Pushing forward: Countering anti-feminist backlash in Ethiopia

Addis Powerhouse is a young-women-led feminist knowledge production platform that conducts gender research and works to ensure young women’s meaningful representation in Ethiopian politics and society. In the wake of civil war, they are fighting hard to prevent progress on women’s rights from becoming a casualty. Gender-based violence in Ethiopia was already endemic before the outbreak of war in 2020. But the conflict has exacerbated the problem—and reduced the political will to address it. Women are hit hard by civil war and excluded from the peace process. Without avenues for engagement, women and women-led organizations end up unable to advocate for themselves. While more and more women have started speaking up for their rights using apps like Tiktok, more anti-women pages that promote backward gender roles and gender-based violence have also started to surface through such spaces.