As we bid farewell to another year of celebrating progress, advocacy and intersectional feminist voices, let’s reflect on the impactful work our team did last year. The year 2023 was all about promoting gender equality, and intersectionality and informing responsibly. Here are the key milestones and initiatives that defined our year!
Editorial
In 2023, FII’s English Editorial published about 950 articles including many ground reports. The editorial published 11 Mood of the Month (MOTM), our monthly theme, on diverse topics and issues, for which we received and published hundreds of articles.
FII’s Associate Editor Shahinda Syed participated as a panelist on Feminist Journalism with other panelists from The Quint, Newslaundy etc. Ritika Mahajan, Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, MNIT Jaipur took reference from 10 articles from FII as secondary data for a study titled “Experiences of LGBTQs in India: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Work.”
The Hindi editorial published 547 articles this year and was also the winner of this year’s Social Media for Empowerment Award 2023 by the Digital Empowerment Foundation. FII Hindi also got selected for Google News Initiative India Language Program 2023 and was also part of the BBC She Project, where FII Hindi and BBC did a ground report together.
FII Hindi Managing Editor Ritika took a day-long session for CREA on gender and digital space. She was also invited to a panel by the All India Network of Sex Workers for a National Consultation titled ‘Sisterhood and Solidarity with Sex Workers: One Year Since the Historic Supreme Court Ruling of 2022.’ She shared her views on the topic ‘Does the feminist movement in India care about sex workers?‘ Ritika also attended a two-day workshop on fact-checking by Factshala.
FII Hindi Digital Editor Saloni Sisodiya and Assistant Editor Pooja Rathi went to Mumbai to attend Point of View’s Jhakas event where 75 grassroots creators from 13 states of India participated. We engaged in a series of different workshops, and panel discussions on groundwork and community change.
A record of 6 Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2023 was won by our multiple writers across both English and Hindi publications. This is the sixth time that FII has won this award. FII’s Staff Writer Sohini Sengupta was awarded the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity, under the category Web feature category for the story ‘Trans Voices In Campuses: The Need For Safe Spaces Beyond Electoral Lip Service,’ published on FII English. FII’s former Associate Editor (English) Sukanya Shaji won the Jury Appreciation Citation for the story ‘The Acquittal Of Franco Mulakkal: How One Woman’s Agony Becomes Every Woman’s Agony,’ published on FII English.
FII’s Assistant Editor Pooja Rathi won the Jury Appreciation Citation for the story छोटे शहरों-कस्बों में औरतों का साथ देती उनकी स्कूटी! published on FII Hindi. FII’s new Hindi Associate Editor Malabika Dhar was awarded the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity, under the category Web feature category for the story ऑटिज़्म और महिलाएं: महिलाओं के एहसास की मान्यता, उनकी चुनौतियों और समस्याओं की बात published on FII Hindi. FII’s former staff writer Aishwarya Raj won the Jury Appreciation Citation for the story एक नज़र रामचंद्र मांझी, ‘नाच’ और उनके कलाकारों की सामाजिक स्थिति पर published on FII Hindi. FII’s staff writer Aashika Singh won the Jury Appreciation Citation for the story ग्राउंड रिपोर्ट: सावित्री का विद्याबाग वंचितों तक पहुंचा रहा है शिक्षा का बुनियादी अधिकार published on FII Hindi.
Through the articles, we continued to amplify diverse voices, ensuring that underrepresented perspectives were brought to the forefront. We also interviewed some eminent personalities like Sucharita Tyagi, Seema Anand, Yashica Dutt, Shilo Shiv Suleman, etc. Pretty cool indeed! Our writer’s community has seen significant, enriching growth and we could amplify marginalised voices through our platform.
Multimedia
This year, our online community grew bigger and stronger. We introduced newer content formats like FII Chats and Feature posts on our feed which did exceptionally well and brought meaningful conversations around topics like the glorification of violence in cinema, sustainable fashion, marriages, hustle culture, etc. On our YouTube, we published close to 100 videos this year. We also won the DataLEADS grant and had the opportunity to work with FactShala India to ideate and create an 8-part bilingual video series on Gender-based Disinformation in India. We also wrapped up the 3rd successful season of our flagship podcast Intersectional Feminism—Desi Style! where we look to explore the nuances of gender at the workplace speaking with women/trans and queer individuals from different fields like journalism, politics, social work, sports, business and so much more. We had some terrific guests like Kali Sudhra, Saili Chopra, and Kshama Sawant among others.
Campaigns and Collaborations
We, at FII, believe in meaningful and impactful collaborations to inform and educate. Through strategic partnerships, thought-provoking campaigns, and powerful storytelling, we facilitated conversations that spread awareness on issues that matter.
Our Partnerships team collaborated with the organization Proactive for Her to raise awareness about vaginismus, shedding light on an often-overlooked issue and providing support for those affected.
We also partnered with Educate Girls to raise awareness about the importance of a second chance at education for young girls. Through the cause, we highlighted the challenges faced by young girls and worked towards creating a supportive environment for their education.
We also executed impactful campaigns in collaboration with SRI to advance sexual rights globally. By developing compelling media and communication products, we were able to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of individuals on sexual health and reproductive rights.
As a part of 16 Days of Activism to address gender-based violence, we teamed up with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) again and raised awareness on violence against girls, women, trans individuals, migrant workers, and HIV/sex workers, fostering a broader conversation on the issue. We are also currently working closely with CREA on a Gender and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) campaign, addressing the intersectionality of gender issues in essential areas like water and sanitation and also with YP Foundation, on the development of a comprehensive media toolkit focusing on abortion rights to educate and empower media communities.
Through such meaningful campaigns, we understood the importance of tailoring communication strategies to address the specific needs of diverse communities. We also got to know the power such collaborative efforts have in amplifying the impact of advocacy campaigns.
Social Media
In 2023, our social media platforms showed a boom in engagement! Some interesting discussions and exchanges between our community members made us think twice. Poster series on Nepal Marriage Equality, Animal film review, Wrestler’s protest and Kerala Story film review reached more than 2 lakh audience! We used our social media handles as tools for change, education, learning and unlearning.
The FII community grew substantially, with more than 17,000 subscribers on YouTube, over 89,000 followers on Facebook, 52,000 followers on Twitter, over 172,000 followers on Instagram, more than 16,000 followers on LinkedIn and over 3000 followers on our Telegram channel.
We are stronger with your love and support. And we would like to thank you for the unwavering support and appreciation you have given us. On to the next year, with bigger and better intersectional content your way!
Thank you to all!
Also read: FII’s Year In Review 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014.
