Every 9 November communities around the world come together in celebration of sexual and bodily rights as human rights, as part of the One Day One Struggle! campaign (ODOS), coordinated by the Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR).
Running 9 years in a row, ODOS 2017 is bigger and brighter than ever with actions planned by groups across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Turkey and Uganda!
See a brief listing of the planned actions below, and keep up with us on Twitter (@SexBodyRights, #OneDayOneStruggle) and Facebook (facebook.com/CSBRonline) on November 9th for more details and updates as the actions occur!
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AFGHANISTAN
In Afghanistan, sexual and reproductive health advocates are holding a workshop with women university students to discuss sexual health and negotiating healthy relationships.
BANGLADESH
In Bangladesh, Bandhu Social Welfare Society is hosting a sensitization discussion with journalists to discuss how to improve reporting and coverage of third gender rights in Bangladesh. 
Bandhu started its journey in 1996, and after 20 years, Bandhu is sincerely continuing to serve the communities with undivided commitment and is paving the way for obtaining their social justice, equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Find out more: http://www.bandhu-bd.org/
EGYPT
Building on last year’s action on bodily integrity and autonomy, Nazra for Feminist Studies is holding an interactive online campaign on “Prejudgement”.
“Pre-judgement” highlights the social stigmatization of bodies that transgress the social norms and rules relating to imposed concepts of masculinity and femininity. For this year’s campaign, Nazra opened a call for submissions for personal reflections, writings and graphics about people’s relationships to their bodies; the extent to which community-based stigma and social policies impact that relationships, whether on a physical or psychological level; and how individuals overcome and negotiate their bodily autonomy and integrity.
On 9 November 2017, the submissions will be shared online through Nazra’s website: http://nazra.org/ and Facebook: @Nazra.for.Feminist.Studies, using the hashtag #حكم_مسبق .
INDIA
Building on their work on self-care and well-being for lesbian, bisexual and trans people assigned female at birth, Nazariya is publishing a reflective piece detailing some of the lessons and insights for strengthening movements for queer justice moving forward.
Nazariya is a Delhi-based resource group that was established in 2014, which works towards affirming the rights of queer people (LBT) by making visible their lives and creating an enabling environment where queer lived realities is a non negotiable and informs the work and discourse of organizations and institutions. Find out more about Nazariya here: https://nazariyaqfrg.wordpress.com/
INDONESIA
In Indonesia, on 9 November GAYa NUSANTARA begins a documentary film project that explores transgender Muslims’ experiences and perspectives on faith, gender and sexuality. The film will be launched at the end of the month through community screenings and online as a resource.
Qbukatabu is a new collective formed in March 2017 to establish an Indonesian language online resource center on sexuality. Each month Qbukatabu produce new content amplifying feminist and queer perspectives: November’s theme is “Terlahir Kembali”, or “Reborn”.
On 9 November, Qbukatabu is taking to social media to amplify women and transpeople’s perspectives on bodily autonomy, including the moments when struggle is transformed through thought, action, and embodied meaning.
Keep an eye out for pop-media content throughout the day, including articles, videos, and interviews on Qbukatabu’s Instagram, Twitter & Facebook. Follow along with the hashtags #ODOS2017ID, #1Hari1Perjuangan, #ODOSLahirKembali #QbukaODOS.
KAZAKHSTAN
In Kazakhstan, Feminita – the Kazakh Feminist Initiative – created a video of personal reflections from two activists on the importance of solidarity that cut across identity politics, especially in times of rising stigmatization, discrimination and violence against women who defy the norms; whether through their sexuality or religion or cultural background. Stay tuned for the launch!
KYRGYZSTAN
In Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek Feminist Initiative along with teenage magazine Boktukorgon, will launch a video in support of bodily autonomy and self-expression in Kyrgyzstan. The video shows the double edges of dress code regulations, and the stigma and discrimination women and girls face, whether they wear a hijab or shorts. Stay tuned for the launch!
A group of community organizers in Kyrgyzstan will be holding a two day event, including a film screening and a discussion on the theme of faith & sexuality.
