It’s been a momentous year for women’s rights across the globe.
From the #metoo revelations, to women winning the right to drive in Saudi Arabia, and from the abortion vote in Ireland to the unprecedented numbers of female candidates in the US midterms, the last 12 months have seen women around the world standing up and speaking out.
It seemed only right that in 2018, BBC 100 Women, working with the 42 languages of the World Service, would reflect the passion, indignation and anger that have led to an unparalleled year of revolution on an international scale.
This year we’ll feature some trailblazing women who have been using their feelings of anger to spark positive change in the world around them. For example, in South Korea, Park Soo-yeon is leading the charge to stop illegal spy-cams being put up in women’s toilets, while in Peru, Cindy Arlette Contreras has become a rallying point for the Ni Una Menos movement, after she was brutally assaulted in a hotel lobby.
Along with these hard-hitting stories, we’ll also be sharing tales of inspirational women, who have overcome massive odds to achieve incredible goals. These good-news items are a positive antidote to the ever more divisive rhetoric that characterises headlines around the world.
Our teams, in places such as India, Russia and Latin America, are fundamental to the season. They are the ones who find incredible stories and bring them to a global audience. Their knowledge and experience is what sets BBC 100 Women apart from our competitors and makes our list of inspirational and influential women so unique.
We’re also working in a changing media landscape, with ever-increasing demands on our audience’s attention. Both inside, and outside the BBC, there is more and more recognition that the news must attract and reflect female audiences. For the BBC 100 Women season – now in its sixth year – this means we must work even harder to produce compelling material that will engage and excite in a competitive marketplace.
It’s a challenge we’re embracing – and we’re working with teams across the BBC to provide unique stories that no other media outlet in the world could do.
With colleagues in BBC World Service, Monitoring and Visual Journalism, we’re looking at the global issue of femicide. Alongside new data from the UN, we’ll be presenting a multiplatform report, detailing how the issues of intimate partner violence and the murder of women are covered in news agenda across the world. With these unique resources, we are able to paint a global picture while also telling unheard stories of women from diverse communities.
Telling unheard stories is a founding principle of BBC 100 Women. At its core, the season is about shining a spotlight on women and issues that deserve more attention. That’s why we’re reclaiming some of the forgotten female scientists, artists and explorers from history, and introducing their lives and work to audiences of today. It’s not just about women from the past either. The 100 Women list, a cornerstone of the season, will also feature women from all walks of life, from high-profile names, to those making a difference in their local communities, and recognise their influence.
Throughout the season, we’ll be sharing these stories across our website and from @BBC100Women on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. It all kicks off on today, with the announcement of the BBC 100 Women list 2018.
Help us recognise these women and their efforts. Keep up to date with the season on BBC World News TV, BBC World Service Radio and BBC News.
