Tired of waiting for the older generation to solve global issues, youth activism is gaining momentum at an unprecedented pace. Recent advances in technology have made it much easier for voices of youth to be heard across the globe. In this “Youth in Digital Activism” series, UNAI features young activists taking the world’s most pressing issues into their own hands.
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"Since I was a child, I remember questioning the heroines that appeared in children’s movies - why are they not standing up for themselves?" Selin ?zünald?m, a 17-year-old activist from Turkey, has always felt passionate about social issues, especially women's rights. Curious in nature, she remembers questioning most things in life while growing up, such as the roles of gender in children’s TV programmes and movies. And Selin found her role model in the “real world,” most prominently Michelle Obama. "She showed us how important [it] is not to give up, challenge the situation, work hard, and believe in yourself, and of course, surround yourself with your people.”
Eager to follow the footsteps of the former First Lady of the United States, at the age of fourteen Selin sent an email to UN Women, the United Nations organization dedicated to upholding women’s human rights and asked what she could do to help spread the organization’s message. With the support of UN Women which provided Selin with ‘starter-kits’ and tips to start making an impact, she was able to establish the first HeForShe club, a global movement created by the UN Women encouraging men and boys to take part in activism for gender equality, at her school in Turkey.
Selin went on to create two initiatives outside of her school - the Girl up Istanbul and Girls who Code Turkey. Girl Up is a campaign started by the United Nations Foundation to help girls hone their leadership skills. Girls Who Code focuses on teaching the basics of computer programming to young girls and encouraging them to be more involved with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Through these initiatives, Selin is hoping to abolish gender stereotypes which have, for example, discouraged women from getting involved in these fields. Thanks to her passion and determination, similar programmes are now flourishing in Turkey. There are now two more Girl Up branches in the country, located in Ankara and Izmir. In addition, the initiatives have a total reach of more than 264,000 people via social media, press and events.
However, all such progress came to a sudden halt in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had detrimental effects toward women and girls’ opportunities for education, work and other activities. The World Economic Forum’s shows that the ‘global gender gap’ has increased from 99.5 years to 135.6 years due to the pandemic, meaning it is likely to now take more than a century to achieve gender equality across the globe. Data shows that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified in the context of lockdowns or similar measures implemented around the world.
The pandemic has also forced Selin to reconsider how to reach out to her stakeholders. For instance, the Girls Who Code initiative was no longer able to hold in-person workshops and teaching sessions. With more people relying on the Internet for information, she decided to cover the topic of safe Internet usage, encompassing themes such as gender-based violence occurring both online and offline. The initiative also partnered with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to co-host online panel discussions and workshops. The pandemic has led organizations and activists to ‘move’ online and has created a new opportunity to reach a wider audience. Together with her peers, Selin has been able to adapt to the situation and take advantage of digital tools to continue to spread their message and educate people across Turkey about gender roles.
"Me being interested in gender rights activism is a sign that I have been able to identify the feeling of discomfort and frustration that stems from everyday acts of violence, from sexist news headlines to street harassment to discrimination in the workplace, and I’ve been able to recognize that it’s not just me feeling this way, but rather that it’s a universal experience." Sofia Scarlat, a 19-year-old university student from Romania, also relies on digital tools to promote gender equality. Troubled by the amount of gender stereotypes she had witnessed, she founded Girl Up Romania, the first organization in her country dedicated to teenagers with the aim of promoting gender equality. However, the pandemic has forced the initiative, which has carried out educational programs, events, and campaigns, led protests, worked with members of the government and the parliament on legislation, and connected underage survivors of gender-based violence with legal and psychological experts, to go through a drastic change in their outreach strategy.
Now their main “battlefield” is on social media platforms – for instance, they actively promote messages with inspiring graphics through their Instagram account (@girlup.romania), which registers more than 51,000 followers. Even in the face of adversity, she continues to make sure that the initiative provides, as Sofia puts it, “a way of connecting young people and especially young girls, and to let them know that they are not alone in facing forms of violence and oppression, and that help can be found”.
Malu Gatto, Assistant Professor at the University College London in the United Kingdom, who specializes in women's rights, says the fact that the pandemic has had asymmetrical impact on women is not acknowledged enough around the world. She stresses that all recovery plans and policies need to include perspectives of those who have been hit hardest by the pandemic, including women. "Lots of the rhetoric and policies made around the world have not necessarily taken a gender perspective when responding to the pandemic, have not prioritized women rights issues or looked through the gendered lens."???
Supporting women's rights and the work of activists is vital in acknowledging the current struggles and women's rights abuses occurring at an increasing pace because of the pandemic. Notwithstanding the difficulties in engaging in women’s rights movement in the current circumstances, Selin calls out to youth around the world to join their movement: "Ask yourself the question, if not me, who? If not now, when?"
