Abigail Hirsch’s Post

These past two days I along with other Moroccan feminist activists and personalities have been subjected to death threats including an apology for terrorism. These actions highlight the dangerous environment we navigate in our fight for equality and justice. Unsurprisingly, I found myself listed on a so-called "blacklist" for the death penalty alongside my organization Politics4Her, solely because of my work as a feminist activist. This is not an isolated incident, for the past decade, I have been repeatedly targeted by smear campaigns which even led me to leave X (Twitter). Despite the severity of these threats, we refuse to be intimidated. We have filed complaints with the relevant authorities. We know that this recent wave of violence against us is an attempt to silence our voices and halt our advocacy for a new, fair family code—a cause to which we have dedicated years of tireless effort. We have joined forces, standing in solidarity as a unified front against the forces that seek to oppress us. Together, we are stronger and our dedication to our cause is unshakeable. The threats we face every day, only serve to strengthen our commitment to continue our advocacy, to raise our voices louder, and to push even harder for the changes we believe are necessary for a just and equitable society. To those who aim to silence us with threats and violence: your efforts are in vain. We will not be silenced. We will not back down. Your attempts to intimidate us will only fuel our determination to fight for our rights, justice, and the dignity of all. Your hate will not deter us instead, it reaffirms the urgency and importance of our work. They can try to intimidate us, but in the end, they will not succeed. To those who wish us harm: you can go fuck yourselves. In defiance and solidarity, Yasmina Benslimane Politics4Her Founder (and proud). https://lnkd.in/eYpXRTKA

There's a big demonstration in France today, actually several demonstrations: a) One is the farmers who have completely put the UK farmers to shame blocking supermarkets, pumping sludge onto government offices etc. b) But the real demonstration today is absolutely heart breaking, its the annual international day of the fight against violence towards women. Its about the increasing levels of violence in France! and in general public behaviour towards women. France is supposed to be the leader of Liberty, egality and fraternity. This message is carved in every building by Napoleon, but have the French become blind? or do they not show fraternity to their sisters and even their own daughters? It needs to be called out immediately! As a Father of two daughters and having seen how men behave towards women in clubs, yes disgusting rape drugs are prevalent here in SOF clubs, even the street here the language and behaviour is unacceptable, I am going to re-scribe the shocking statistics just in France - its time to call it out: a) 103 women died in 2023, and 110 so far this year to September killed by their partner! Yes the problem is increasing. One of those annual murders was in our street a husband killed his wife infront of her children because - he "loved her". Ridiculous! the same in UK, one of our close friends was killed by her partner who she trusted in her own bedroom? French men what is this choking trend in the bedroom? - its unacceptable stop immediately! Zero tolerance! b) 213,000 women suffered violence from their partner. c) 97.3% of aggressors were men. Complete cowards! Ill say it again - complete cowards! d) 85% of trans people have suffered acts of transphobia. e) 55% of lesbians have been violently assaulted. Disgusting! Again Complete cowards! f) 1/3 of women have been sexually harassed at work. g) 5 million people in France have been subjected to pedocriminality. h) A women rapped every 2 minutes 30 seconds, a child every 3 minutes. Absolutely Shocking! Linked in is not for Swearing but WTF! i) 80% of handicapped women have been victimes of violences. Again Cowards! The above are recorded cases - imagine the hundreds of thousands if not millions more cases that are not recorded. French Men - As with all men globally, stop being cowards - time to grow up! Master your emotions, master your body, be honourable! It is really time to get a grip of yourselves, also speak out about the men around you - zero tolerance, actually its only us men that can stop this as our sons learn heavily from us. I salute the women that are calling these cowards out - Well done, it takes courage, but we must give full support to those women calling out these disgusting behaviours. Its time too us men too step up, stand by our wifes and daughters and say zero tolerance! #Cowards #france #stopviolence #men get a #grip https://lnkd.in/dVXimpA5.

