08.06.2022
Raising the banner to 'Live free - without violence'
Christa Stolle has been working for human rights and women's rights for decades. Christin Wannagat spoke with her for Uni Tübingen Aktuell.
The national director and board member of TERRE DES FEMMES Christa Stolle talks about her studies in Tübingen, how she became a human rights and women's activist, and about current developments and challenges in the fight for equality for girls and women.
What connects you with the University of Tübingen and why did you decide to study here?
I studied Historical and Cultural Anthropology in Tübingen from 1984 to 1990. Before that I was at the University of Bonn starting in 1982, but I really wanted to change where I was studying and get to know another university. My then-boyfriend and later husband studied in Tübingen. When I walked through the town center with him, I was fascinated by the beauty of Tübingen and knew I would like to spend the rest of my studies here. I was also drawn to the progressive and reform-oriented Ludwig Uhland Institute for Historical and Cultural Anthropology towards European cultural anthropology, as well as by its academic and very practice- and project-oriented way of working.
In the end, I stayed in Tübingen much longer than planned. I gave birth to my daughter here, and she still lives in Tübingen today.
How did your work with TERRE DES FEMMES begin?
It started with a notice at the University of Tübingen in 1985. The association was looking for activists. After a phase of intensive voluntary work on the board, a full-time position was created in Tübingen in 1990 thanks to funding from the labor office. This was the chance for the association to establish important basic structures. And through this I found my home and vocation to work worldwide for human rights, especially for women and women’s self-determination - until today. I had time and an income to implement professional fundraising, administration, and press and public relations work. At that time the association had just 100 members. Today it has over 2,700.
How did your commitment to women's and human rights come about?
When we were studying cultural anthropology and dealing with cultures and traditions, I was confronted with a lot of women-specific human rights violations such as breast ironing, menstrual rites and genital mutilation. TERRE DES FEMMES had been dealing with precisely these issues of women-specific violations since its foundation in 1981. This was the right framework for me to be able to fight and question these traditions. The fact that TERRE DES FEMMES was not only a human rights organization but also an active women's movement strengthened my commitment.
Please, describe your work on the TERRE DES FEMMES board.
Before we had an office, the tasks of the three-person board, apart from PR work, fundraising and general correspondence, were to convene general meetings and write letters to politicians. On top of that, we also had our active campaigning period. My first major challenge was the Adler campaign in 1987, where we campaigned for women textile workers at the Adler company in South Korea - for better working conditions and the formation of a free trade union. This campaign was all over the media when subsequently, there were arson attacks on Adler shops in Germany, which of course we had nothing to do with. Suddenly I had to take responsibility as an honorary board member and talk to the media about what was happening. As a young student, this caught me off guard. Today, with 40 staff in Berlin and many volunteers all over Germany, my work on the board is comparatively routine and includes running the national office.
What has changed since TERRE DES FEMMES was founded?
We have had many educational projects throughout the EU on the topic of forced marriage and early marriage. Talking to people on their level and with trained supporters of the respective communities is the be-all and end-all at TERRE DES FEMMES - also when it comes to the issue of female genital mutilation and the associated harmful consequences for the bodies and psyches of girls and young women. In the absence of education, there is a danger that girls from certain cultural groups living in Germany will undergo the procedure while on holiday in their home countries.
In some regions of Africa, such as Burkina Faso, we were able to campaign for female genital mutilation to be banned by law. This way, whole generations of young girls can grow up free of genital mutilation.
In order to improve the situation of women in the long term, we will have to work much harder in the future to influence political decision-makers and to change laws, in addition to all the information work.
What setbacks have you experienced in your work for women's rights?
Despite many successes, one is always thrown back again. Wars reveal all the misery of women, in Yugoslavia in 1990 as today in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world, and continuing in Afghanistan. Today we are once again talking about the "safe residency" of refugee women and about abortion bans. This is currently a problem in Poland for Ukrainian women raped while fleeing their homeland. Or in Nicaragua in Central America, where women who have miscarriages are sometimes sent to prison. For me, these are really retrograde steps, and I am very shocked by them.
The increase in domestic violence during the pandemic and the fact that women are still largely responsible for childcare also stand in the way of real equality between men and women.
What issue particularly concerns you?
As a cultural anthropologist, I am moved by the issue of "violence in the family in the name of honor" and the related women's reasons for fleeing. These have been recognized as reasons for asylum since 2005, and TERRE DES FEMMES was very committed to this, especially in its early days.
Patriarchal structures that systematically oppress women and do not recognize them as equal human beings still exist. Currently, girls in Afghanistan are no longer allowed to attend high school. As a result, we had to evacuate our staff from a women's education center in Afghanistan. The building is empty now.
It is unimaginable to me that in the 21st century, girls and women are again completely excluded from education. But of course we are trying to oppose this by co-financing demonstrations and putting pressure on governments. As is currently the case with demonstrations in Afghanistan, women around the world are still standing up for their rights - at the risk of their lives. This makes me very angry but at the same time it drives me on. Unfortunately, this has not changed since my student days.
What is your favorite place in Tübingen?
The market square with its beautiful houses and the even more beautiful town hall! This is where we always hoisted our TERRE-DES-FEMMES flag "Live free - without violence" on 25 November, the International Day Against Violence Against Women.
What would your message to today’s students be?
Be open to unforeseen opportunities! At the end of my studies, I could not have imagined that I would spend more than thirty years building up and leading a human rights organization. But I went for it. It is important to recognize and seize the opportunities that come your way!
This interview was held by Chritin Wannagat and was published originally in German in the University newsletter 2/2022.