Young Females from Libya Meet to Advocate for Human Rights

A total of 35 young females from Libya’s south, east and west came together to discuss how human rights can be leveraged for developing advocacy campaigns that are focused on community as a part of UN in Libya Ra’idat programme.

This group also included people with disabilities and the discussion took place with an intent to drive change. These young women have been working in group in order to design their own campaigns, focusing on key human rights issues with regards to decent work, education, housing, health, disabilities and the environment. They have also learnt to focus on messaging as well as objectives for being able to advocate for change among their target audience.

One participant from Tripoli stated, “Rights are only real when they are available to everyone equally and meet clear standards like equity to protect these rights, there must be the right laws, and proper enforcement.”

Another participant added, “I have learnt that we cannot achieve change without networking with people, gaining more knowledge and challenging ourselves. I can’t do anything alone.”

Additionally, the group also observed the history of the roles of females in Libya, hearing from a panel of female leaders from the UN that included Sophie Kemkhadze, the Resident Representative of UNDP; Elizabeth Creek, the Acting Head of Education at UNICEF and lastly, Maram Akrout, the UN Women Officer.