Women in Activism: The Women at the Forefront of Global Grassroots Movements

The power of feminine courage, diligence, and intellect is shaping the future of social justice and environmental conservation and redefining the role of women in activism. Across the globe, women are not just participants but leading figures in grassroots movements, challenging long-standing inequalities and advocating for a sustainable planet.

These agents of change, from diverse backgrounds and cultures, embody the spirit of resilience and innovation, proving that with determination and unity, transformative change is possible. Their battles against corporations, governments, and societal norms have brought critical issues to the forefront and inspired countless others to stand up for their rights and the well-being of our planet.

This narrative unfolds the stories of remarkable women in activism who, through their relentless efforts and visionary leadership, are making significant strides in making the world a more equitable and just place. Join us in exploring the journeys of these formidable women from around the world, whose contributions are paving the way for future generations in the fight against injustice and environmental degradation.

Their stories underscore a critical message: when women lead, profound and lasting change is not just a possibility but an inevitable reality.

Vandana Shiva

A woman with a cheery face perpetually adorned by a big red bindi (a decorative mark worn in the middle of the forehead by Indian women), Vandana Shiva is an internationally recognized eco-warrior. She is best known for her brave fight against Monsanto (now owned by Bayer), the world’s largest producer of genetically modified (GM) seeds. Shiva has cited several compelling reasons against GM seeds, chiefly their potential environmental consequences and corporate control over seeds when they should be remaining in the hands of farmers. 

Shiva is the founder of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology (RFSTE), an organization that promotes sustainable agriculture and biodiversity. She set up her foundation in 1982 in her mother’s cow shed in the hilly city of Dehradun and began documenting the ‘Green Revolution’ that began in India in the 1960s that marked the adoption of high-yielding varieties of seeds, irrigation facilities, tractors, pesticides, and fertilizers. Although the Green Revolution improved food security, it imposed a monoculture in India where farmers were forced to abandon native varieties in favor of high-yielding rice and wheat crops. 

During the 90s, when the first genetically modified crops were planted, Shiva launched an initiative to save India’s native seeds and encourage their use among farmers. In 1999, she took Monsanto to the Supreme Court for introducing its GM cotton into India without permission. In the 60s, Monsanto had attracted infamy for producing a deadly mixture of herbicides for the US military during the Vietnam War. The following years saw the company develop GM crops and penetrate developing agricultural countries. 

Shiva’s battle against Monsanto came full circle when a ‘people’s tribunal’ in the Hague found the monolith guilty of human rights violations. In her five decades as an environmental crusader, Shiva has worked to save forests, advocated for organic farming, championed ecofeminism, shut down polluting mines, and challenged major chemical corporations. She has traveled through India’s villages, collecting thousands of varieties of rice, setting up seed banks, and helping farmers return to their organic roots. Read Shiva’s views on ‘why the food we eat matters’ in this BBC article. 

Leymah Gbowee

Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist who, along with two other fellow Liberians, received the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for rallying women to form a non-violent movement to end Liberia’s civil war. Their efforts brought the country’s Christian and Muslim women together and made possible the election of Africa’s first female head of state, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. 

When the First Liberian Civil War, which began in 1989, ended in a ceasefire, the country had a brief period of peace under the dictatorship of President Charles Taylor. Leymah joined UNICEF’s program, which trained social workers to help people recover from the trauma of war. A single mother with four children, Gbowee spent the next few years counseling women who had been raped by soldiers and children who had witnessed their parents being killed. She joined the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) – Africa’s first regional peace organization – and founded the Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET). 

President Taylor soon began leading his country into another war, with rival armies leaving the country in chaos, thousands of young men losing their lives, and children being trained to kill. Leymah and her allies established a mass action for peace, enlisting women in markets, mosques, and churches to stage demonstrations and sit-ins resisting Taylor’s orders. She also organized a ‘sex strike’ that made international headlines for its inspiration from Lysistrata and Aristophanes, the heroines of the Peloponnesian War, who withheld sex from their men until they made peace a priority. 

In 2012, the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa (GPFA) was set up in Liberia to provide opportunities to women and youth as future peacemakers and democratic leaders. Its sister organization, Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa-USA (GPFA-USA), was established in New York to nurture a global community and disseminate the teachings of Gbowee. GPFA-USA has spent millions on Liberia’s education, community, and leadership development programs. Here’s Gbowee’s TED Talk on unlocking the passion, intelligence, and greatness of girls. 

