By Rebecca Ambrose The rise of digital media brought an emergence of new ways for women to represent themselves and their voices in initially male-dominated digital spaces. That being said, while it can be empowering, navigating the online world presents many challenges for women. For many years, social media platforms and websites were dominated by…
By Elena Palaiorouta Representation is a powerful tool that has been repeatedly used to negatively impact communities. Specifically in photography, in order to understand its relationship with representation, we have to see how we are interconnected to that which we photograph, and to accept the responsibility for how we depict a particular subject because, in…
by Rebecca Ambrose Photojournalism is one of the most important branches of storytelling. Its ability to portray the truth and provide clear context to stories means that this area of news journalism can make a story more tangible and provide further depth for those consuming the media. At its heart, photojournalism should provide a raw,…
We’re happy to present the Best of femLENS 2022 featuring work from our documentary photography workshops and campaigns. This year we were able to do our first in-person workshop since 2020, and they happened in Jerusalem. We also worked in partnership with Women’s Collective Ireland – Donegal. We hope you enjoy our selection!
by Sneha Singh Rachel Moran is an author, international speaker who talks globally on prostitution and trafficking. She is also the founder of SPACE (Survivors of Prostitution Abuse Calling for Enlightenment) International. In her book ‘Paid For: My Journey Through Prostitution’, she shares her story and experiences when she was pushed into prostitution at the…
By Aishling Heffernan In recent years, the Nordic Model has been found to be inadequate by the realm of academia. For example, LSE has published blogs about the claimed inefficacy of the model since 2014. You might know the Nordic Model as the Swedish Model, or the law that criminalises the solicitation of sex, but not…
By Sneha Singh “If it was so bad, why didn’t you just leave?” – A question often thrown at the survivors of domestic abuse or partner violence. The questions no one bothers to ask them are: Do they know a safe place that they could move to once they leave their partners, without the fear…
By Aishling Heffernan Mental health issues and homelessness are lived experiences that bring with them heavy stigmatisation, socially politicised baggage, and a despondent disconnection from those that experience either or both events in their life from their family, peers and the wider community. In a Guardian article written by a practising NHS psychologist, mental health…
By Rebecca Ambrose A lot of people assume the right to housing nowadays is a given part of life, but many societies, including in the West, still demonstrate inequality between genders in terms of access to housing, regardless of the rights given. Women’s right to housing internationally is mixed, and has a long and spotted…
By Sneha Singh “I am helping someone fulfil their dream of becoming parents. They have a need and so do I. It helps me pay my bills. I don’t think there is anything wrong with this,” says Leela, a woman from Nepal who moved to New Delhi to find a job. Leela’s story is similar…