How Ukrainian Women Are Working to Safeguard Fundamental Human Rights in the Face of War
New short film ‘Oh Sister!’ tells six stories
This week marks the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The war continues and yet 'life goes on’ for most of the rest of the world. In this week’s newsletter, I’d like to acknowledge a small group of women whose lives are about finding ways to achieve peace and to eliminate suffering… the Nobel Women’s Initiative.
Only 18 women have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize – compared to 92 men. In 2006, six female winners — Shirin Ebadi, Wangari Maathai, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Jody Williams, Mairead Maguire, and Betty Williams — formed the Nobel Women’s Initiative (NWI). (Aung San Suu Kyi, the only other living woman winner, was under house arrest at the time. She became an honorary member upon her release in 2010.)
Today, the NWI includes six laureates — Shirin Ebadi, Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman, Rigoberta Menchú Tum and Jody Williams — offering programs, events, training, mentorship, advocacy and campaigns.
(l-r) Nobel Women’s Initiative founders Jody Williams, Betty Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Mairead Maguire and Wangari Maathai. (Nobel Women’s Initiative) — Click to watch video about the founding.
Last summer, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams, Tawakkol Karman, and Leymah Gbowee traveled to Poland and Ukraine to meet with hundreds of displaced women and dozens of women’s organizations, human rights organizations, humanitarian agencies and activists.
(l-r) Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Jody Williams, Tawakkol Karman, and Leymah Gbowee in Ukraine. (Nobel Women's Initiative)
After the laureates visited Poland and Ukraine, NWI released a Delegation Report, held advocacy meetings with decision-makers and, in partnership with United for Ukraine, commissioned a documentary film entitled Oh, Sister!
The 20-minute film features the stories of six Ukrainian women who are facing the challenges of the ongoing Russian invasion, and fighting for peace, justice and freedom in their country. I hope you will watch it and share it with your friends.
Oh! Sister features the stories of six women
Oleksandra Matviychuk – Human Rights lawyer, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2022.
Alla Melnychuk – Head of Mother and Newborn, a charitable organization helping to save lives of infants with severe health issues.
Tata Kepler – A medical supplies volunteer, Head of Ptahy Foundation providing tactical medical supplies on an industrial scale.
Natalia Kudrych and Nadia Zhmykovska – Train conductors for Ukrainian Railways.
Lastivka – A medical platoon leader on the front lines.
Oh, Sister! spotlights how Ukrainian women are working to safeguard fundamental human rights in the face of war. It also shows the central role that women and civil society play in keeping life going in times of war. The film has been screened in Brussels and Berlin with EU Ministers, ambassadors, diplomats, and the general public. It was also shown at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo on January 24, with Jody Williams participating.
Generating support for women-led organizations in Ukraine and continuing to pressure the international community to ensure the inclusion of women at all levels of decision making now (and in the eventual post-war recovery and rebuilding process), is more important than ever. NWI shared this list of actions we can all take.
There are numerous ways to support the women in Ukraine
Donate! United for Ukraine launched the Women Lead campaign, raising resources for women-led organizations fighting for peace, justice and equality. Show / share this QR code for the donation page.
Advocate! Advocate for an end to the war and demand inclusion of diverse women in all decision-making processes with your national government and international bodies.
Connect! Invite your group to write postcards to our sisters in Ukraine and post them on social media tagging Nobel Women’s Initiative and United for Ukraine.
Join the sisterhood! Invite your group to stay in touch with NWI. Show / share this QR code to sign up for NWI’s newsletter.
Spread the word! Ask your group to share their impressions and invite their network to watch the film. Sample social media posts are here.
Show the film! Invite your group to host screenings of their own. For any enquiries about the film, including screenings, contact ohsister [at] nobelwomensinitiative [dot] org.
"Change is driven from the ground up by women’s movements and leaders. Looking forward, the Nobel Women’s Initiative will continue to use our collective power to take more courageous and collective actions for peace to transform old, ineffective approaches to resolving conflicts and create conditions for a more peaceful, just, sustainable, democratic and equal world," writes Maria Butler, executive director of NWI.
We all can support these objectives by sharing the film with our networks as I am doing today, or by hosting a screening! More details and resources can be found here on the NWI website, including a helpful discussion guide and social media toolkit.
Given that the war and its devastating impact on the Ukrainian people, still bravely resisting the Russian invasion of their country, is no longer top of mind in the ever changing news cycles, it’s all the more important that each of us take a moment every day to remember and if possible, to do something.
Today, I’m writing about it and sharing this short film. What will you do?
Onwards!
- Pat