As the 63rd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is in full swing in New York, and feminists from around the world gather to discuss women's rights, Hadja Idrissa Bah addresses President Macron directly. The young Guinean woman is acting as spokesperson for a larger group of West African feminists (1), calling for genuine commitments from the French presidency to ensure that this G7 summit is truly feminist.
Mr. President of the French Republic, Dear Mr. President,
My name is Hadja Idrissa Bah, I am 19 years old, I am a student and founding president of the Guinea Young Women Leaders Club. Since the age of 13, I have been fighting against gender-based violence. I am fighting against female genital mutilation, of which I was a victim, but also against child marriage. On February 5, in Lyon, I met with the G7 sherpas. These diplomats will negotiate the commitments that will be made by you and the other heads of state and government, under the presidency of France.
This year, you have decided to place gender equality at the heart of the G7. This political commitment brings hope. All eyes will be on France, on you. In the coming months, you will be making decisions that will impact the lives of young girls around the world, including in West Africa, where I come from. And these young girls have a say.
Back in Conakry, I would like to use this open letter to echo the voices of these young girls; to tell you about their stories, their expectations, and their struggles. I would like to be the voice of the "voiceless," so that this French presidency of the G7 will be a great moment of political and financial commitment to girls' rights and gender equality.
Every day, young feminists like me raise awareness among their friends and parents; they lobby influential religious leaders to change attitudes and behaviors, but also the authorities, for the strict application of the law and for increased financial resources to combat gender-based inequalities. The fight against gender-based violence is a struggle for equality and human rights.
We, young feminists from Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire, are at the forefront of the fight for girls’ rights. And we are sparking a revolution among young girls.
But how can we move up a gear when we have no political or financial support? Our mobilization, like all feminist mobilizations around the world, including in France, is an obstacle course. Threats and harassment on social media, intimidation, are our daily lot. Our issues are disturbing because they are about nothing less than overturning unequal power relationships that are deeply rooted in our societies.
This year, you have the opportunity to apply the "feminist" diplomacy that France claims to uphold. You have the opportunity to move beyond the conventional discourse on gender equality issues by resolutely positioning yourself on the side of feminist movements, those that are transforming society in West Africa, France, and around the world.
To rise to the challenge of this meeting, the French Presidency of the G7 will need to:
- Promote women's and girls' right to have control over their own bodies. Investing in economic empowerment and youth employment is good, but it is not enough. The cornerstone is a teenage girl's ability to decide her own future. We therefore need additional funding for education, including comprehensive sexuality education programs.
- Involve and listen to young women in all decision-making during France's G7 presidency. As a feminist friend once said to me, "Most of the time, women's issues are discussed by nice men in suits and ties, not by women themselves." But decisions made without us are decisions made against us.
- Increase funding for the feminist associations we represent in West Africa, France, and around the world. You have set the tone for the next G7: concrete results in the fight against inequality. Providing financial support to the feminist movement is part of this proactive policy.
We are counting on you.
Hadja Idrissa Bah, Guinea,
President of the Guinea Young Women Leaders Club
(1) Signatories:
Rose DIEME, Senegal, Member of the Network of Girls and Young Women Leaders in Senegal (Youth Women for Action—YWA Senegal)
Cornelia GLELE, Benin, Journalist and film director. Member of the West African Network of Young Women Leaders and director of the Cotonou International Women's Film Festival.
Alexia HOUNTONDJI, Benin, Executive Director of the association Rayons des Initiatives Culturelles Musicales et des Arts Oraux (Ricmao Asso) and member of the Benin Youth Parliament
Néné Fatou MARICOU, Senegal, President and founding member of the Network of Girls and Young Women Leaders in Senegal (Youth Women for Action—YWA Senegal)
Dieynaba NDIO, Mauritania, Member of the Initiative for Reproductive Health (ISR) association and theWomen's Voices Collective
Wendyam Micheline KABORE, Burkina Faso, Secretary General and Coordinator of the Pananetugri Initiative for Women's Well-being (IPBF)
Jonas KINDAFODJI, Benin, Youth Ambassador for Adolescent and Youth Reproductive Health in Benin and Coordinator of the Synergy Platform for Action by Youth Civil Society Organizations to Combat Sexual Violence Against Girls and Women
Mistoura SALOU ADJIBADE, Benin, Program Officer for Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights & Gender at the NGO CeRADIS (Center for Reflection and Action for Integrated Development and Solidarity)
Aminata Badiane THIOYE, Senegal, Head of the Gender and Human Rights Division of theNational Youth Alliance for Reproductive Health and Family Planning (ANJ-SR/PF)
Oumou Salif TOURE, Mali, Project Manager for Girls at theAssociation des jeunes pour la citoyenneté Active et la démocratie (AJCAD Mali)
Denise Epiphanie HABA, Guinea, Treasurer of the AGBEF/IPPF Youth Action Movement and member of the network of Youth Ambassadors for Reproductive Health and Family Planning in Guinea (Conakry)
