The Women’s Empowerment and Democracy for Belarus Forum 2025 took place on June 16–17 in Stockholm. Alongside Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the event was also attended by her Office’s representatives, including Marharyta Vorykhava, Kryścina Šyjanok, and Stanislava Hlinnik.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Solidarity among women is more than kindness. It is power. It is our strategy. It is how we survive and how we win”.
Representatives of the Office shared their thoughts on women’s leadership in politics.
Marharyta Vorykhava: “Women’s work is not the background of democracy – it is its foundation. As long as women build communities, support the repressed, and teach others, the movement is alive. But recognition is not enough. We must give them resources, access to power and decision-making, and real support – otherwise the movement is unjust from the very beginning”.
Stanislava Hlinnik: “I spoke about the invisibility of women in politics, systemic barriers, gender stereotypes, and harassment – even within democratic circles. We’ve made significant progress, and women’s representation is growing – but the problems remain. Women are still often met with silence, judgment for mistakes, and unequal conditions. This must change – and we are already working to make it change”.
Kryścina Šyjanok, Director of the Office of Belarus Democratic Forces in the Czech Republic, moderated one of the panels, which opened with a screening of the documentary “They Are Afraid of Us”, followed by a discussion with the people featured in it:
“The conversation focused on key themes of the film, including why Belarusian women joined the 2020 protests and the continued relevance of the slogan ‘We stand for peace!’ in 2025. We also discussed the potential for a ‘gender revolution’ in Belarus, a ‘revolution in people’s minds’, and the distinctive nature of Belarusian women’s political leadership. Other topics included the health challenges faced by politically active Belarusian women and the message they send to the world through their resilience and resistance in 2025”.
