Children and young women are protesting around the world. Against forced marriages, sexism, war, human trafficking or environmental destruction. They are loud, they often risk a lot, and yet hardly anyone knows them. An 80-year-old journalist and her eleven-year-old granddaughter want to change that with a book.
"You're a 16-year-old girl on your way home from school. A car pulls up next to you. Four guys jump out. They're drunk. They pounce on you, throw you in their car, and race to one of them home. This one boy's family will do everything possible to tie a white scarf around your head, which means that you consent to marry their son. You are fighting back. They want you to drop out of school, to give up a job, yours Spending life with someone you don't know, moving in with their family, running the household, having children. You are alone, there are many. Again and again you try to tear their scarf off, but they force it to tie it around you Head. Your fate is sealed. "
"We are fighting for a world without restrictions, where boys and girls are equal."
Activist Baktygul Rakymbaeva, 14, Kyrgyzstan
It is stories like these that the American photojournalist Paola Gianturco, 80, tells in her book "Wonder Girls". Stories from Kyrgyzstan, where around 50 percent of all marriages start with bride robbery – 14-year-old Baktygul Rakymbaeva is fighting against this together with other girls from the organization "Girl Activists of Kyrgyzstan". Or stories from Uganda, where uneducated girls often become prostitutes, like their mothers. Stories of 12-year-old female slaves in Tanzania or those of the "Creativity for Peace" camp, where young Israeli women meet young Palestinians in order to overcome hatred for one another together. A girl there stayed up the first night trying to figure out how to kill "the enemy" with whom she shared the room.
"Poverty must be stopped. Then human trafficking will also stop."
Activist Lway Kyi Kyi Khaing, 14, Myanmar
They're not nice stories. But the world is not "nice". Even so, there are the people behind the events. Young women who give hope. Who organize themselves to really change something. Paola Gianturco dedicates her book "Wonder Girls. Our journey to the bravest girls in the world" to these unknown superheroes. The "our" includes her then eleven-year-old granddaughter Alex Sangster. Because while the grandmother was taking photos all over the world, the granddaughter interviewed around 90 young activists from 13 countries via Facetime. "These girls are transforming the world. And we can lend a hand or at least tell the story," she says enthusiastically. Alex and her sister Avery had already organized a children's program at an international poverty conference; The hope was that one day young people from all over the world would tackle global problems together. That is why it is particularly important to Alex Sangster that you can support the activists: there are suggestions for every story.
Paola Gianturco felt inspired for the project by a speech by the Indian poet and feminist Jameela Nishat: "The revolution will be led by a 12-year-old girl", the 64-year-old Nishat once predicted. "What do you mean?" Gianturco had asked her when they met. And Nishat had replied: "You rebel against society in your teenage years when you realize where your talent lies and how you can change your world. At 40, your attitude usually doesn't change anymore. So things can only change if Girls question things and rebel. "
"I strongly advocate equality, for accepting everyone."
Activist Shoshanna Ben-David, 17, Israel
Paola Gianturco met 10 to 18 year olds all over the world who achieved amazing things. Girls like Verena Bosse, who was bothered by all the yellow plastic garbage bags that were lying in front of the houses in her home town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen during a bike tour. Verena was nine at the time. She and other village children collected the sacks and with the help of a farmer and his tractor, piled them in front of the town hall. Up to the first floor – nothing but yellow. The action opened the eyes of many. Since then, Vanessa, eleven today, has been committed to her campaign "plastic fasting" and is one of the youngest activists in Germany.
During her research, Gianturco often had the feeling that she was not dealing with children and young people, but with "Trojan horses". "Most people do not expect young girls to speak to the powerful or to act tactically and effectively," she says. "Their age gives them an advantage. Their creative approaches, their perseverance and perseverance make people unprepared and have an engaging effect. And it is unlikely that they will outgrow their enthusiasm for their cause."
Uganda:
AISHA, 18,
Activist at "Rhythm of Life"
"Our mother is a single parent. I worked, smoked plantains to earn my school fees. My dream was to become a doctor. Unfortunately, I didn't get the results I had hoped for. I couldn't read well because I had worked so hard. I had to Suspend a year. Many said I should get a job. I said, 'No. If you don't go to school, you don't succeed.' Rhythm of Life gave me a scholarship and taught me to be on my own I help distribute condoms to men so that women and girls are protected against HIV. I say to parents: All children are created in God's image. Treat them equally. Send your daughters to school. 15 million Ugandan Girls marry before they are 18. Sometimes old men, I appeal to the United Nations and the Government of Uganda to give priority to girls and raise the legal age of marriage to 18. I will finish the last hi soon ghschool year. I am proud of that. There are plenty of prostitutes where we live. I won't do that. I cannot live without schooling. "
Get active yourself: Donations of money for laptops, books, teachers are needed. Email the manager for details: [email protected].
More info: rhythmoflifeuganda.com
Mexico:
ABBY RAMÍREZ JIMÉNËZ, 14,
App developer for "Technovation"
"My dad is a computer scientist and programmed. I loved it when I was little, so my mom thought 'Technovation' would be good for me. I went to six hack days. Usually girls only go to one, but I have I said to my friend: Come on, let's get together, and she agreed. We're a two-person team. Now we've developed an app. It's supposed to help children with diabetes. There is a lot of obesity in Mexico , and that's the trigger for diabetes. It's easier to buy a hamburger than to make yourself a healthy salad sandwich. What I want to say to everyone: Girls should have the same opportunities as boys. This is important when you are a girl or fat when you grow up, no matter what. And when girls set a goal, they can achieve it too. "
Get active yourself: "Technovation" teaches teams of girls to develop mobile apps that address social problems. These apps can be purchased in the App Store on iTunes. Donate at www.technovationmx.org
Bali:
MELATI RIYANTO WIJSEN, 18,
Founder of "Bye Bye Plastic Bags"
“My sister Isabel and I took class with great people and learned about Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King. I said to Isabel, 'Don't we want to help make the world a little better, like her?' So we have a list Made by the problems in Bali: pollution, traffic, too many hotels. For us, the garbage was the worst. Everyone uses plastic bags. People throw them out of the car, put them in garbage cans, and where do they end up? In rice fields, rivers , in the ocean. We decided to start an online petition to collect a million signatures and get the government to pass a law banning plastic bags. We had 6,000 signatures within 24 hours. 10,000 the day after that Ritual: We got up in the morning, went online and looked up how many signatures there were. Strangers from all over the world! It was crazy! Tanya, who is as old as me, invited us, vo r speaking to her school in singapore. Two days, 16 lectures, over 1000 children. Unforgettable! Now we have loads of kids spreading our plan. "
Get active yourself: The pilot village that started it all is now 60 percent free of plastic bags. If you want to support BBPB: Sign the petition at www.byebyeplasticbags.org and do without plastic bags.
Paola Gianturco, Alex Sangster:"Wonder Girls. Our journey to the bravest girls in the world". 192 pp., 29.95 euros, Elisabeth Sandmann Verlag.
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