Hilina Berhanu Degefa
{{short description|Ethiopian women's rights activist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Hilina Berhanu Degefa
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| nationality = Ethiopian
|alma_mater = Addis Ababa University
SOAS University of London
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| occupation = {{hlist|Women's rights activisit|researcher}}
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Hilina Berhanu Degefa (born 1992){{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jan/27/ethiopia-women-violence-rape-murder |title=Ethiopia's women vow to turn tide of violence, rape and murder |first=William |last=Davison |date=27 January 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian}} is an Ethiopian women's rights activist and researcher.{{Cite web |url=https://roape.net/2019/11/14/talking-back-hilina-berhanu-and-aklile-solomon/ |title=Talking Back: Hilina Berhanu and Aklile Solomon |date=2019-11-14 |website=Review of African Political Economy |language=en-US |access-date=2021-11-19}} She is a co-founder of The Yellow Movement, a youth-led feminist advocacy and empowerment program based in Addis Ababa and Mekelle University. She was a 2015 recipient of a Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, the youngest to receive the honor at the age of 22. Hilina is also a Women Deliver Young Leaders Fellow, class of 2020. She is the first Ethiopian civil society representative to brief the UN Security Council.{{cite web |url=https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2022/04/ethiopia-meeting-under-any-other-business-3.php |title=What's in Blue: Ethiopia, Meeting under "Any Other Business" |date=13 April 2022 |website=Security Council Report}}
Early life
Hilina earned a bachelor's degree in Law from Addis Ababa University.{{cite web |url=https://www.irex.org/people/hilina-berhanu-degefa |title=Hilina Berhanu Degefa |website=IREX |access-date=12 November 2017 |archive-date=25 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725062644/https://www.irex.org/people/hilina-berhanu-degefa |url-status=dead }} She earned a master's degree in Law and Gender from SOAS, University of London (the School of Oriental and African Studies), where she was a Governance and Development in Africa scholar, funded by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.{{cite web |url=http://www.lex-lead.org/Internships.html |title=Internships |website=Lex:lead, Lawyers for Economic Advancement and Development |access-date=12 November 2017 |archive-date=25 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725062638/http://www.lex-lead.org/Internships.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LPcBZf9fJ8 |title=Interview with Aya Chebbi & Hilina Berhanu on Youth & Governance in Africa |first=Rama S. |last=Dieng |date=10 May 2016 |website=YouTube}}
Career
In 2011, Hilina was a co-founder of The Yellow Movement, a youth-led feminist movement along with law department faculty member, Blen Sahilu, and fellow law student Aklile Solomon.{{cite web |url=http://www.lidc.org.uk/blog/2017/02/08/yellow-movement-challenging-gender-inequality |title=The Yellow Movement: Challenging Gender Inequality |website=London International Development Centre}} The Yellow Movement creation was inspired by Aberash Hailay, an Ethiopian flight attendant whose eyes were gouged out by her jealous former husband earlier that year.
Hilina received a 2015 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.{{cite web |url=http://www.tadias.com/06/04/2015/meet-the-2015-mandela-washington-fellows-from-ethiopia/ |title=Meet the 2015 Mandela Washington Fellows from Ethiopia |website=Tadias Magazine}} Hilina also taught at Addis Ababa University, School of Law and later joined Mekelle University's Institute of Gender and Development as a lecturer and researcher.{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.ie/world-news/africa/the-faces-behind-the-yellow-movement-how-ethiopias-young-women-are-vowing-to-change-culture-of-sexual-harassment-rape-and-domestic-violence-36380993.html |title=The faces behind the Yellow Movement: How Ethiopia's young women are vowing to change culture of sexual harassment, rape and domestic violence |first=Catherine |last=Devine |date=28 December 2017 |website=The Independent |language=en |access-date=2021-11-19}} In March 2022, She published a research report on Gender and Violent Extremism under European Institute of Peace.{{cite web |url=https://www.eip.org/publication/gender-and-extremism-in-ethiopia/ |title=Gender and Extremism in Ethiopia |website=European Institute of Peace}} In April 2022, Hilina became the first Ethiopian CS briefer to present before the UNSC.{{Cite tweet |last=Kumar |first=Akshaya |user=AkshayaSays |number=1515020077111951361 |title=ICYMI - This week, with support from @UKUN_NewYork, @FCDOGovUK and @tariqahmadbt, Hilina Berhanu an Ethiopian human rights defender and sexual violence investigator briefed the Security Council about #CRSV conflict related sexual violence in her country}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LPcBZf9fJ8 Interview with Aya Chebbi & Hilina Berhanu on Youth & Governance in Africa]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berhanu Degefa, Hilina}}
Category:Ethiopian women activists
Category:Ethiopian women's rights activists
Category:Addis Ababa University alumni
Category:Alumni of SOAS University of London
Category:Ethiopian women human rights activists
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