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| How to win a feminist battle – six activists share their secrets | How to win a feminist battle – six activists share their secrets |
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| Leymah Gwobee: A group of mothers ended Liberia’s civil war | Leymah Gwobee: A group of mothers ended Liberia’s civil war |
| Liberia was very effective at killing itself during the civil war. Our population is around 4.5 million people, and during the 14-year-long civil war around 250,000 people were killed, and many more displaced. The use of child soldiers, sexual violence and attacks on civilians were rife during the conflict. | Liberia was very effective at killing itself during the civil war. Our population is around 4.5 million people, and during the 14-year-long civil war around 250,000 people were killed, and many more displaced. The use of child soldiers, sexual violence and attacks on civilians were rife during the conflict. |
| In April 2003, seven of us gathered in a makeshift office to discuss the Liberian civil war and the fact that the fighting was fast approaching the capital, Monrovia. Armed with nothing but our conviction and $10, the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace Campaign was born. We felt it was our moral duty to stand up as Liberian mothers to protect the lives of our children, the land and their future. | In April 2003, seven of us gathered in a makeshift office to discuss the Liberian civil war and the fact that the fighting was fast approaching the capital, Monrovia. Armed with nothing but our conviction and $10, the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace Campaign was born. We felt it was our moral duty to stand up as Liberian mothers to protect the lives of our children, the land and their future. |
| We were united in our belief that non-violent action was the only way we would see peace in Liberia. We would not pick up weapons. Instead, we organised daily sit-ins, pickets, vigils, street protests and demonstrations to demand an immediate ceasefire, a dialogue among the warring parties and the deployment of an intervention force. | We were united in our belief that non-violent action was the only way we would see peace in Liberia. We would not pick up weapons. Instead, we organised daily sit-ins, pickets, vigils, street protests and demonstrations to demand an immediate ceasefire, a dialogue among the warring parties and the deployment of an intervention force. |
| We needed a way to make sure the men in our communities were equally committed to ending the conflict. A sex strike made our cause more personal, and helped us raise our media profile to reinforce our demands on the warring parties. | We needed a way to make sure the men in our communities were equally committed to ending the conflict. A sex strike made our cause more personal, and helped us raise our media profile to reinforce our demands on the warring parties. |
| Three weeks into the mass action, President Charles Taylor agreed to meet with us. This meeting was attended by more than 2,000 women, and resulted in his agreement to attend the peace talks in Ghana. | Three weeks into the mass action, President Charles Taylor agreed to meet with us. This meeting was attended by more than 2,000 women, and resulted in his agreement to attend the peace talks in Ghana. |
| Our next challenge was to ensure that the peace talks resulted in an agreement that was in the best interest of Liberians, and not simply serving the personal interests of the warlords. We partnered with Liberian women who were refugees in Ghana, and became the moral voice and face of the peace talks, while keeping the pressure on by continuing the protest in Monrovia at the same time. | Our next challenge was to ensure that the peace talks resulted in an agreement that was in the best interest of Liberians, and not simply serving the personal interests of the warlords. We partnered with Liberian women who were refugees in Ghana, and became the moral voice and face of the peace talks, while keeping the pressure on by continuing the protest in Monrovia at the same time. |
| Once the peace agreement was signed, we stepped in as mediators to get combatants to comply with the terms of the agreement, and also to get the UN and the transitional government of Liberia to provide the necessary incentives for the fighters. | Once the peace agreement was signed, we stepped in as mediators to get combatants to comply with the terms of the agreement, and also to get the UN and the transitional government of Liberia to provide the necessary incentives for the fighters. |
| We were ordinary mothers who decided it was no longer enough to beg for peace. Instead, we came together to demand peace, justice, equality and inclusion in political decision-making. We used our bodies, broken by hunger, poverty, desperation and destitution, to stare down the barrel of the gun. | We were ordinary mothers who decided it was no longer enough to beg for peace. Instead, we came together to demand peace, justice, equality and inclusion in political decision-making. We used our bodies, broken by hunger, poverty, desperation and destitution, to stare down the barrel of the gun. |