The clock is ticking  We have just 6 years, 9 months, 11 days, 23 hours, and 08 minutes left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Among these goals is the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) by 2030. However, international rates of FGM have seen a significant increase in recent years, soaring from an estimated 200 million in 2016 to 230 million in 2024 (UNICEF, 2024). On top of this, Gambia has initiated steps towards lifting a ban on female circumcision, potentially becoming the first country to backtrack on legal protections against this harmful practice for millions of women and girls worldwide. (https://lnkd.in/g_DDddD7).

Three weeks after being released from 𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 in an Iranian prison, where he was held for two years, Louis Arnaud has published a beautiful letter this morning. If you speak French, reading it will undoubtedly bring a smile to your face and restore your faith in humanity (in case it was lost) ! https://lnkd.in/ekiKXXyx ❤️ The cases of Olivier Van de Casteel and Louis Arnaud have recently brought much-needed attention to the issue of arbitrary detention and 𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬. However, it's crucial to remember the countless others who suffer from different forms of arbitrary detention, often used to: - 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and silence political opponents, journalists, aid workers and dissenters. - 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬 such as the Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Rohingya, and LGBTQ+ communities - 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞-𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬: detained under broad and vague national without sufficient evidence.  - 𝐦𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 in order to stifle their advocacy efforts. 🚨𝐀𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝟗 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬. 🚨 Here is a small list of organisations advocating for the release of all those unjustly detained and protect them: @United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD)https://lnkd.in/eYBShDtk Amnesty International  Human Rights Watch (HRW)  International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC Reporters Without Borders (RSF)  Freedom House   FIDH - International Federation for Human Rights Committee to Protect Journalists Protect Humanitarians Front Line Defenders #HumanRights #ArbitraryDetention #Justice #FreeSpeech #EndDiscrimination #ProtectActivists #InternationalLaw #Advocacy #HumanRightsDefenders

On the second video of PI’s #HumanRightsByWomen series, we receive Françoise Timbiri, protection officer at PI. In this interview, she reflects on who is a woman human rights defender and explains how PI supports women defenders in the DRC. 🇨🇩 As women #HRDs in the #DRC face many challenges to defend human rights, PI provides a preventive approach of protection by training HRDs on the topics of security, positive masculinity and advocacy. Watch the full interview 🎥 https://lnkd.in/ewPidPcX #WomenDefendersDRC #WomenVoices

Just as a healthy democracy depends on a active free press, so too does a healthy democracy depend on an active economy. We in the west are fortunate to have "mature" economies, as opposed to emerging economies, which are driven by exports. Whether we like it or not, mature economies are driven by internal consumption of goods and services by the consuming public. Since our aggregate economy is made up internal consumption, i.e., between 70 to 75 % of all economic activity and hence, tax revenue, is derived from consumer spending. Business spending makes up the rest. We always manage to find money to subsidize businesses of all kinds whenever they come knocking. But, we seldom if ever find money to prop up the 70 to 75 % of the most important component of our economy. If Chystia Freeland, our Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, recognizes the need to help the most important component of our economy, the consumers and tax payers. she might take appropriate action. One measure she could implement is to increase the basic personal tax exemption by $ 5,000 to $ 7,500 per tax payer. This would free up up a lot of cash that would ultimately go back into to the economy by the most important component of the economy.

The WeLENS project has officially kicked off, and we at femLENS are proud to be a key partner in this vital initiative. Coordinated by D'Antilles & D'Ailleurs in Martinique, France, WeLENS brings together a diverse coalition of organisations from Europe and the Americas, including France - ELAN INTERCULTUREL, Italy - CESIE ETS, Beecom and No Gap, Greece - Center for Security Studies (KEMEA), Estonia - femLENS, Mexico - Comisión Unidos Vs. Trata, Argentina - Madres Víctimas de Trata, and Guyana - Women Across Differences, to address the urgent issues of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual exploitation. The project's goals include creating interdisciplinary educational modules and professional tools to help organisations devise strategies against GBV and sexual exploitation. Central to this initiative is the abolitionist model, which seeks to eradicate sexual exploitation by addressing root causes like societal norms and economic inequalities. femLENS will be involved in the development of the WeLENS campaign, which will also include the creation of four special issues of our annual magazine "We See" (https://lnkd.in/e-qt8ify). Through the WeLENS project, the partnership aims to foster a deeper understanding of the global dynamics that contribute to GBV and sexual exploitation, and to develop effective, sustainable solutions that prioritise the dignity and rights of all individuals.

