There are several Latin American ones: from Costa Rica, from Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Brazil.
For yet another year the BBC selects 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.
This time the list of 100 Women highlights those who are “restarting” the world: women who play a role in reinventing our society, our culture and our world.
Among them are Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize; the prime minister of Samoa Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa; the teacher Heidi J Larson, who directs the Vaccine Confidence Project; and the acclaimed writer Chimamanda Danger Adichie.
And there is also room for Latin Americans: the Costa Rican Monica Araya, the Argentines Carolina Garcia and Alba Rueda, the Chilean Elisa Loncón Antileo, the Mexican Marcelina Bautista and the brazilian Natalia Pasternak Taschner.
This year, in addition, half of the list is dedicated to Afghanistan women, some of which are listed under pseudonyms and without photos for your own safety.
The return to power of the Taliban in August 2021 has changed the lives of millions of Afghans: girls were banned from secondary education, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs was dissolved and, in many cases, ordered not to return to the job.
And this year’s 100 Women list recognizes the extent of her bravery and accomplishments in starting a new life.
How were the 100 women chosen
The team of 100 BBC Women drew up a list based on the names compiled by them and suggested by the BBC World Service network of language teams.
We were looking for candidates who had made headlines or generated relevant articles in the last 12 months, as well as those who had inspiring stories to tell, who had achieved something significant or influenced their societies in ways that were not necessarily news.
After,the list of names was evaluated based on this year’s theme: women who are ‘rebooting’, playing a role to reinvent our world after the global pandemic has forced many of us to re-evaluate the way we live.
Regional representation and due impartiality were also measured before final names were chosen.
This year, 100 Mujeres made the unprecedented decision to dedicate half of the list to women from one country: Afghanistan.
With this, we wanted to highlight how many of these women have been forced to disappear from areas of public life, as well as sharing the voices of those who are being increasingly silenced or who are part of a new Afghan diaspora.
On December 3, the Taliban issued a decree on behalf of their supreme leader ordering ministries to “take serious action” on women’s rights.
The decree establishes the norms that govern marriage and property of women, and establishes that women should not be forced to marry and should not be considered “intellectuals”.
But this statement has been criticized because does not mention secondary education for girls and restricted rights of women in employment.
Some of the Afghan women on the list remain anonymous to protect themselves and their families, with their consent and following the BBC’s editorial policy and security guidelines. (I)
Credits
Produced and edited by: Valeria Perasso, Amelia Butterly, Lara Owen, Georgina Pearce, Kawoon Khamoosh, Haniya Ali, Mark Shea.
BBC 100 Women Editor: Claire Williams.
Production: Paul Sargeant, Philippa Joy, Ana Lucía González.
Development: Ayu Widyaningsih Idjaja, Alexander Ivanov.
Design: Debie Loizou, Zoe Bartholemew.
Illustrations: Jilla Dastmalchi.
Photo credits: Fadil Berisha, Gerwin Polu/Talamua Media, Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images, Netflix, Manny Jefferson, University College London (UCL), Zuno Photography, Brian Mwando, S.H. Raihan, CAMGEW, Ferhat Elik, Chloé Desnoyers, Reuters, Boudewijn Bollmann, Imran Karim Khattak/RedOn Films, Patrick Dowse, Kate Warren, Sherridon Poyer, Fondo Semillas, Magnificent Lenses Limited, Darcy Hemley, Ray Ryan Photography Tuam, Carla Policella/Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity (Argentina), Matías Salazar, Acumen Pictures, Mercia Windwaai, Carlos Orsi/Questão de Ciência, Yuriy Ogarkov, Setiz/@setiz, Made Antarawan, Peter Hurley, Jason Bell, University of Sheffield Hallam, Caroline Mardok, Emad Mankusa, David M. Benett/Getty, East West Institute Flickr Gallery, Rashed Lovaan, Abdullah Rafiq, RFH, Jenny Lewis, Ram Parkash Studio, Oslo Freedom Forum, Kiana Hayeri/Malala Fund, Fatima Hasani, Nasrin Raofi, Mohammad Anwar Danishyar, Sophie Sheinwald, Payez Jahanbeen, James Batten.
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
