“On their shoulders” - Opening event of the FIFDH

Friday 8 March

20:00

Espace Pitoëff – Theater, Geneva

Advocating for one's own rights, supporting a cause or exposing injustice: an essential but exhausting and challenging task, even more so as a woman.

This evening pays tribute to those who have made the defence of Human Rights their daily strife. Three women activists will be given the floor: Hajer Sharief, co-founder of Together we build it –a Libyan organization dedicated to political participation of women and youth. Tetiana Pechonchyk, director of the Human Rights Information Centre in Ukraine that focuses among other things on freedom of expression, protection of human rights defenders and prevention of torture. Sareta Ashraph, Chief Legal Analyst of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria from 2012 to 2016. They will highlight their struggles, the obstacles they face as well as the impact of their work on their lives.
The Festival's opening film, On Her Shoulders by Alexandria Bombach recounts the story of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, who after surviving Daesh's violence and crimes against the Yezidi people, became the voice of her people and of all Iraqis.

Organised by the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights, and co-presented with the European Parliament, Amnesty International Switzerland, the International Service for Human Rights and the University of Geneva's Equal Opportunities Service

Speakers

• Hajer Sharief Co-Founder of “Together we build it" in Libya
• Sareta Ashraph International lawyer working on Syria and Iraq
• Tetiana Pechonchyk Head of the Human Rights Information Center in Ukraine

Moderated by

• Lyse Doucet Head of international correspondents, BBC

The debate will be held in English with a simultaneous translation in French.