Self-advocacy by women from under-represented groups crucial to achieve justice and gender equality, say ODIHR event participants

The importance of self-representation and self-advocacy for women from diverse groups was the focus of a discussion organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 6 October 2023 on the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

The discussion was part of the ODIHR’s award-winning “Capitalizing on the Human Dimension Mandate to Advance Gender Equality” (CHANGE) project. Together with civil society participants, representatives of ODIHR and OSCE states discussed means of increasing the participation of Roma and Sinti women, women with disabilities and young women in politics in the justice system and the security sector.

“I always dreamt of running my own social organization, but I was not confident enough to try,” said Agnieszka Caban, President of the Home of the Borderland Foundation. “After taking part in an I-CHANGE self-advocacy training, I set my sights higher and finally saw myself as a leader. I have now founded an NGO. And I see many other women who also believe in themselves and manage to fulfill their plans. I always wanted to work with women who think like me, and now I know that this is possible.”

Participants noted that self-advocacy helps turn the experience of discrimination, often on multiple grounds, into a strong voice that effectively advocates for human rights and social justice.

“Making a difference on the ground is what ODIHR’s CHANGE project, with its hallmark methodology, is achieving,” said Gorica Atanasova-Gjorevska from the 2023 OSCE Chairpersonship of North Macedonia. “This is fully in line with the approach of the Chair, whose motto – “It is about people” – reflects the drive to deliver real change for all people in the OSCE region.”