WoMidan Declaration

Stockholm 2 December 2015

We, the participants at the WoMidan seminar, come together from Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Yemen,
Palestine, Ukraine, France, Italy, Greece, Sweden, and other European countries as young activists for
womens rights and empowerment. We are women and men from different backgrounds, religions,
professions, and with diverging political views, but we all share the belief that the empowerment of
women is a precondition for sustainable change and progress.
While we come from diverse contexts, our societies face serious challenges in regards to gender
equality and equal political, economic and social participation and opportunities. Recent experiences in
the Midans (Squares), of our cities have shown that women, when they participate and speak out, are
particularly subject to physical, sexual and psychological violence; to disempowering stereotypes; to
hate speech and other forms of abuse. We have come together to identify priorities and actions for
womens activism, among which:
Establishing a secure environment for women to be engaged in spurring social and political change. It
is imperative for civil society, media and in particular governments to take action to ensure that women
are safe when they raise their voices or exercise their political rights. Governments should be put under
pressure to ensure accountability for any use of violence or threats of violence targeted against women
by the police, military, other agents of the state, by armed groups and by individuals. Civil society and
international community should constantly monitor and report violence against women to build
pressure for concerted action.
Education formal and nonformal - is a crucial vector for changing attitudes and gender misperceptions
in order to provide all with skills, confidence and opportunities to be fully engaged in public life.
Media practitioners have a particularly important responsibility in combatting gender stereotypes in
both language and images, and ensuring a plural and diverse public sphere.
Gender equality and reducing gender gaps are in the interests of everyone. The issues of work-life
balance, different career choices and sexual freedom are ever more important issues of our times for
both men and women.
Civil society organisations, social movements and individual activists have a responsibility to come
together - in and beyond the Midan - to share experiences, build solidarity, organize themselves
politically and work together to ensure an empowering environment for women.
The Midan gave birth to many movements that have already achieved a deep shift in attitudes towards
greater equality for women, and this legacy must be built upon even in periods of political upheaval,
war or oppression.
We call out to womens activists, both men and women, everywhere to join networks and speak up and
out with confidence to promote womens rights and equality. Our work and participation is essential for
social change, and that places us in a position of strength.
Finally, we would like to dedicate this declaration to all the women activists who lost their lives, are in
detention or are suffering whilst fighting in the Midan. Your voices have been heard, and we are
dedicated to amplifying them.