A discussion on Bodily Autonomy, Women’s Right and the Hijab
There is an ongoing fight for women’s freedom to choose across the world, from Iran and El Salvador, to India and the United States. Women, men and people are taking to the streets – women burning their head scarves and cutting their hair – to protest against the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly in Tehran, while women in India are fighting for their right to wear one. In El Salvador and the United States, women are demanding abortion rights.
These ongoing protests are a fight for bodily autonomy, agency and freedom to make choices over oneself. Women in different parts of the world are still fighting for their basic human rights, to be seen, heard and to choose for themselves.
Join us for a nuanced discussion about the situation in Iran and beyond with with Sherry Hakimnejad, Chisom Udeze, Stephanie Alvarez and Sayantani Saha.
This is a hybrid event. Join us in person at HerSpace or online. Please register below to receive the zoom link.
This event is FREE to attend. Follow the link to register HERE
About the speakers:
Sherry Hakimnejad is an entrepreneur and social worker. She was born in Iran but moved to Norway at the age of 5 because of war. Sherry co-founded the company DivInc to help companies with diversity and inclusion in the development of their services, products and strategies. She is passionate about empowering the silent voices in the Norwegian society – whether that be the youth, the elderly or immigrant women.
Stephanie Alvarez is an International Development and Human Rights practitioner who has dedicated her professional career to helping international social justice organisations grow and scale their operations and programs. She holds a Masters in International Relations and Conflict Resolution from the Externado University of Colombia and a BA in Political Science and International Studies from Franklin & Marshall College in the United States. Stephanie is passionate about intersectionality and social justice causes. Her passion has led her to work in numerous fields including genocide and mass atrocity prevention, transitional justice, DDR, protective accompaniment (of human rights leaders) and disaster relief.
Chisom Udeze is an Economist, Organizational Design and DEI Strategist, and a 3 times founder with over 12 years of experience working with organizations like the European Commission, The United Nations and ExxonMobil. Chisom has an analytical mind and works to interrogate the cross-sectoral relationship between society’s resources, production, distribution and output. She is adept at efficiently and effectively unlocking complex systems, data management, forecasting economic and social trends, and thrives in uncertain environments.
As the founder of Diversify, Chisom works with companies, governments and civil society to facilitate measurable diversity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace and society. In 2020, mid-pandemic, she founded HerSpace, a diverse and inclusive co-creation community for all genders, with particular focus on women-led companies and mothers. She is a thought-leader in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) and a passionate advocate for mental health and wellness.
Sayantani Saha is the community manager at HerSpace. She has a diverse work experience across different fields. Sayantani has worked as a copy editor in a leading Indian newspaper, a buyer and merchandiser in a retail organisation and as a social media professional in various organisations, including her own business. She has a masters degree in fashion management. At Diversify, she takes care of all things social media.