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim

Chadian environmental activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim advocates fusing Western methods with indigenous wisdom in tackling the complex and existential threat of climate change. In 2019, Time magazine listed her as one of the 15 women leading the fight against climate change. 

Oumarou is a member of the nomadic Mbororo people of Chad, who grapple daily with the potential consequence of weather vagaries. When the 39-year-old was a child, Lake Chad, whose waters sustain people, animals, and economic activity in Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger, spanned 3,861 square miles. Today, at 463 square miles, it is slowly disappearing, leading to the displacement of indigenous communities and forcing them to find new lands to sustain their way of life. 

After experiencing first-hand the experience of the effects of climate change on her community, Oumarou Ibrahim joined hands with meteorologists to deliver local weather forecasts that her community could use for planning and evolved it to a text message alert system that notifies city dwellers and herders of inclement weather conditions. She began a mapping initiative with her community, asking members to chart the migration corridors they used to bring their cattle to water, and extended the exercise to fisherfolk. Farmers were next, and they soon had sketches of croplands. With a map of conflicting needs, Oumarou Ibrahim was able to identify a compromise that ensured water access and avoided conflict. 

Oumarou Ibrahim’s tireless work has received attention and praise worldwide. In 2016, she was selected to represent civil society at the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement. In 2017, she was recognized as a National Geographer Society Emerging Explorer. In 2019, she was one of 17 people appointed by the United Nations as an advocate of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Oumarou Ibrahim is President of the Association of Indigenous Women and People of Chad, which works with indigenous peoples on programs centered on human rights, indigenous peoples’ rights, and environmental protection through internationally recognized ecological frameworks. She has said that change must come from governments and policymakers, urged the global community to pursue trade models that aren’t dependent on fossil fuels and called for more investments in the African continent to boost the growth of renewable energy. Watch Oumarou-Ibrahim’s TED Talk here. 

Helena Maleno

Helena Maleno is a Spanish-Moroccan human rights defender exposing human rights abuses against migrants on the Western European border. Her fearless activism has drawn ire from authorities in Europe and Africa, including death threats that Maleno has exposed publicly. 

Maleno was born in the small Spanish town of El Ejido in 1970 and saw how poverty drove men from her community to migrate to the north in search of work. In the 1980s and 90s, the discovery of greenhouses in Almeria turned it into an agricultural hub and attracted an influx of North African migrants. The migrants were mistreated by their employers and forced to work in hazardous conditions. An increase in migrant populations led to anti-migrant sentiment, resulting in racial violence, which Meleno began documenting. 

Furious with what she saw, Maleno began contacting the migrants and, over the years, gained their trust, becoming their point of contact for assistance. Upon receiving distress calls, Maleno leverages her media contacts to get the story in the international press, which brings in international aid organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders, to help stranded migrants. Maleno also works with organizations to develop research on deportations and asylum.

She is the founder and CEO of Caminando Fronteras. This non-governmental human rights organization assists at-risk migrants crossing by sea to the Morocco-Spanish border in unsafe borders by alerting maritime authorities of Spain, Morocco, and Algeria. The organization also provides social, legal, and healthcare support to migrants and documents human rights violations on both sides of the border. 

Caminando Fronteras has substantial and far-reaching networks spanning migrant communities and migrant rights organizations in North Africa, Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe. It uses strategic litigation and documentation to spotlight the trafficking, abuse, and exploitation of migrants, especially women and children, at the Morocco-Spain border. 

Maleno has collaborated with international organizations and given lectures and workshops on human trafficking and migration. She also contributes to media outlets such as Publico and Eldiario.es. In 2017, El Pais named Malebo one of 10 African Women of the Year. Even as Maleno courageously faces death threats and trumped-up charges, she inspires women to join the fight against human rights violations against migrants. 

Doing your bit

Knowledge is our strongest ally against propaganda and misinformation, especially in the fight against climate change and social injustices. Embracing the spirit of women in activism, we can all contribute to a fairer, more sustainable world. By signing petitions, spreading awareness on social media, and joining protests, each of us can play a part in these crucial movements. Let’s unite in these actions, inspired by the fearless women leading the way, to foster lasting change toward a more equitable and healthy planet.