ATHENS — 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.
اضافة اعلان
Refugees from Congo, Syria, Afghanistan and Iran, the women are being
trained by
GlobalGirl Media, an organization 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
sexual 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 organizations 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.
'Speak up'
"You shouldn't be afraid to speak up or be ashamed to denounce a man's
inappropriate behavior," Sude said.
The two sisters had previously lived in the notorious Moria camp on the
island of Lesbos.
After it burned down in September, they wandered the streets of Athens and
Thessaloniki for days before going to the Elaionas camp in the capital.
"As women, dangers are everywhere, in the camps this feeling is even
more present. You are afraid to go to the toilet, to walk alone at night,"
says Elie.
One of the short films deals with a space on Lesbos set aside for women for
showering and relaxation. Another asks female interviewees to identify what
constitutes feminism.
'I was lucky to
find a good man'
At 14, Ataa Brimo was married off by her parents to a man nine years her
senior, and had her first child a year later.
Now 30, stranded in Greece and separated from her family in Germany for the
past two years, this Syrian refugee has made a short film on underage marriages
that resonates with thousands of women with similar experiences — and many more
with even worse tales to tell.
Titled "Little Mother", Brimo's film has been selected for the
Thessaloniki Documentary Festival that opens Thursday.
"I was lucky to come across a good man. But clearly I was not prepared
to become a mother so young, I did not understand what happened to me,"
she told AFP.
According to Greek police, the number of domestic violence incidents
quadrupled in Greece between 2010 and 2018, from 1,148 to 4,254.
But many cases still go unreported.
Last week, a 32-year-old Greek confessed to killing his 20-year-old British
wife as she slept next to their baby daughter, and tried to disguise the crime
as a deadly burglary.
'Together we feel
stronger'
"These young women did not necessarily know until now what gender
equality was," said Williams.
"But even without knowing it, they are very strong and feminists...
they have left their families, patriarchal societies, travelled, faced many
hardships alone."
"They are fighting to rebuild their lives as they wish," she
adds.
Project supervisor Adriana Theochari says speaking to refugees has helped
Greek women address their fears and challenges, too.
"Among themselves, without the presence of men, they feel safe, they
can express themselves without restraint, cry without shame," Theochari
said.
"The fact that Greek women like myself also participate in sessions
facilitates the integration of refugees, and leads to more understanding
between us."
"After all, we are all women, regardless of our background and our
origins, and we often understand each other without speaking the same
language," she stresses.
"Together, we feel stronger, more equipped to face the inequalities and
discrimination that exist in all societies".
Read more
Region & World
.jpg)
.jpg)
