A "Visions of Justice in the Workplace" panel discusses participatory leadership and democratic transitions.
On December 6, 2014, WLP's partner organization in Egypt, Forum for Women in Development (FWID) co-hosted the summit "Visions of Justice in the Workplace." Representatives of civil society organizations, scholars, major media outlets, and ministries of labor, education and health from Jordan, Bahrain Women Association, South Sudan, Egypt, and Yemen gathered in Cairo, Egypt, to exchange ideas and share with each other concerns regarding the lack of social justice in existing gender policies across the region.
The conference provided a safe space for attendees from different parts of the region, who experienced similar societal transformations and upheavals during the so-called Arab Spring period, to exchange experiences, learn from each other’s challenges and successes, and share suggestions for steps to achieve social justice in the region.
On the second day, participants divided into workshops focusing on three major sectors: education, health, and labor. The workshops adapted WLP’s participatory and horizontal leadership framework in which all participants played active roles in sharing their experiences and input on the workshop topic. Speakers also discussed research analyses comparing the existing policies, statistics, and conditions across the region.
On the last day, a spokesperson from each workshop presented the group's discussion outcomes and recommendations for each topic. The conference concluded that in order to achieve true social justice, it is essential to pass legislation and create or amend existing policies to take into account the differing impacts with respect to gender and other social groups. Many participants also highlighted the importance of continuing dialogue and exchange between governmental institutions and civil society sectors to achieve their shared goals.
This International Day of the Girl, WLP had the honor of speaking with Zala Ahmad, advisor to WLP's Cross Border Coalitions Initiative and co-founder of Safe Path Prosperity (SPP), an incredible organization dedicated to empowering Afghan women and girls through menstrual health education and access to essential products. Operated by Afghan women, SPP produces Safepad, a locally-made reusable sanitary product, in production centers located in Kabul and Kandahar. The organization is dedicated to creating pathways to employment, prosperity, and dignity for Afghan women and girls through various initiatives, including employment opportunities, mental health support, and educational awareness programs. To date, SPP has generated over 100 jobs and distributed more than 250,000 hygiene kits to women and girls across Afghanistan. In this interview, we delve into the work of Safe Path Prosperity and the organization's vision for women's empowerment in Afghanistan. Read more about the inspirational work of SPP below.
WLP’s partner in Morocco, the Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM), has been leading an intergenerational movement to reform Morocco’s Family Code, the Moudawana, since 1985. We sat down with ADFM board member Asmae Aboulfaraj, a young feminist activist dedicated to advocating for reforms in the parts of the Moudawana that fall short of the country's constitutional commitments to gender equality. In this interview, Asmae shares her vision for collaboration between activists and civil-society organizations in Morocco and what she thinks the next generation of leaders can do to advocate for a better future for both women and men.
