She4all in the Second Round – Mobilizing Youth for Women’s Rights.
- Every day, 32,000 girls in the world are affected by human trafficking
- 4 out of 5 victims of human trafficking are girls under the age of 14
- Every third woman experiences sexual or physical violence in her life
- 62 million girls worldwide are denied access to education
- Only 22% of all national MPs are female
- Women earn, on average, only 77% of what their male counterparts are earning.
Facts that are frightening. That’s why we, the Journalists and Writers Foundation, in partnership with the Eringerfeld Gymnasium (Germany) , the Viennese Friede- Institut für Dialog and the Phoenix Realgymnasium, joined forces for She4all project and tried to make an active contribution to gender equality.
Based on the UN HeForShe campaign, She4All strengthens gender equality and the role of women in decision-making positions – by involving and promoting youth. Because we are firmly convinced that the role of youth in shaping the future is decisive.
After participating in the first phase of the workshop, students gained an insight into the history of emancipation, women’s rights, the media and Gender in Muslim Societies. After that, it was time to examine the international agenda in Vienna. It was also important for us to give the participating students the opportunity to interact directly with women in positions of political decision-making.
On the first day in Vienna, our participating students were welcomed in the Austrian Parliament by the National Member of Parliament Ms. Karin Doppelbauer (NEOS) – a very informative exchange took place, in which the project participants showed particular interest in the experience of MP Doppelbauer in business and politics. The participating students wanted to know the secret of success both in the economy and in politics and found the differences between business and politics very interesting.
On the second day, we were at the House of the EU, the European Commission Representation in Austria. There we had the opportunity to get to know the EU’s gender work and strategy. In a presentation by the EU expert, we were able to deepen and also interactively discuss our knowledge of the numerous initiatives and institutions of the EU for gender equality.
On our last day, our way led first into the Viennese city hall, where we were received by women’s spokeswoman of the greens, Mrs. Barbara Huemer, who is also a Member of Parliament in Vienna. The participating 17 students of the two schools were particularly interested in how Ms. Huemer herself was sensitized to gender and decided to become active in politics. They also asked for concrete tips and ideas on how to cope with gender discrimination in everyday life – armed with ideas and motivating words for the project by Ms. Huemer, they headed towards the United Nations in Vienna. There they had an interactive lecture on “Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals from the Gender Perspective” and gained an insight into the complex work of the United Nations.
After so much input it was time to “produce” something on their own as well: in four small groups they have written concrete demands – these will soon be published in the form of a “Call for Action”. Just keep following us and you will be informed about this year´s ideas for eliminating gender injustice.