| Fourteen years later, we can comfortably say that we did the unimaginable. | Fourteen years later, we can comfortably say that we did the unimaginable. |
| Laura Coryton: Time was called on the tampon tax | Laura Coryton: Time was called on the tampon tax |
| Menstruation and taxation aren’t hugely popular topics and yet thanks to the 320,086 amazing campaigners who signed my Change.org petition, we are finally bringing the sexist tax on tampons and sanitary products to an end. Our government appeared to consider tampons to be luxury items when it introduced the tax in 1973, while it considered maintaining private jets, crocodile steaks and even sugar flowers essential enough to avoid tax altogether. Seriously. Even Barack Obama has spoken out against tampon taxes in 40 US states. | |
| Running this petition-led campaign over the past few years has been amazing and it’s always so much fun to connect with inspiring campaigners. But it has been a lot of work, and not all of it has been positive. Twitter trolls, government opposition and even threatening letters in the post have surprised and sometimes discouraged me, but it’s important to never give up on something you believe in, especially when it unfairly targets over half of our population simply because they’re women. Having loved Caroline Criado-Perez’s petition to get Jane Austen on British banknotes, I was inspired to start my own against tampon tax in May 2014. Soon, universities across the UK decided to give sanitary products away for free or to sell them at a reduced rate in their student unions. Communities also came together to form local campaigning forums, and individuals took the initiative to start their own sister campaigns from Australia to Malaysia. | Running this petition-led campaign over the past few years has been amazing and it’s always so much fun to connect with inspiring campaigners. But it has been a lot of work, and not all of it has been positive. Twitter trolls, government opposition and even threatening letters in the post have surprised and sometimes discouraged me, but it’s important to never give up on something you believe in, especially when it unfairly targets over half of our population simply because they’re women. Having loved Caroline Criado-Perez’s petition to get Jane Austen on British banknotes, I was inspired to start my own against tampon tax in May 2014. Soon, universities across the UK decided to give sanitary products away for free or to sell them at a reduced rate in their student unions. Communities also came together to form local campaigning forums, and individuals took the initiative to start their own sister campaigns from Australia to Malaysia. |
| We finally made history in 2016 when the then chancellor, George Osborne, committed the House of Commons to axe tampon tax “when legally able”. EU taxation regulations mean we need to wait for Brexit to be finalised before the tax can be scrapped. Osborne estimated this would be in April 2018, but his successor, Philip Hammond, has yet to comment. In the meantime we need to keep talking, tweeting and campaigning to make sure Theresa May knows we’re waiting for her to stop taxing periods. Period. | We finally made history in 2016 when the then chancellor, George Osborne, committed the House of Commons to axe tampon tax “when legally able”. EU taxation regulations mean we need to wait for Brexit to be finalised before the tax can be scrapped. Osborne estimated this would be in April 2018, but his successor, Philip Hammond, has yet to comment. In the meantime we need to keep talking, tweeting and campaigning to make sure Theresa May knows we’re waiting for her to stop taxing periods. Period. |
| Krystyna Kacpura: Poland abandoned its Stop Abortion Initiative | Krystyna Kacpura: Poland abandoned its Stop Abortion Initiative |
| I have worked in the field of sexual and reproductive rights for many years. I fought several attempts to further limit the already restrictive anti-abortion law in Poland. However, it was the Stop Abortion Initiative that made me not only personally outraged, but also frightened. Who dares to create hell on earth for Polish women? Who hates us so much? | I have worked in the field of sexual and reproductive rights for many years. I fought several attempts to further limit the already restrictive anti-abortion law in Poland. However, it was the Stop Abortion Initiative that made me not only personally outraged, but also frightened. Who dares to create hell on earth for Polish women? Who hates us so much? |
| My first thought was to immediately inform women about what the bill meant in practice: imprisonment and a forced birth in all circumstances, even at the risk of the mother’s own life and health, in cases of rape or incest, or when the foetus is malformed or has genetic defects. In cases of miscarriage, a police investigation and imprisonment, too. These were only some of the more drastic provisions of this project. | My first thought was to immediately inform women about what the bill meant in practice: imprisonment and a forced birth in all circumstances, even at the risk of the mother’s own life and health, in cases of rape or incest, or when the foetus is malformed or has genetic defects. In cases of miscarriage, a police investigation and imprisonment, too. These were only some of the more drastic provisions of this project. |
