05 September 2026

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls: Resilience, Resistance, and the Preservation of Identity

On September 5, the world marks the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls. This day draws attention to their role in preserving cultural heritage, languages, and identity, protecting the rights of their peoples, and passing knowledge on to future generations.

Before its official recognition by the United Nations, September 5 had already been observed in a number of countries as a day dedicated to Indigenous women. On November 26, 2025, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls, to be observed annually on September 5. The decision is intended to strengthen international attention to the contributions of Indigenous women and girls, the challenges they face, and the protection of their rights.

For Ukraine, this day has particular significance, as the Crimean Tatars, Karaites, and Krymchaks are Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine who formed on the Crimean Peninsula.

Throughout different historical periods, women from these peoples contributed to education and culture, engaged in research and public life, preserved their languages and traditions, and advocated for the rights of their peoples.

Among them are Shefika Hasprynska, one of four women elected to the First Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People; Semita Kushul, a Karaite scholar, ethnographer, and museum professional who dedicated her life to preserving the cultural heritage of her people; and Viktoriia Bahynska-Hurdzi, a Krymchak writer, translator, and folklorist.

The histories of Crimea’s Indigenous peoples have been marked by profound hardships. The Crimean Tatar people endured Soviet repression and the forced deportation of 1944. Karaites faced decades of pressure on their cultural and linguistic identity. The Krymchak community suffered catastrophic losses during the Holocaust.

Today, under russian temporary occupation of Crimea, the Indigenous Peoples once again face pressure, persecution, and attempts to suppress their identity.

Women continue to resist the occupation, support political prisoners and their families, preserve cultural heritage, pass their native languages on to younger generations, document human rights violations, and remain powerful voices for their peoples.

Their resilience, voices, and contribution to preserving their peoples are an integral part of the history and future of Ukrainian Crimea.