WomEng’s Post

Siphelele Nqaba’s story is a powerful reminder of the systemic challenges women face in entrepreneurship—where courage and innovation are often met with exploitation and harassment. No woman should have to choose between her dreams and her dignity. It’s time to create a world where female founders can thrive in safe, equitable ecosystems. Let’s dismantle barriers, hold exploitative practices accountable, and empower women to lead without compromise. If you or someone you know is facing Gender-Based Violence or harassment, seek help: 📞 GBV Command Centre: 0800 428 428 📱 WhatsApp Line: 076 694 5911 📲 SMS Line: 1207867# 👩💻 Childline South Africa: 0800 055 555 Together, we can #Connect #Convert #Cultivate #IgniteTheEcosystem and ensure every woman’s voice is heard and respected. UN Women United Nations #orangetheworld #16daysofactivism #genderbasedviolence #awareness

In all WomHub innovation hubs we have couches where female founders share the real challenges holding them back. None is more powerful than the testimonies of closing their businesses due to sexual harassment and gender based violence. It’s an uncomfortable subject and usually something that isn’t spoken about in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. You will hear statements like “If female founders were good enough they would get funding” you will hear that “female founders lack confidence” but you will not hear that they were sexually harassed and asked for sexual favours for funding! So we will share these stories and support female founders through the trauma while educating everyone else that the playing fields are not even close to be level! Over the next few days to honour 16 days of activism we will be sharing the stories of our founders #femalefounders #gender #GBV #capital

The UN Efforts to Combat Violence Against Women: A Renewed Opportunity to Highlight the Importance of Women's Participation in Peace Processes The absence of women from these processes negatively impacts societal stability and deepens the suffering of its people. Similarly, the exclusion of women from leading roles in the economy hinders sustainable development and exacerbates inequality. Ensuring women occupy leadership positions is a fundamental step toward ending violence in all its forms. Many international agreements, such as the CEDAW Convention, call for the elimination of violence against women and the safeguarding of their rights. It is time to effectively implement these agreements and build a fairer and safer world for everyone. #InternationalDayForTheEliminationOfViolenceAgainstWomen #empoweringwomen #EqualityInLeadership #peace #NoExcuses #UniteCampaign #UnitedNations

💡Women work towards sustainable #peace on a daily basis. Yet, their #peacebuilding work is often not visible and not communicated. 📖 In the latest KOFF à propos, Deborah Schibler presents a new graphical tool developed by PeaceWomen Across the Globe that shows the complexity of peace processes and highlights the role of women within them. It is a call for more #feminist narratives in the conversation about peace processes.  Learn more here (DE/FR/EN) 👇 https://lnkd.in/dXXHpZ64 

Women are not just victims of violence; they are, and should continue to be, architects of peace with the transformative power to provide workable solutions. From conflict resolution to grassroots activism, women play an indispensable role in rebuilding societies that have been torn apart by violence and hate. Yet, despite their critical contributions, women’s voices are still drowned out by systemic exclusion. This isn’t just a gender issue—it’s a peace issue. When women are absent from peacebuilding processes, we all lose. Governments and international bodies must go beyond token acknowledgments of women’s roles. It’s time to stop paying lip service and give women the space, resources, and respect they deserve as leaders and change-makers. Investing in women is investing in peace. #defyhatenow #Women4Peace #SheBuildsPeace

Culture doesn't make people, people make culture, and if culture destroys people, it destroys itself. This reflection is inspired by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's speech at TEDxEuston in December 2012, entitled “We Should All Be Feminists". On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we would like to bring our support to #16DaysOfActivism and to recall a crucial truth : the ongoing impunity and banalization of such violences in certain cultures remain major obstacles to the full realization of women's rights. That's why we continue to work passionately with these organizations to build a more equal and fair world. Every project we undertake reflects this hope and commitment. We're proud to share with you one of the projects we carried out for End FGM EU on setting up a chain of actors in the fight against forced marriage and female genital mutilation. We hope it will inspire you Oxfam France, Equipop, Agence Française de Développement, Plan International France, IAMANEH Schweiz I Suisse as much as it inspires us every day. #VBG #GBV #FGM

