Blog by Janet Schempf, President of SI Anchorage, Alaska
Jaha Dukureh at International Women’s Day Commemoration, New York
Dignity is not negotiable. Equality is not optional. And freedom is not a dream
The United Nations commemorated International Women’s Day at the UN General Assembly Hall on 7 March 2025. One of the speakers who shared the stage with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous was author and activist Jaha Dukureh, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for Africa, who is well known for her efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and to build solid economic foundations for women and girls affected by FGM. Jaha’s speech emphasised the urgency of achieving gender equality, asserting that freedom for all women and girls is not just a dream, but a demand.
Describing herself as “a survivor of a system” that valued her silence, obedience, and ability to endure FGM and child marriages, Jaha told the audience that she “… did not just endure and survive,” but that she resisted, and “fought for my freedom, for my daughter’s freedom, and for the freedom of all women and girls who deserve more than to survive: they deserve the right to thrive.”
She explained what Soroptimists everywhere understand: “… For all women and girls, poverty is more than a lack of money, it is a lack of power” and that “when a girl is denied education because her family cannot afford [the] school fee, when a mother cannot escape an abusive marriage because she has no financial independence, when women’s labour on farms, in homes, in markets goes unrecognised and unpaid, this is not just economic inequality, it is a denial of dignity, and for all women and girls, dignity is not negotiable.”
Jaha has seen the optimism and the reward “when we invest in all women and girls,” and she talked about communities where women transform farms using regenerative agricultural practices; these women simultaneously feed their families and heal the land.
She reminded us that she has worked with traditional and religious leaders who had defended harmful traditional practices, but became “champions of change” after understanding that progress does not mean abandoning one’s culture; indeed, progress is “protecting all our daughters.”
Emphasising that economic independence is the foundation of freedom for all women and girls, Jaha stated: “A woman who can provide for herself can make choices. A girl who has an education can build her own future,” and she noted that “A mother who is supported by policies that value her care work can raise her children without fear.” Further, women, who with just a small investment in their businesses, lift not only themselves, but entire communities out of poverty.
She also recognised that too many governments fail to invest in the very people who hold our societies together. “For all women and girls, we must act, governments must act. Investing in social protection, education, and care infrastructure is not charity, it is a necessity. When we close the gap in care policies, we unlock the potential for millions. When we fund women-led solutions to climate change, we build a more just and sustainable world. When we ensure that all women and girls have access to land, to capital and resources, then we are not just fighting poverty, we are reshaping the future.”
Jaha Dukureh calls us to action to achieve gender equality and social justice. “Because dignity is not negotiable. Equality is not optional. And freedom for all women and girls is not a dream. It is a demand, and we will not stop until it is met.”
For more information about Jaha, see:
Protecting Girls & Enabling Economic Empowerment for Women
Jaha Marie Dukureh
https://africa.unwomen.org/en/news-and-events/stories/2018/02/jaha-dukureh-biography
UN Women Regional UN Women Ambassador Jaha Dukureh
The 2017 documentary film Jaha’s Promise is available on YouTube.
Jaha’s 2024 memoir, I Will Scream to the World, is available to buy and read.