Equality Now has been progressively building this MENA coalition since April 2019. Following a regional convening in Qatar, the Hurra Coalition was launched in September 2023.Hurra means “Free (woman)”. As the name denotes, the coalition aims to free women and girls from all discriminatory family laws, it is designed to support and develop a robust, diverse, and inclusive women’s rights movement.
The coalition identified women’s rights organizations (WROs) interested in joining forces to advocate for reform in family law in their respective countries in the region. More specifically, the Hurra Coalition will empower members to develop and implement campaigns to reform family law in these key thematic areas:
The Hurra Coalition has six main objectives:
In September 2023, Equality Now was voted in as the Secretariat of the coalition. It has supported and reinforced members’ capacities in various aspects, including campaign strategy, legal and media advocacy, engagement with policy and decision-makers, and the development of active participation amongst young activists from marginalized communities.
The seeds of the coalition were sown in 2019 when Equality Now organized a convening in Lebanon, bringing together a diverse group of women’s rights organizations interested in joining forces to lobby for change in their respective countries in the MENA.
Since then, the coalition has grown, with the support of our partner Gucci (CHIME FOR CHANGE), into a dynamic group fostering a robust, diverse, inclusive, and collaborative women’s rights movement.
The coalition currently consists of 12 national women’s rights organizations from nine Arab states in addition to Equality Now:
One of the main priorities of the Hurra Coalition is to empower youth to advocate women’s rights in the MENA, amplify their voices, and refine their skills. Our media advocacy workshops empower youth participants to use mobile cameras to shed light on influential women’s issues like child marriage, harassment, and sexual violence. We unlock the power of storytelling through mobile photography.
Together, we work to raise awareness, spark conversations, and drive change.
Find out more about becoming a member of the Hurra Coalition.
For more information, please contact MENA Gender Adviser Naglaa Sarhan nsarhan@equalitynow.org
