Oliver Wheaton

December marked the 15th AWID Forum, in Bangkok Thailand. The AWID (Association for Women's Rights in Development) International Forum is both a global community event and a space of radical personal transformation. A one-of-a-kind convening, the Forum brings together feminist, women’s rights, gender justice, LBTQI+ and allied movements, in all our diversity and humanity, to connect, heal and thrive.

Our ActionAid UK Colleagues, alongside Young Urban Women’s movement colleagues joined thousands of feminists from across the globe to share space and solidarity for women’s rights. Here are some reflections on the forum from Ntsiki Khunju, a member of the Young Urban Women's movement in South Africa, who work with ActionAid South Africa.

Adolescent girls worldwide face unique and significant power imbalances that profoundly impact their daily lives. These are distinct from the challenges faced by girls (young children) or adult women. Structural inequalities, rooted in colonial legacies, hinder their access to education, support services, and basic rights during this critical transitional period between childhood and adulthood.