Refugee Women Empowered Making Gender Equality Films In Greece

Faizan Hashmi Published June 22, 2021 | 11:40 AM

Athens, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jun, 2021 ) :In the offices of a small Athens charity offering vocational courses, a group of women are busy editing short films and podcasts under the supervision of an American director.

Refugees from Congo, Syria, Afghanistan and Iran, the women are being trained by GlobalGirl Media, an organisation teaching digital media and journalism skills to young women from under-served communities.

But although some have come to Greece from halfway across the world, they have found that the problems they face are not so different after all.

"I was not aware of the difficulties experienced by Greek women. During the interviews, we discussed at length the need to support each other as women whatever our origins, because we are going through similar experiences", notes Fatemeh Jafari, a 25-year-old Afghan.

Violence against women and femicide in Greece have gradually seen more exposure in recent years after decades of silence.

Sexual harassment is also more widely reported since January when Greek Olympic sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou accused a federation official of sex abuse, spurring a belated #MeToo awakening in Greece.

"The voices of women are hardly audible in the media, especially those of young refugees," says GlobalGirl Media's coordinator in Greece, American director Amie Williams.

"The idea is to allow them to train in journalism professions, to be heard but also to rebuild themselves by filming their stories or those of other women who are committed to gender equality," she said.

On June 30, the United Nations will host a forum on gender equality in Paris, where activists will seek to influence states to advance gender equality.

For the occasion, Williams says the young refugees received training and money to make short films by interviewing organisations and feminist icons in Greece.

Sude Fazlolah, a 38-year-old Iranian, said she "learned a lot" after she and her sister Elie interviewed Bekatorou.