27th August 2025
Gen Z is reshaping the future of advocacy in the Middle East and North Africa
16 min read
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where discriminatory laws still govern family life, where harmful practices such as child marriage persist, and where speaking out against injustice can come at a personal cost, young people are not standing still. They are creating new pathways for change using digital initiatives to speak up about deeply rooted realities in their countries.
While many young advocates may not initially have in-depth knowledge about the legal frameworks that govern their realities, they hold something equally powerful: first-hand insight into the cultural norms and everyday realities that allow discrimination and violence to persist. They see child marriage negotiated within their neighbourhoods. They witness girls being denied education or subjected to harmful practices. They know how gender inequality plays out in homes, schools, workplaces, and online spaces, because they live it or see it around them.
“Advocacy isn’t just a campaign or a task; it’s a way of life. It’s about ensuring my voice counts and turning my skills, experiences, and pain into tools for real change. Advocacy means holding on to my humanity, even in digital spaces.” – Tasnim Hassan from Egypt.
Lived experiences enable youth to counter the narratives that justify or normalise abuse and to break through the stagnant dialogue that treats gender inequality as “too sensitive” or “too complex” to address.
For example, UN Women’s regional programme “Men and Women for Gender Equality” reveals that trainings with resistant youth in Morocco led to a remarkable shift in attitudes: young men who initially viewed domestic violence as a “private affair” and justified it using religion became among the strongest advocates for gender equality.
In Iran, for example, the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement, sparked by the tragic death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, saw young women at the forefront: publicly removing their hijabs and cutting their hair in bold defiance of government control. While in Iraq, Shaimaa (23 years), a survivor who fled ISIS-occupied Sinjar, refused to be silenced after leaving an abusive marriage, instead organising activities for children and becoming a certified “Free to Run” coach who empowers women and refugees through sport, even helping girls postpone marriage to return to school.
In Egypt, Gehad Hamdy, a young activist who graduated in 2017 and is now in her late 20s, founded Speak Up, a robust digital platform that encourages survivors of sexual harassment and assault to share their stories, seek solidarity, and demand accountability. What began as an online initiative quickly evolved into a broader movement, challenging silence and stigma around gender-based violence. Through Speak Up, thousands of testimonies have surfaced, amplifying the lived realities of women and sparking urgent national conversations about safety and justice.
In recognition of her impact, Gehad was named to the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women list, a testament to how youth-led digital advocacy can transform personal courage into collective power, shaping discourse and action around women’s rights in Egypt and beyond.
These stories reflect a common thread: youth translating lived experience and community proximity into strategic advocacy, using media, legal reform, coalition-building, and digital tools to shift power and public narratives.
Despite their energy and creativity, youth advocates across the MENA region encounter persistent barriers:
These barriers are not accidental; they are structural. Dismantling them requires training and tools, strategic networks, solidarity, and institutional support.
At Equality Now, we have seen firsthand how quickly capacity turns into action when young people are equipped with resources and platforms. Over the past years, we have delivered intensive media and legal advocacy trainings in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan, equipping young leaders with:
The result? Legal awareness was raised, and participants were able to create digital campaigns, short films, and grassroots initiatives tackling urgent issues in their communities, such as child marriage, gender-based violence in conflict, childbirth-related violence, and FGM, all led by young people.
“Understanding legal frameworks has allowed me to work within my organisation to mobilise support and advocate for introducing new legislation or amending existing ones, contributing meaningfully, even on a small scale, to advancing equality.” Wafaa Watany, Egypt.
But we knew training was only the beginning. Advocacy thrives when people act together.
One example of collective youth action is the Youth Initiative Against Child Marriage in Egypt, implemented in partnership with Nahdet Misr Organisation. This initiative brings together 18 young leaders from Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, and Minya, a diverse group of filmmakers, social workers, tech specialists, medical students, and activists with deep community ties.
They are trained not only in gender justice and leadership but also in grassroots campaign design, allowing them to address harmful practices from the inside out.
Ahmed from Kerdasa, Giza, used his training to lead a local campaign that reached over 35 families. Through home visits, “door-to-door campaigning,” community dialogues, and partnerships with local health professionals and religious leaders, his work challenged myths about early marriage and sparked difficult but necessary conversations.
“I come from this community. I understand the pressures families face. We needed a way to speak about it together—without fear and blame.” Ahmed Yousry, Cairo, Egypt
This is one-of-a-kind advocacy with depth, rooted in context, led by the young people closest to the problem, and connected to a regional movement for legal and social change.
For youth advocates in the MENA region, global forces often shape local struggles. That’s why we ensure their voices reach international platforms where they can connect with experts, build global networks, and ensure their communities’ realities are heard.
Yasmine is a 26-year-old woman from Jerusalem, Palestine, who found her advocacy path through the Young Women For Awareness, Agency Advocacy, and Accountability program (YW4A). She led campaigns against early marriage and mentored young women in her community.
In 2024, she took her message to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) in New York, sharing the realities of Palestinian women under occupation.
“Standing there, telling my story, I wasn’t just speaking for myself, I was carrying the voices of every young woman in my community who has been silenced or pushed aside. CSW gave me the stage, but my community gave me the strength,” Yasmine said.
By engaging youth in spaces like CSW, we equip them to link local realities with global demands, turning lived experience into a force for legal and social reform.
“In Palestine, young women advocates under the YW4A program have been leading efforts to combat workplace sexual harassment, working closely with the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions and the Ministry of Labour. Their advocacy has focused on raising awareness of female workers’ rights, pushing for stronger enforcement of anti-harassment provisions, and creating safer, gender-responsive workplace policies. Through community outreach and policy dialogue, they have positioned sexual harassment not only as a women’s rights issue but as a fundamental labour rights concern, gaining the support of institutional partners to advance policy and legislative change.” Said Paleki Ayang, MENA Gender Adviser and Program Manager of YW4A(Egypt and Palestine).
Across the MENA region, nearly two-thirds of the population is under 30. If we sideline their voices, we sideline the future of gender equality.
Young people are not a nice-to-have in advocacy strategies; they are a must. They bring urgency to the issues, proximity to the communities most affected, and the courage to speak truths that can be uncomfortable but necessary.
But they cannot do it alone. Their potential remains underused without access to funding, safe civic spaces, mentorship, and decision-making roles.
At Equality Now, alongside our partners in the Hurra Coalition, YW4A program, and initiatives like the Youth Initiative Against Child Marriage, we are committed to building a stronger, connected, and fearless generation of advocates. We know that youth are already leading. The real challenge is? Will governments and institutions create the conditions for them to do so meaningfully?
If we are serious about ending child marriage, reforming discriminatory family laws, and achieving gender justice, then:
Youth are not calling for symbolic participation. They are demanding agency, accountability, and action; our collective responsibility is to ensure they get it.
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