Dominique de Castro
EMPOWERMENT MOVEMENTS OF TODAY
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MMIW #MMIW which stands for Murdered, missing indigenous womxn. A#MMIW stands for Murdered, Missing Indigenous Womxn; however, a modified and more inclusive version of that hashtag is, #MMIWG2S , stands for Murdered, mMissing iIndigenous wWomxn, gGirls, and 22 sSpirits. Both hashtags are meant mean to spread bring awareness aboutto the high rates of murdered and missing indigenous women and 2 spirit individuals across North America , and the fact that these cases are often underreported and not investigated. According to the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center, over 4 in 5 Native American and Native Alaskan women have been subjected to violence in their lives (1). In the wake of shocking statistics such as these such shocking statistics, coalitions such as the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women have been formed. One of the coalition’s to focus on areas is like MMIWG2S. The Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women provides training and education and also participates in policy advocacy in order to “ensure that our tribal communities are represented within conversations where we have historically been underrepresented” (2)..” (2) According to their website, if an Indigenous woman isgoes missing, it is important to track the events, inform police, and alert the public. Additionally, to get involved, people, can donate to coalitions and groups, and attendg training hosted by the coalition. Argentina’s Green Tide In August 2018, women across Argentinatook to the streets to protest for their right to abortions, causing the Feminist movement ‘The Green Wave’ or “Green Tide’ to spread across the country. TheArgentinian senate had been about to debate egalizing abortion. Unfortunately, the senate voted againstdecriminalizing abortions in 2018, but one of the protestors,Justina de Pierre, said, “If you want to improve your quality of life and the quality of life for all women, never stop questioning society or calling for change.(3) However, as of early 2021, the Argentinian government has begun implementing the National Law for the Access to the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy. Allowing access to abortions at public hospitals to anyone who can get pregnant (including non-binary and trans individuals) which is a huge step for the Green Tide movement having focused on dismantling social barriers to abortion such as gender identity (4). Nigeria’s Feminist Coalition The ‘Feminist Coaltion,’ formed in 2020 by Damilola Odufuwa, Odunayo Eweniyi, and several others, champions for gender equality in Nigerian society, with a core focus on education, financial freedom, and representation in public office.Women in Nigeria face the highest maternal mortality rate in the world, as well as high levels of poverty and political underrepresentation. One of its members, Ayodeji Osowobi, notes that one of the largest issues faced by Nigerian women today is the lack of access to power, which is part of the reason that political representation is a major component of FemCo’s activism (6). Osowobi hopes FemCo will be able to increase political awareness for Nigerian women and get them into office by 2023. (6)