Can recognition of the past pave the way for a more just future? Colonialism and slavery have left deep scars, the effects of which are still visible today in economic, social and cultural inequalities. Africa and the Caribbean have long been calling for justice, not only through economic compensation, but also with concrete interventions such as the restitution of stolen resources, development programs and the recognition of historical responsibilities. At the recent African Conference on Reparations, held in Accra in November 2023, the African Union and CARICOM came together to define collective strategies. Among the main proposals: a global fund to support development projects and an action plan to address the consequences of colonialism and slavery. As underlined by the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo: “Centuries-worth of exploitation damage cannot be quantified, but it must be recognized. It's time to face this reality.” According to the plan proposed by CARICOM, restorative justice includes: formal apologies from European governments, education and health programs, debt relief, access to technology and support for the reconstruction of indigenous communities. However, many nations continue to resist, addressing inequalities without connecting them to their historical responsibilities. Recognizing the crimes of the past is not only an act of moral responsibility, but the first step in building a more equitable and sustainable future for generations to come. Stay connected for new content! https://lnkd.in/ezcphaBT

The launch of the 365 Days of Activism Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) campaign is a critical and commendable step forward in addressing the pervasive issue of gender-based violence in South Africa. As echoed by Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli and other advocates, the urgency to combat GBV cannot be confined to a single month or a short-term focus. The lessons and momentum generated during initiatives such as the 16 Days of Activism must be sustained throughout the year. Gender-based violence continues to devastate individuals, families, and communities, leaving scars that are not only physical but emotional, psychological, and spiritual. As the Clinical Director of the Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children, I have witnessed firsthand the far-reaching consequences of GBV, particularly on vulnerable groups such as women and children. A year-long commitment underscores the need for constant vigilance, education, and collaboration to address the root causes of this societal crisis. The Interfaith GBV Prevention and Mitigation Strategy 2024-2030, as highlighted by Daniela Gennrich, is a promising example of collective action that can foster environments of safety and dignity. Faith-based and community organizations have a pivotal role in shaping values, challenging harmful norms, and offering support to survivors. To achieve lasting change, we must ensure that the principles of respect, equality, and justice permeate all sectors of society. This includes integrating GBV awareness into educational curricula, strengthening law enforcement and judicial systems, and empowering communities to take a stand against all forms of abuse. I call upon all South Africans to embrace the ethos of 365 Days of Activism—not as a campaign, but as a way of life. Let us unite in our efforts to create a safer, more inclusive society where everyone, particularly the most vulnerable, can thrive free from violence and fear. Together, we can transform lessons into action and despair into hope. Dr. Shaheda Omar Clinical Director The Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children https://lnkd.in/gNzRrWQt

On #IndigenousPeoplesDay, we reflect on the impacts of colonialism, including the widespread violence in Native communities. Native women experience intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking at alarming rates, often by non-Native perpetrators. The lasting effects of colonization, along with a complex legal framework that limits the prosecution of offenders, continue to undermine the safety of victims, leading to intergenerational trauma and vulnerability. The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian sheds light on these issues with its exhibition No Rest: The Epidemic of Stolen Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirits, which honors the lives of #Indigenouswomen and two-spirit individuals through art and storytelling. This exhibition aligns with the MMIWG2S movement, which raises awareness and addresses the lack of response to missing or murdered Native women, girls, and two-spirit individuals. Explore more about the movement and exhibition details: https://bit.ly/4h6GxJJ