Educating the Next Generation of Gender Justice Advocates
Since the fall of Roe, IANGEL has worked to develop an innovative curriculum to inform teens about their reproductive rights. In collaboration with Berkeley Law’s Reproductive Justice Project (RJP), IANGEL’s Teen Information Project was presented to high school students this past Spring. The curriculum is now being updated for presentation to more students in 2024. We are grateful for our partnership with the RJP team, and to IANGEL VP Rebecca Hooley for her leadership on this project to educate the next generation of advocates for reproductive freedom.
“I found it meaningful to have in depth-discussions with teens about their reproductive rights and see them engage deeply with the material, hopefully inspiring the next generation of reproductive justice leaders.”
—Ayeza Bajwa, Berkeley Law’s Reproductive Justice Project 2022-2023
Beyond Borders to Advance Gender Equality
In March, IANGEL hosted a parallel event in connection with the UN’s 67th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67). We presented “Beyond Borders: Advancing Equality in the Digital Age,” addressing the role of technology in promoting gender equality globally. Our webinar featured speakers from five continents, and was attended by 65 feminist activists from 10 different countries. The full discussion can be found on IANGEL’s Youtube channel.
Light in the Darkness for Afghan Women Lawyers
This year, IANGEL has continued and expanded our work to fight the outrageous oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan. We developed a new BRIDGE project – Building Real Interactions to Drive Gender Equality, in which we are forging connections with Afghan women lawyers inside the country, and working with the Afghan Independent Bar Association in Exile, to develop a plan for support. Through our BRIDGE project, we will provide support, mentoring, training, and a new foundation for international advocacy, to empower these women to help themselves, to assist Afghan women experiencing gender-based violence, to help their communities, and their country. Below is an excerpt from a public letter of thanks from our BRIDGE project lead in Afghanistan:
“As an Afghan, I have no words to express my deepest gratitude from the depths of my heart for your great help for my people. For more than two years, you are all extraordinarily amazing people, dedicated with your time and generous with your heart, even though things & challenges have never gotten easier you did not give up and you found a solution for every single problem.”
— Mina (a pseudonym), lawyer, journalist, and “peaceful warrior” in Afghanistan
Light in the Darkness: Fighting Gender Apartheid
We have also partnered with Afghan women’s human rights defenders and attorneys from WilmerHale on an innovative legal research project to analyze the Taliban’s 65 edicts as violations of international law, to drive new policy advocacy for the world community. And we have expanded our support for underground education of women and girls, connecting with women educators and women’s rights advocates inside Afghanistan and providing emotional and financial support for their continuing work to educate Afghan girls and women, despite the Taliban’s bans.
“On behalf of the children and women of Afghanistan who study in our school, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to IANGEL. Thank you for not leaving the women of Afghanistan alone in these difficult days, and for supporting women’s and children’s education.”
— Parsi (a pseudonym), head of underground school supported by IANGEL
IANGEL Advocacy
In 2023, IANGEL continued to amplify voices for gender equality and to advocate on key issues affecting women and girls in the US and abroad. Our advocacy work is powerful — this year we completed 19 advocacy actions: we signed letters, joined international movements, and endorsed campaigns such as the global movement to end gender apartheid. At our 10th Anniversary Gala, we honored Zala Ahmad with our 2023 Amel Zenoune-Zouani Rights and Leadership Award, for her incredible work as a gender justice advocate for women and girls in Afghanistan. Learn more about IANGEL’s advocacy work: iangel.org/advocacy-actions
10 Years of IANGEL Impact
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