| We prepared short, straight-to-the-point leaflets,handing them out to women on the streets, in shops, offices and schools. Many of them called us later in terrible fear. Some could not believe that anyone would want to treat women with such horror. Now we needed to turn that fear into outrage, protest and women’s solidarity. We made comparisons with women’s reproductive rights in other European countries and supported and empowered women to make them feel stronger in this unequal battle. We mobilised them to actively engage in demonstrations, marches and street debates. | We prepared short, straight-to-the-point leaflets,handing them out to women on the streets, in shops, offices and schools. Many of them called us later in terrible fear. Some could not believe that anyone would want to treat women with such horror. Now we needed to turn that fear into outrage, protest and women’s solidarity. We made comparisons with women’s reproductive rights in other European countries and supported and empowered women to make them feel stronger in this unequal battle. We mobilised them to actively engage in demonstrations, marches and street debates. |
| In my speeches, I asked women for solidarity and joint struggle above any divisions. In later demonstrations, I called on politicians to stand with us. I also made an appeal to gynaecologists, asking them to spread honest and comprehensive information regarding the consequences of the proposal. And there were doctors who were on our side, secretly. They visited MPs or wrote them letters, detailing the risks for women. | In my speeches, I asked women for solidarity and joint struggle above any divisions. In later demonstrations, I called on politicians to stand with us. I also made an appeal to gynaecologists, asking them to spread honest and comprehensive information regarding the consequences of the proposal. And there were doctors who were on our side, secretly. They visited MPs or wrote them letters, detailing the risks for women. |
| It was like I was in a trance: thousands of individual conversations; dozens of debates, demonstrations, marches; hundreds of phone calls, emails. I knew I had to find the strength to keep going. When I was tired, I opened my drawer with the signatures of hundreds of Poles under the Save Women Initiative – a reminder that all those people trusted me and my organisation. | It was like I was in a trance: thousands of individual conversations; dozens of debates, demonstrations, marches; hundreds of phone calls, emails. I knew I had to find the strength to keep going. When I was tired, I opened my drawer with the signatures of hundreds of Poles under the Save Women Initiative – a reminder that all those people trusted me and my organisation. |
| We won the battle. The barbaric project was withdrawn. However, the fight for our reproductive rights is not over yet. We do not put our umbrellas down. | We won the battle. The barbaric project was withdrawn. However, the fight for our reproductive rights is not over yet. We do not put our umbrellas down. |
| Lucy-Anne Holmes: The Sun ended Page 3 | Lucy-Anne Holmes: The Sun ended Page 3 |
| During the 2012 London Olympics, I bought the Sun to read about Team GB, particularly Jessica Ennis, when I realised that the biggest image of a woman was on Page 3. This looming half-page picture of a nearly naked woman really jarred for me, and I found I couldn’t stop thinking about it. This was our biggest-selling newspaper – what did it say about a woman’s place in society? | During the 2012 London Olympics, I bought the Sun to read about Team GB, particularly Jessica Ennis, when I realised that the biggest image of a woman was on Page 3. This looming half-page picture of a nearly naked woman really jarred for me, and I found I couldn’t stop thinking about it. This was our biggest-selling newspaper – what did it say about a woman’s place in society? |
| I wrote a long letter to the editor of the Sun, bullet pointing all the reasons I thought he should end the 42-year “tradition”, but I knew it would achieve nothing. So, very randomly really, as I had never done anything like it at all, I started an online petition, Facebook page, Twitter account and had a few “No More Page 3” T-shirts printed. | I wrote a long letter to the editor of the Sun, bullet pointing all the reasons I thought he should end the 42-year “tradition”, but I knew it would achieve nothing. So, very randomly really, as I had never done anything like it at all, I started an online petition, Facebook page, Twitter account and had a few “No More Page 3” T-shirts printed. |
