About Hurra Coalition

The Hurra Coalition is a diverse, intersectional group of active women’s rights organizations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region that works on reforming family laws nationally in compliance with international human rights standards. 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.

Women’s rights organizations (WROs) interested in joining forces to advocate for reform in family law in their respective countries in the region are identified. More specifically, the Hurra Coalition will empower members to develop and implement campaigns to reform family law in these key thematic areas: child marriage, child custody and guardianship, and distribution of marital wealth.

Women’s rights organizations (WROs) interested in joining forces to advocate for reform in family law in their respective countries in the region are identified. More specifically, the Hurra Coalition will empower members to develop and implement campaigns to reform family law in these key thematic areas: 

• Child marriage
• Child custody and guardianship by divorced mother
• Distribution of marital wealth

Objectives

The Hurra Coalition has six main objectives:

• Make equality in family law, its policies, and practices a regional and national priority in compliance with international human rights standards.
• Encourage and support partner women’s rights organizations to campaign for family law reform.
• Build the capacities of the national WROs/CSOs that are members of the coalition.
• Consolidate regional solidarity among Hurra Coalition members to share commonalities, challenges, and best practices, as well as provide ongoing support to each other in their family law reform campaigns.
• Ensure the engagement and inclusion of young activists/young women in national campaigns and build their capacities in the field of legal and media advocacy.
• Create and build synergies with other regional networks that share similar values ​​and goals with the Hurra Coalition, all within the framework of the goals and in conformity with the Global Campaign for Family Law Reform mandate.

Secretariat

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.

Coalition Members

The coalition currently consists of 12 national WROs from 9 Arab states in addition to Equality Now:

• 🇪🇬 Association for Egyptian Female Lawyers, represented by Rabha Fathy  
• 🇯🇴 Arab Women Organization, represented by Manal Al Taleb    
• 🇩🇿 CIDDEF, represented by Nadia Ait Zai
• Equality Now, represented by Dima Dabbous
• 🇹🇳 Kadirat, represented by Samia Fessi
• 🇮🇶 Asuda (Kurdistan) -, represented by Khanim Latif
• 🇱🇧 LECORVAW, represented by Ghenwa Chinder
• 🇲🇦 Mains libres, represented by Laila Amili
• 🇵🇸 Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC), Palestine, represented by Randa Siniora       
• 🇵🇸 Women’s Studies Centre (WSC), represented by Sama Aweidah
• 🇪🇬 YWCA, Egypt – represented by Soheir Kamel           
• 🇪🇬 Egyptian Foundation for Family Development, Egypt-  represented by Hala Abd El Kader        
• 🇱🇧 BESME, Lebanon – represented by Gulshan Saglam       
• 🇵🇸 YWCA, Palestine – represented by  Amal Tarazi   
• 🇸🇩 Mutawinat, Sudan, represented by Samia El Hashmi
• Arab Institute for Human Rights, represented by Joumana Merhi
• 🇧🇭 Bahrain Women Union – represented by Ahlam Ragab

Find out more about becoming a member of the Hurra Coalition.

News

Stories

Key Resources

Youth Activism

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.

Membership shall be forfeited in the event of non-compliance with the aforementioned criteria, in particular.

For more information, please contact MENA Legal Adviser Naglaa Sarhan nsarhan@equalitynow.org

Voluntary Termination of Membership:

A written letter shall be sent to all members expressing the organization’s desire to leave the coalition, with reasons given.