THE ACTIVIST: Farida is a leading social media activists in Kyrgyzstan who runs a popular blog speaking out for sexual rights and condemning violence against women. Through her blog, Farida has become an important voice for young women in Kyrgyzstan who have traditionally been excluded from discussing these issues in public.
THE CONTEXT: Women in Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia, are traditionally expected to marry early and not participate in political debate. Although there are laws against rape and domestic abuse, violence against women remains prevalent, and large segments of society still beieve that the place of a woman is in the home. Farida’s outspoken stance on women’s rights caused her to face violent threats in her community. As a result, Farida reached out to Urgent Action Fund for support.
THE IMPACT: Urgent Action Fund provided a rapid grant of $1,640 to evacuate Farida to a more secure location in her city. Once safe, she had the freedom to co-found a Feminist Activist Collective and put more energy into her groundbreaking work.
“I decided to use social media to talk about gender issues. I blogged, Tweeted and Facebooked about sexism and spoke openly about my experience as a young woman and the violence that I endured.”