| I was incredibly optimistic to start with. I thought it was such a no-brainer that I set the signature total for one million, and fully expected Page 3 to be history by Christmas. | I was incredibly optimistic to start with. I thought it was such a no-brainer that I set the signature total for one million, and fully expected Page 3 to be history by Christmas. |
| Page 3 actually saw another three Christmases before it ended in January 2015. The campaign ended up taking two and a half years and reached nearly 250,000 signatures on the petition. | Page 3 actually saw another three Christmases before it ended in January 2015. The campaign ended up taking two and a half years and reached nearly 250,000 signatures on the petition. |
| I burnt out after six months, but then reached out to people to start a team, which was when the magic really started. Together we weathered the responses of “you’re frigid/ugly/jealous” or “you’re only doing this because you’ve got shit tits” and being wished dead. A wonderful community of supporters formed; charities and unions backed us; regional groups appeared; there were protests and comedy nights; poems, plays and songs were written and performed. | I burnt out after six months, but then reached out to people to start a team, which was when the magic really started. Together we weathered the responses of “you’re frigid/ugly/jealous” or “you’re only doing this because you’ve got shit tits” and being wished dead. A wonderful community of supporters formed; charities and unions backed us; regional groups appeared; there were protests and comedy nights; poems, plays and songs were written and performed. |
| It was very grassroots, pretty chaotic but always passionate and, importantly, I think, kind. It was quite a ride. | It was very grassroots, pretty chaotic but always passionate and, importantly, I think, kind. It was quite a ride. |
| Jaha Dukureh: FGM was banned in the Gambia | Jaha Dukureh: FGM was banned in the Gambia |
| Making the decision to take my campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM) back to the Gambia, although difficult, was the right thing to do. Standing up against FGM within society is often a cause for isolation, so through doing this work, I had to make peace with the fact that often I would be forced to stand up on my own. Although there had been other anti-FGM campaigns on the ground, I understood that in order for change to really occur, there needed to be a different approach. Being a young woman, I knew it would be difficult for others to listen to me, and the dangers I would face from tackling such an issue. This meant that it was crucial for me to have a team with me; to find people equally dedicated to the cause who would stand by me. Then we could work more efficiently and effectively. | Making the decision to take my campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM) back to the Gambia, although difficult, was the right thing to do. Standing up against FGM within society is often a cause for isolation, so through doing this work, I had to make peace with the fact that often I would be forced to stand up on my own. Although there had been other anti-FGM campaigns on the ground, I understood that in order for change to really occur, there needed to be a different approach. Being a young woman, I knew it would be difficult for others to listen to me, and the dangers I would face from tackling such an issue. This meant that it was crucial for me to have a team with me; to find people equally dedicated to the cause who would stand by me. Then we could work more efficiently and effectively. |
| Instead of focusing on just one person, one region or one ethnic group, we worked with the whole country at once. We held discussions not just with religious leaders, but also the younger generation, initiating conversations around FGM in ways that had never been done. It was important to us that the message be disseminated on a local level, a national level and a global level. By making the conscious decision to leave no one behind, by understanding the power in numbers, our message to end FGM was heard louder and clearer, and the decision to ban FGM was announced in late 2015. | Instead of focusing on just one person, one region or one ethnic group, we worked with the whole country at once. We held discussions not just with religious leaders, but also the younger generation, initiating conversations around FGM in ways that had never been done. It was important to us that the message be disseminated on a local level, a national level and a global level. By making the conscious decision to leave no one behind, by understanding the power in numbers, our message to end FGM was heard louder and clearer, and the decision to ban FGM was announced in late 2015. |
| Our form of resistance came from refusing to stay silent and igniting flames within each community, so that everyone’s voice could be heard. | Our form of resistance came from refusing to stay silent and igniting flames within each community, so that everyone’s voice could be heard. |
| Antonia Ayres-Brown: McDonald’s ended the gender bias in its toys | Antonia Ayres-Brown: McDonald’s ended the gender bias in its toys |
