Women

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Chechnya

Woman denied passport in Chechnya for not having ‘male guarantor’

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•2 min read

Chechen authorities have reportedly refused to issue a woman a passport because she was not accompanied by a male relative. On Tuesday, NC SOS Crisis Group, a queer rights organisation operating in the North Caucasus representing the woman, reported that their lawyer had filed a complaint in connection with the refusal to issue a passport. ‘Employees of the Migration Department demand that the girl’s “guarantor” — an older male relative — be present,’ the group’s statement read, adding that

Lali is a self-taught beekeeper with 14 years of experience. Photo: Tamuna Chkareuli/OC Media.

Agriculture

Georgia’s women farmers battle a changing climate

by Tamuna Chkareuli

•6 min read

In Georgia’s patriarchal countryside, women are starting to take more leading roles in agriculture — but climate change threatens even the modest gains that women have made so far. Lali Sukhitashvili inherited a number of beehives from her mother-in-law, one of the first beekeepers in the village, 14 years ago. She has worked as a beekeeper ever since. ‘My profession was maths, and bees are mathematicians too. I’m fascinated by their biology. When a lot of bees died in my first year [as a

Elections

Is there a place for women in local government in Nagorno-Karabakh?

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•5 min read

As of September, women have the lowest representation in Nagorno-Karabakh’s local administrations in decades; and the number of women competing in elections is hardly better. The Council of Elders of Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, is for the first time in decades without a single woman member. Municipal elections held on 8 September in 228 communities of Nagorno-Karabakh showed that women in Karabakh seldom put themselves forward for election and, in turn, make up only a t

hijab

Voice | ‘I have finally accepted myself’ — an Ingush woman’s coming-of-age tale

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•7 min read

Growing up in Ingushetia, Zarina (not her real name), struggled with traditions that she felt restricted her. After fights with her family, a brief marriage, and a religious awakening, Zarina says she has now finally accepted herself for who she is. ‘When I was younger, I was not allowed to cut off my braid even though I was awfully sick of it. I couldn’t even cut my fringe. When I became a student, I was told: “Now you can have a haircut — just do it neatly, as we love”.’ ‘So I went to g

Armenia

Analysis | Heard but not seen: how women became the unrecognised architects of the Velvet Revolution

by Anna Bianca Roach

•7 min read

The revolution that led to the downfall of Armenia’s Republican Party heavily relied on the roles women have traditionally taken in social movements. Until now, they haven’t been recognised; but the revolution might be changing that. Hours after the resignation of former Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, three women walk down the centre of Amiryan Street towards Haraparak, the beating heart of Yerevan and the square that hosted the revolution’s nightly rallies. Between them, holding hands wit

Georgia

Georgian woman accuses ex-teacher of sexual abuse

by OC Media

•2 min read

A woman from women’s rights group Sapari has accused her ex–maths teacher of sexual abuse. Mari Kurtanidze, 26, published an open letter on the organisation’s website addressing the teacher, who she says sexually abused her when she was 15. Tamaz Akubardia, now 66, insists the allegations against him are false. Police are looking into the matter, despite no official complaint being filed, according to the Interior Ministry. ‘Your skin is like silk’, Akubardia would tell her, touching her

Chechnya

Women and children brought from Syria to Grozny

by OC Media

•2 min read

A chartered flight from Syria has landed in Chechnya’s capital Grozny, carrying 21 Daghestani and Chechen women and children. The flight, which landed on 21 October, was the first of it’s kind from Syria. Previous families returned from the conflict had flown from Iraq. Among the 21 people returned, 11 are natives of Chechnya and 10 from Daghestan; 14 of them are children. The group was met by relatives and officials from both republics. Daghestani Zamidat Abakarova returned to Russia