MALAYSIA
Women’s Aid Organisation is taking the conversation online to challenge the policing of women’s dress in Malaysia, which has seen a spike since April 2017 when women lawyers being stopped from entering court because their below-the-knee skirts were deemed “indecent” by security guards. 
Follow Women’s Aid Organisation on Facebook @womens.aid.org, Twitter @womensaidorg and Instagram @womensaidorg and amplify the conversation!
PAKISTAN
In Pakistan, VISION along with the United Nations Information Center (UNIC) and the National Human Rights Commission of Pakistan is hosting a screening of the documentary “My Body My Right”, followed by a policy discussion to strengthen the human rights perspective in the proposed Protection of Transgender Persons Bill, which was introduced in September 2017.
The panelists include: Honorable Senator Ms. Sitara Ayaz, head of the Senate’s Sub-Committee on reviewing the bills on protection of female transgender; Honorable member NCHR Mr. Chaudary Shafique; and Honorable Director General Human Rights Mohammad Arshad from Ministry of Law and Human Rights. “My Body, My Right”, showcases the efforts of transgender women from three districts: Mardan, Multan and Rawalpindi, who participated in VISION’s participatory street theatre program and developed performances based on their lived realities, in Urdu and Pashto. There were 28 performances of this street theater in the above districts in 2016, some of which were performed as part of ODOS 2016.
Creative Alley is publishing an article on the theme of love, sexual and reproductive health and disability.
Creative Alley is a Lahore based initiative that provides a platform for those who believe in themselves and feel they have what it takes to be in the limelight. Creative Alley seeks out young, enthusiastic, people who want to come up front and reveal themselves–people who can be handed a mic, given a stage, an audience and last but not least a chance! Stay tuned!
Learn more about Creative Alley here: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeAlleyHQ/
Forum for Dignity Initiative will launch a video amplifying transwomen’s perspectives on bodily autonomy and community leadership. FDI is a rights-based organization in Islamabad that strives for an equitable society for transgender people, sex workers, and girls and young women. Read more about FDI here: https://www.fdipakistan.org/.
PHILIPPINES
The Philippines is set to pass national level legislation against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity this year, which is the result of country wide mobilization. Building on their work through ODOS in the past five years, PILIPINA Legal Resources Center (PLRC) along with PILIPINA Davao will be holding a public lecture and policy discussion workshop to strengthen support for sexual & bodily rights as human rights amongst the women’s movement in the Philippines. This includes support for the national level legislation, as well as the implementing rules and regulations of the Davao municipal legislation.
TURKEY
Women for Women’s Human Rights-New Ways (WWHR) and LAMBDA Istanbul joined forces to create a video advocating for the holistic integration of LGBTIQ rights in human rights based work, as part of WWHR’s ongoing ongoing video series targeted towards civil society organizations (CSOs) working in fields such as education, environment, climate change, youth and SRHR.
Through this project, WWHR aims to empower the cross-sectoral alliances among CSOs, while also documenting on-going efforts and initiatives towards realizing the SDGs in diverse fields.
UGANDA
Safe spaces for young women and girls to discuss sexual violence are few and far between. As part of opening such spaces and fostering community support, Islamic Women’s Initiative for Justice, Law and Peace (IWILAP) is holding round table discussion with young Muslim women on sexual harassment, sexual violence and rape. After the round-table IWILAP will support girls to strategize how they can best raise awareness and lead change to speak out against gender-based violence in their communities.
ACROSS CONTEXTS
This year, CSBR and IWRAW-Asia Pacific are co-hosting a Twitter chat on advocating for #SafeandLegal abortion through the human rights framework, this 9 November 2017, from 5pm – 6.30pm (GMT+8). Mark your calendars and join us!
We’ll be in conversation with the Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Aware Girls (Pakistan), Women’s Aid Organization (Malaysia), RESURJ, Hidden-Pockets Collective (India), Rutgers WPF Indonesia, Balance AC (Mexico), and Fondo MARIA.
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As always, our greatest appreciation to the efforts of the organizers and participants of the campaign!
