Dear FII reader,
Today, FII turns 10! For a small and independent media organisation like ours to continue operating in the current socio-political climate is nothing short of a momentous achievement. Ten years ago, I embarked on a journey to create a space for Indian women by Indian women to write their stories, to be heard and to discover the history of our foremothers. Running this platform for 10 years has been both challenging and deeply rewarding for me, personally.
In a world where media often overlooks the critical issues we face, our platform has become a beacon for those seeking truth, gender justice, and representation. We’ve shared the stories that others wouldn’t, and we’ve amplified voices that deserve to be heard. We’ve faced financial struggles, censorship, online harassment, and the constant battle for visibility in an oversaturated media landscape, but we have never wavered in our commitment to our mission.
As we celebrate a decade of feminist storytelling, I’m excited to take you on a journey through the remarkable evolution of our organisation. Over the years, we have transformed from a mere Facebook page into a leading bilingual feminist media organisation, making significant strides in both digital and offline spaces. So, let’s look back on the milestones that have defined our journey and celebrate the incredible impact we’ve made together
Our story begins on 23rd March 2013, when I launched the Feminism in India Facebook page, marking the first step towards building a diverse feminist community online. We held our first campaign ‘I Need Feminism’ in April 2014, at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology and Ambedkar University Delhi. ‘I need Feminism’ was a public awareness campaign aimed at asking people why and how feminism is important to them. We spoke to over a 100 people and sparked vital conversations across the nation on feminism. A year later, we launched our website and published the first article on 19th August 2014.
From talking about the importance of feminism to addressing sexual harassment through our 16 Days of Activism campaign, we’ve consistently pushed boundaries and challenged norms. Our innovative work earned us the Manthan Award for E-Women & Empowerment, recognising our effective use of digital tools for advocacy, and the Laadli Media Awards for breaking the silence on sexual harassment.
FII has also been instrumental with the women’s rights movement in India and co-oragnised the annual Women’s Day march in Delhi as well as the #IWillGoOut protest march in the wake of the 2016 mass molestation case in Bengaluru on New Year’s eve. It was an incredible show of unity and a powerful statement for gender equality. Seeing so many people come together like that was truly inspiring!
Not just offline, but women face harassment in online spaces as well. FII was one of the first organisations in India to do research and run public advocacy campaigns on the grave issue of technology facilitated gender-based violence. In 2016, we conducted a survey of 500 women across India and produced a research report in collaboration with the US-based NGO Freedom House. Our recommendations were presented to platforms like Meta and X and even the UN Human Rights Commissioner. We also held workshops on digital safety with young women to empower them against this form of violence.
FII recognises the need for increasing the representation of Indian women across the internet. Hence, we initiated the FII Wiki Project and organised Wikipedia editathons to increase gender-sensitive content on Wikipedia in India as well as lead to an increase in women editors. This also enables women to learn new technologies and digitally empower themselves. We collaborated with many social good organisations and even foreign governments including the Swedish Embassy in New Delhi who were so inspired by our work that they initiated the Wiki Gap project across all Swedish embassies.
Our impact has reached international platforms, with our team members representing FII at various conferences such as RightsCon, Stockholm Internet Forum, the UN Women’s CSW, Asia Pacific Feminist forum, Republica, 4Gamechangers Festival to name a few. The Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation selected our website for inclusion in its South Asian Gender and Sexuality Web.
We expanded our reach with bilingual content, introducing FII Hindi’s website, YouTube channel, and social media accounts in 2019.
In 2020, we launched the Jobs and Opportunities Board on Feminism in India’s website. This board connects you to a curated list of jobs, internships, and fellowships in the development sector.
We’ve been honoured with numerous awards, including the Laadli Media Awards, the UN World Summit Young Innovator Award, the Orange Flower Award, the SCARF Mental Health Award, and the Social Media 4 Empowerment Award for our campaigns, like #IndianWomenInHistory, #GBVInMedia, #DigitalHifazat, and #AbortionMeraHaq among others.
We also ventured into podcasts and multimedia content. Our YouTube channel boasts of 400+ videos where we explain feminist terminology, analyse pop culture trends, and ask valid questions on gender stereotypes. Our flagship podcast, ‘Intersectional Feminism – Desi Style’ dives into the meaning of intersectionality, it’s various contours and how it is impossible to talk about feminism without acknowledging the intersections within it.
FII has also played a key role in changing narratives on how women and gender issues should be reported and represented by mainstream media. Our bilingual guides on how media should report gender-based violence and our recent guide on media ethics for reporting abortion are just a few examples of how we’re keeping the conversation going.
Our collaborations with global social good organisations like Mama Cash, World YWCA, SRI, IPPF, Google News Initiative to name a few have been instrumental in advancing our mission. Grants and awards have supported our growth, enabling us to produce impactful content and drive change.
As we celebrate this milestone, we reflect on the countless voices we’ve amplified, the barriers we’ve broken, and the progress we’ve made in the fight for gender equity. I’m filled with gratitude for all the support we’ve received and the progress we’ve made. Together, we’ve proven that independent feminist media is not only necessary but unstoppable. Here’s to a decade of making a difference and continuing our fight for a gender just world. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey with us!
Onwards and upwards!
Warmly,
Japleen and Team FII
