3.9 million girls around the world are at risk of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) every year. About 513,000 women and girls in the U.S. are at risk of or have undergone this procedure. Ending FGM/C is an issue that many funders can engage in; those who are interested in gender equality, who want to end gender-based violence and child abuse, who want to defend women’s bodily autonomy, and who want to make sure all girls are safe, educated and empowered. Dr. Ghada Khan is a health program analyst and the network coordinator for the U.S. End FGM/C Network, a colla
Europe | U.K. | Activism

HearHer Is The UK’s First All-Female Festival Giving Women In Music The Space They Deserve

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In 2018, UK festival line-up statistics were still rather disappointing. 70 percent of festivals featured all-male bands, leaving many to wonder why female artists were still being dismissed. These figures come from the founding members of the UK's first all-female festival, HearHer: three days of musical bliss performed exclusively by female artists. Set to take over Dorset's Sandford Holiday Park from Oct. 11 to 13, HearHer has enlisted over 20 incredible performers to share their talents with the nation. The festival has been curated by singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and actress-slash-mu
Europe | U.K. | Activism

Women in science: Smashing glass ceilings and glass walls

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A woman engineer who worked on the moon landing spoke this week of how she was once told the control room was no place for women. Things have changed a lot in 50 years, but not as fast as some had hoped. BBC News spoke to five scientists from different generations who are breaking barriers in their field. Famous for discovering the first pulsar more than 50 years ago, Prof Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell has also been a lifelong advocate of women in science. As a school pupil in Northern Ireland in the 1950s, like other girls she was not permitted to study science until her parents (and others
North America | United States | Activism

Ivanka Trump Announces Another Global Women’s Initiative

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The White House announced a new initiative aimed at giving women more seats at the table in global peace efforts, and White House senior advisor Ivanka Trump has been a key player in the effort. The president’s oldest daughter went to Capitol Hill to push forward the initiative, called the National Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security. She also took part in a roundtable discussion with a bipartisan group of lawmakers — including Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Republicans Sen. Jim Risch, Sen. Marco Rubio, and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito — about the plan. Ivanka, whose
Africa | Ethiopia | Activism

Ivanka Trump in Ethiopia to ‘promote women’

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President Donald Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, is in Ethiopia to promote a US government initiative aimed at advancing women's participation in the workplace. The initiative aims to benefit 50 million women in developing countries by 2025. Ms Trump toured a female-run textile facility in the capital, Addis Ababa. The US policy in Africa under President Trump has prioritised the war on terror and checking the influence of China. When his administration's long-delayed policy on Africa was finally unveiled at the close of 2018, many observers of the continent were quick to poin
North America | United States | Activism

Moms March Movement Takes Declaration of Mothers to Congress

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National Movement of Moms head to D.C. March 8th giving voice to the Silent Majority of Moms in America. On March 8, 2018, Moms across America will join a national press conference to present the Declaration of Mothers to Congress and the nation declaring the self-evident truths that will dramatically decrease violence, increase prosperity, promote civility, and heal our nation from the inside out. The Press Conference will be held at the Phyllis Schlafly Center in Washington D.C., the perfect backdrop to honor the mothers of America and the values Phyllis spent her life defending. HomeM
Middle East | Iran | Activism

Iran frees woman who took off headscarf – lawyer

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An Iranian woman detained after defiantly taking off her headscarf and holding it on a stick in Tehran has been freed, a human rights lawyer says. The woman - whose name remains unknown - became the face of protests in the country in December, and images of her were widely shared on social media. Iranian officials have so far made no public comments on the issue. Meanwhile, images of another three women repeating the act have gone viral after appearing on social media. The three unidentified women were also protesting in the capital - one at what appeared to be the same spot as the
Middle East | Iran | Activism

The Woman Who Broke the Rules and Made History by Running the First International Marathon in Iran

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On the second Saturday of April, 44-year-old Mahsa Torabi put on a pair of black running pants and a blue sweater with green reflective stripes. That day, she would become the first woman to ever publicly finish a marathon in Iran. She chose a pink-patterned hijab, and she set out for Naqsh-e Rustam, an ancient necropolis in Fars Province, right across the Persian Gulf from Kuwait. It was 6 a.m., and the only sign that the first international marathon in Iran’s history would take place that morning was a ribbon across the starting line. Torabi took one photo in the dark of the desolate cour
Latin America | Peru | Activism

Peruvian Farmer Wins Monumental Battle Against U.S. Mining Giant

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Acuña’s inspiring story is proof that activists’ efforts do matter, and that even the world’s largest companies will be held to account. Peruvian activists knew they were entering a David-and-Goliath battle when they decided to shut down the creation of a $5 billion open-caste gold and copper mine next to a pristine lake, but they have so far succeeded. However, much of the community’s success in this endeavor can be credited to Maxima Acuña, a farmer who owns a 60-acre plot of land on the exact site where the giant Newmont Mining Corporation desires to dig. Earlier this yea
North America | Canada | Activism

Dancer Santee Smith offers a new way to consider indigenous women’s issues

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Award-winning choreographer and dancer Santee Smith wanted to think about indigenous women’s issues in a new way. She wanted to incite a fresh dialogue on women, reconciliation and healing – and part of that dialogue meant reframing the idea of “truths.” By assembling a team of internationally renowned indigenous women artists, she’s put together an interdisciplinary show called Re-Quickening, which opens at Toronto’s Fleck Dance Theatre next week. The Globe and Mail caught up with Smith in Toronto. Read the full interview at the source.
South Asia | India | Activism

Meet the Feminist Fighting India’s Entrenched Misogyny

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Being a woman in the Republic of India is a dangerous prospect thanks to entrenched misogyny that influences everything from violence on the street to extreme orthodoxy in religious institutions. Fighting against these and other causes of gender discrimination is veteran feminist activist Vidya Bal. Bal entered the world of feminism first as a writer and editor with popular woman-centric magazine Stree (the hindi word for woman). Her articulate deconstruction of India's gender bias practices later propelled her to founding the Nari Samata Manch (Women Equality Forum) in 1982. Since then, Ba
South Asia | Afghanistan | Activism

Afghan teenager braves threats, family pressure to lead women’s orchestra

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Like many teenagers, 19-year-old Negin Khpalwak from Kunar in eastern Afghanistan loves music, but few people of her age have battled as fiercely to pursue their passion in the face of family hostility and threats. Playing instruments was banned outright during the period of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, and even today, many conservative Muslims frown on most forms of music. Negin took her first steps learning music in secret, before eventually revealing her activity to her father. He encouraged her, but the reaction from the rest of her conservative Pashtun family was hostile.
Latin America | Argentina | Activism

Indigenous Women In Argentina Resist Fracking

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Six Mapuche women are resisting fracking operations in the Argentine Patagonia by chaining themselves to drilling rigs. Indigenous women in the Campo Maripe community in the Argentine Patagonia are actively participating in the resistance to “extractivism” by using their bodies to protest fracking. These women have put their bodies on the line, chained themselves to rigs and barricades, in order to protect their land. These six Mapuche women have taken the risk of putting their bodies on the line to stop the drilling rigs from further endangering their community. Aboriginal women ar

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