This week, we are spotlighting different resources in our toolbox that evidences why we are working as faith actors for #GenderJustice on #TheRoad2Equality. “Faith-based actors (such as formal and informal faith-based leaders and organizations) and traditional actors (such as chiefs, traditional healers, elders and mothers-in-law) are increasingly recognized as key to preventing violence against women and girls and crucial to realizing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5... These actors can promote beliefs, norms and practices that support and enable prevention of violence against women and girls, but they can also encourage and legitimize certain forms of violence. Therefore, their reach and influence cannot be ignored, especially given their unique position in households and communities." - UN Women, 2021 Find out more about engaging faith-based and traditional actors in preventing violence against women and girls in this brilliant learning paper by UN Women: https://lnkd.in/e_e69Wxx #FaithinGenderJustice #TheRoad2Equality #FaithinDevelopment #SDG5 #ACTAlliance

Elizabeth KJ Umoru's spoken word piece, "Resilience in Changing Climes," delivered at the #2024SocialNormsConference —the largest in Africa— illuminates the daily struggles women endure. Her compelling performance underscores the pain, strength, and urgent need for societal change. These days, communities are embracing non-violence, and men are stepping forward as champions of gender equity, rejecting outdated norms and creating a safer world for women and girls. At SCIDaR, we wholeheartedly support this call to action. Through every intervention, conversation, and our collective determination, we are committed to challenging harmful norms and creating safer, more equitable communities for women and girls. Change is possible, but it demands collective action. Challenge harmful norms, amplify positive alternatives, and support initiatives that dismantle the root causes of GBV. Together, we can create a future free of violence and full of equity. #16DaysOfActivism #EndGBV #SocialNormsConference2024 #SCIDaRImpact #SNCON2024 #BeTheChange Anglophone West Africa Social Norms & Agency Learning Collaborative

Today, on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we reaffirm our commitment to challenge harmful norms and advocate for a world where women and girls live free from violence. Nearly 1 in 3 women globally will experience violence in their lifetime. For too many, this cycle of violence ends in the most brutal and irreversible act: their murder by those closest to them - partners and family members.The deliberate killing of women and girls, known as femicide, is the most extreme and visible manifestation of gender-based violence. It is a universal crisis that cuts across borders, cultures, and communities, reflecting the systemic inequalities and harmful norms that continue to oppress women and girls. But violence against women is not inevitable. It can and must be prevented through education, accountability, policies, and commitment to gender equality. At Soorty Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., we are dedicated to creating an environment where women feel safe, empowered, and valued not just within our workplaces, but across all communities we work with. Through our past and present partnerships with eminent bodies and women's rights organizations like UN Women, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, BSR, WE program, United Nations Global Compact, International Labour Organization, UNDP, Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) - and more - we are contributing to turning the tide on this important social issue. There is #NoExcuse for violence against women and girls. #SoortyEnterprises #NoExcuse #OrangeTheWorld #16DaysOfActivism #EndViolenceAgainstWomen United Nations GIZ Pakistan UN Women Asia and the Pacific

Today, on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we reaffirm our commitment to challenge harmful norms and advocate for a world where women and girls live free from violence. Nearly 1 in 3 women globally will experience violence in their lifetime. For too many, this cycle of violence ends in the most brutal and irreversible act: their murder by those closest to them - partners and family members.The deliberate killing of women and girls, known as femicide, is the most extreme and visible manifestation of gender-based violence. It is a universal crisis that cuts across borders, cultures, and communities, reflecting the systemic inequalities and harmful norms that continue to oppress women and girls. But violence against women is not inevitable. It can and must be prevented through education, accountability, policies, and commitment to gender equality. At Soorty Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., we are dedicated to creating an environment where women feel safe, empowered, and valued not just within our workplaces, but across all communities we work with. Through our past and present partnerships with eminent bodies and women's rights organizations like UN Women, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, BSR, WE program, United Nations Global Compact, International Labour Organization, UNDP, Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) - and more - we are contributing to turning the tide on this important social issue. There is #NoExcuse for violence against women and girls. #SoortyEnterprises #NoExcuse #OrangeTheWorld #16DaysOfActivism #EndViolenceAgainstWomen United Nations GIZ Pakistan UN Women Asia and the Pacific