Rural Women’s Forum – Equal Movement in the Countryside
Many are the stories of women striving to save their communities from the burdens of discrimination, exclusion, deprivation, inequality, economic hardship, unemployment, and poverty. From this reality emerged the urgent need to establish the “Rural Women’s Forum – Equal Movement in the Countryside”, driven by our belief that civil society—especially women—must act swiftly to institutionalize feminist work in rural areas and advocate for women’s rights. This includes confronting violence, discrimination, and systemic exclusion practiced against women in rural communities.
Founded in 2020, the Equal Movement has taken on the mission of amplifying the voices of those who have none, fostering solidarity among rural communities, and mobilizing for change toward justice and equality. The movement seeks to place rural women’s priorities on the agendas of policymakers at both local and national levels, in alignment with international standards of human rights and dignity.
As we navigate a complex reality filled with change, crises, resistance, and conflict across the Arab region, we remain hopeful in our ability to endure, adapt, and mobilize national and international solidarity to sustain our collective feminist efforts and achievements in rural areas. Over the next three years, we aim to deepen, expand, and strengthen the feminist movement in the countryside—despite the intersecting challenges facing civil society and women amid dominance, violence, fragility, conflict, and instability, which have made women more vulnerable to violations, marginalization, and injustice.
From 2020 to 2024, we have led fearless interventions, published research, policy briefs, and analyses on the intersections of gender, justice, and equality in rural areas. We have embraced bold feminist agendas in coalition spaces—especially in local feminist politics—and we look forward to elevating this momentum to new heights, driven by rural feminist struggle for gender justice. Our goal is to ensure the sustainability of this movement and achieve genuine recognition of women as equal partners in development, political decision-making, party work, and local governance—based on principles of justice and equality.
We are committed to sustaining solidarity and collaboration with partners and donors to fund our interventions aimed at reducing violence, discrimination, and exclusion against women in rural and marginalized areas. These communities urgently need responsive support to protect the future of rural women and end all forms of violence, discrimination, and exclusion.