| As a young girl, I felt puzzled every time my brother and I ordered McDonald’s Happy Meals and received different toys – he usually got cars and action figures while I was offered dolls and stickers. When I was 11, I wrote a letter to the CEO of McDonald’s asking why they gave different toys based on gender. The curt response I received from a McDonald’s representative explained that the company did not designate “girls’ toys” versus “boys’ toys” and that my experience was atypical. | As a young girl, I felt puzzled every time my brother and I ordered McDonald’s Happy Meals and received different toys – he usually got cars and action figures while I was offered dolls and stickers. When I was 11, I wrote a letter to the CEO of McDonald’s asking why they gave different toys based on gender. The curt response I received from a McDonald’s representative explained that the company did not designate “girls’ toys” versus “boys’ toys” and that my experience was atypical. |
| This dismissal frustrated me. I knew from experience that in practice it happened quite often. Although disappointed, the response only pushed me to gather more evidence. | This dismissal frustrated me. I knew from experience that in practice it happened quite often. Although disappointed, the response only pushed me to gather more evidence. |
| In 2013, I helped to organise a study in which children between the ages of seven and 11 ordered Happy Meals in a series of visits to 15 local McDonald’s franchises. On 93% of visits, McDonald’s gave the kids, without asking, the toy that was assumed to correspond with their gender (the boys’ toys were Power Rangers while the girls’ toys were sponsored by a clothing store, Justice). We even observed a worker falsely tell a girl that the restaurant had run out of Power Rangers toys; five minutes later, the same employee automatically gave this “boys’ toy” to a boy from our study who ordered a Happy Meal. | In 2013, I helped to organise a study in which children between the ages of seven and 11 ordered Happy Meals in a series of visits to 15 local McDonald’s franchises. On 93% of visits, McDonald’s gave the kids, without asking, the toy that was assumed to correspond with their gender (the boys’ toys were Power Rangers while the girls’ toys were sponsored by a clothing store, Justice). We even observed a worker falsely tell a girl that the restaurant had run out of Power Rangers toys; five minutes later, the same employee automatically gave this “boys’ toy” to a boy from our study who ordered a Happy Meal. |
| I wrote again to the CEO, sharing my evidence and expressing concern about the consequences of reinforcing gender stereotypes through gendered categorisation of toys. This time, the chief diversity officer of McDonald’s responded, stating that the company was re-evaluating its policies to ensure that toys would not be labelled as “girls’ toys” and “boys’ toys” in future. Since then, I’ve visited several McDonald’s across the US and observed consistent gender-neutral labelling of toys. Perhaps most gratifying are the messages I’ve received from parents expressing how excited their kids have been to know that they aren’t “wrong” to prefer certain kinds of toys over others. | I wrote again to the CEO, sharing my evidence and expressing concern about the consequences of reinforcing gender stereotypes through gendered categorisation of toys. This time, the chief diversity officer of McDonald’s responded, stating that the company was re-evaluating its policies to ensure that toys would not be labelled as “girls’ toys” and “boys’ toys” in future. Since then, I’ve visited several McDonald’s across the US and observed consistent gender-neutral labelling of toys. Perhaps most gratifying are the messages I’ve received from parents expressing how excited their kids have been to know that they aren’t “wrong” to prefer certain kinds of toys over others. |
| This project by no means tackled the most pressing challenges to gender equality, such as sexual violence and disparate pay, which affect women (particularly those of colour) in the US today. However, this partial victory against a corporate behemoth may help deconstruct the gender stereotypes that contemporary culture drills into children. I also hope it serves as proof for other young women, regardless of their age, that we are never too young to identify and address instances (even small ones) of unfairness. | This project by no means tackled the most pressing challenges to gender equality, such as sexual violence and disparate pay, which affect women (particularly those of colour) in the US today. However, this partial victory against a corporate behemoth may help deconstruct the gender stereotypes that contemporary culture drills into children. I also hope it serves as proof for other young women, regardless of their age, that we are never too young to identify and address instances (even small ones) of unfairness. |
| This article was amended on 16 March 2017 to clarify that it was the writer’s opinion that the government appeared to consider tampons to be luxury items when it introduced a tax on them in 1973, not that the government did in fact deem them “luxury” items at that time. |