Intersectionality in action

Our feminism is and always will be intersectional.   

Put simply, intersectionality is the concept that all systems of oppressions are linked. It is the acknowledgement that although all women experience gender related discrimination and oppression, some women, girls face multiple forms of discrimination and violence due to other added marginalised identities including race, class, sexual orientation, disability and age. 

Intersectionality is at the heart of our ways of working at Womankind. We believe that in order to create change, it is essential to understand how intersecting social factors effect different individuals and groups. Therefore, intersectionality and inclusion are at the core of our work and of strong feminist movements.   

Through our various grants and flexible funds, in 2022/23 we saw our partners working directly to make the feminist movement more inclusive and intersectional and to advocate for the rights of marginalised groups.    

Young feminists in Kenya engaging in political and influencing spaces

In Kenya, Womankind’s partner Polycom guided a group of ten adolescent girl champions through training on evidence-based advocacy with support from Her Voice Fund.  This gave the girls a deeper understanding of sexual harassment and the policies that surround it. Polycom previously created a comprehensive report on sexual harassment with support from Womankind and this informed their work with the champions. These champions then successfully advocated within their communities and in national, regional and global policy spaces to challenge issues related to sexual harassment and their lives.   

Amongst these, Polycom became members of a key policy space – the Gender Technical working group. Through this platform, one of the champions contributed directly to review the 2015 National Adolescent Reproductive Health Policy. The confidence of the girls to enter these spaces and advocate for their rights has helped to challenge social norms that typically prevent young women and girls from representing themselves in policy making spaces. The voices of young women and girls from the Kibera informal settlement now have greater visibility in the movement.    

Our partner Young Women’s Leadership Institute (YWLI) led trainings and community conversations with young feminists with support from Her Voice Fund (HVF). Together they explored leadership, sexual health and their right to access services and in turn, how their issues can be raised in policy and budget processes.  The training and conversations strengthened young feminists’ ability to participate and lead and supported them to gain access to several policy spaces. 

Through HVF, YWLI also held feminist leadership development sessions and convenings, created online spaces, as well as facilitated girl-led discussions about issues that affect them. They also led a discussion on a Ministry of Health policy document on teenage pregnancy.  

This work demonstrates the power and importance of facilitating girl-led advocacy initiatives and nurturing young feminists within the wider feminist and women’s rights movement. When girls are supported to successfully advocate for their rights and voice their challenges within their community and wider advocacy spaces, their voices get heard and they can claim their rights.  

“At YWLI, we create brave spaces for feminist conversations, where young girls can open about their challenges and needs and celebrate their achievements.  I get so much joy when seeing girls really speaking out, loud and proud, and when we organise events for girls. When you begin a girl is quiet and then they really soar into leadership.  I urge my fellow young feminists to keep their resilience. The work they do is amazing and important to future generations of young women and girls. Let’s protect and defend the gains and achievements we have made, keep supporting each other, providing solidarity and mobilising resources for our work and activism.” – Shyleen Momanyi, Executive Director, YWLI 

Improving access to the judicial system and support services for women with disabilities in Nepal

In 2022, Womankind partnered with Nepal Disabled Women’s Association (NDWA) on the “Justice: Breaking the Barrier of Silence” project. Through the project, NDWA organised events and case management training for police officers and government representatives. These were designed to improve their handling of cases of violence against women and girls with disabilities and were led by and participated in by women with disabilities. During the events and training, information was shared about the barriers faced by women with disabilities to accessing justice, the responsibilities of government officials to take action, and good practices regarding documentation, counselling, and referral systems. As a result, participants reported feeling more confident and better equipped to manage cases of violence against women with disabilities and provide legal advice and referral to victims. Local authorities also committed to continuing to improve disability access.   

Through this work, the unique and specific needs of women with disabilities are not only being considered but also more thoroughly understood. Police officers and government representatives are taking a more intersectional approach to their work as a result. This highlights the importance of the specific inclusion of women with disabilities in the judicial and legal sphere where they are often excluded and or their needs and priorities are not considered or addressed.   

Read our 2022/23 impact report in full here.