Filia

FiLiA (formerly known as “Feminism in London”) is a women-led volunteer organisation based in the UK that describes its mission as: “Building Sisterhood and Solidarity, Amplifying the Voices of Women, Defending Women’s Human Rights.” 

The name “FiLiA” comes from the Latin word for “daughter”, reflecting the idea: “we are the daughters of the women who came before us and we fight so that our sisters and daughters may be free.” 

Registered as a UK charity in 2015 (charity number 1163473). 

Its vision:

“a world free from patriarchy where all women and girls are liberated.” 

From grassroots beginnings, FiLiA has grown into a prominent platform in the women’s rights arena, hosting large conferences, producing podcasts, publications and advocacy work. 

Mission, Aims & Activities

FiLiA’s work can be grouped into three core pillars:

1. Building Sisterhood & Solidarity

FiLiA emphasises the value of collective action, networking, mutual support among women from diverse backgrounds (locally, nationally and globally). It brings together activists, artists, survivors, scholars. By organising events, conferences and forums, it creates spaces where women connect, share experience and build power together. 

2. Amplifying the Voices of Women

The organisation seeks especially to support women who might otherwise be unheard or silenced—whether because of class, race, disability, world south location, or other marginalisation. Through blogs, podcasts, speaking engagements, art exhibitions and its conference, FiLiA gives voice to those less easily heard. 

3. Defending Women’s Human Rights

FiLiA’s charitable objects include: promoting human rights (especially women’s rights), promoting equality between women and men and eliminating sex discrimination, and promoting art (particularly women’s art) for the public benefit. 

It also engages in policy work—submissions, written evidence to parliament, research collaborations. 

Beyond these pillars, some key activities include:

• The annual FiLiA conference (described as the largest grassroots feminist conference in Europe) bringing together thousands of women from dozens of countries. 

• Podcasts and blogs to share voices worldwide. 

• Artistic programmes: FiLiArts supports female artists, exhibitions of women’s art, spoken word, performance, etc. 

• Volunteer-leadership: an extensive volunteer team (over 160 volunteers) running the organisation. 

Impact & Reach

Conferences have broad international reach: speakers from 75+ countries at recent events. 

Growth in volunteer base and supporter base demonstrates increasing mobilization: FiLiA reports hundreds of thousands of volunteer “woman-hours” each year for its events. 

Policy submissions: FiLiA prepared written evidence to parliamentary committees, indicating its role not just in activism but in influencing formal policy discussion. 

These metrics show that FiLiA is more than a talk-shop—it is an operational organisation with reach and influence across activism, arts, policy and worldwide networks.

Samira Ahmed in conversation with Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe

Key Themes & Areas of Focus

Some of the themes FiLiA emphasises include:

• Sex-based rights (the idea that rights should be grounded in biological sex, particularly in relation to women’s spaces and protections). 

• Violence against women, sexual exploitation, pornography critique, equality in law and practice. 

• Elevation of women artists and creative voices, especially from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds. 

• Global solidarity: working with women in the global south, refugee women, asylum-seeking women, and raising awareness of international women’s struggles. 

Strengths & Significance

• Grassroots energy: FiLiA being essentially volunteer-driven reflects authenticity and energy from within the women’s movement rather than being top-down.

• Intersectional possibilities: By bringing together women from many geographies and backgrounds, the network offers scope for cross-movement learning and solidarity.

• Amplification of unheard voices: The focus on women who are often silenced or marginalised is a critical counter-weight to mainstream feminist spaces that may overlook less privileged women.

• Artistic dimension: The recognition of creative expression (not just activism) gives women new channels to express, heal, resist and build identity.

Controversies & Challenges

No organisation operating in the fraught terrain of feminism and rights is without critique. Some of the noted points regarding FiLiA are:

• The classification of FiLiA as a “gender-critical” feminist charity, meaning it emphasizes sex-based rights and has taken positions challenging aspects of transgender rights reform. 

• Accusations from some quarters of transphobia, or failing to include or centre trans voices in ways critics say they should. 

• The logistical and financial challenge of sustaining a large event and global network with primarily volunteer effort and limited funding. FiLiA has sought crowdfunding support to ensure survival. 

• Balancing broad aims (worldwide women’s liberation) with local, concrete action: as the network grows, ensuring depth of impact rather than just breadth is a challenge many activist orgs face.

These controversies underscore the complexity of feminist organising in contemporary times — how identities, rights, inclusion and diversity intersect, sometimes conflict, and how movements must navigate internal and external critique.

Why FiLiA Matters

For women’s rights, FiLiA offers several vital contributions:

• It shows that “women’s liberation” remains a live project, not just historical. The organisation ties continuity from second-wave feminism (hence “daughters of women who came before”) into contemporary struggles.

• It brings together arts, activism, policy, community in one ecosystem — which is rare.

• It reminds us that worldwide issues (women in Kenya, refugee women, anti-violence work) can be connected to local mobilisation. The world of women’s rights cannot be insulated by borders.

• It also demonstrates the power of organising: giving women spaces not just to complain, but to build, network, share, act, produce and influence.

Conclusion

In a world where women’s rights are still far from secure, where patriarchy adapts and evolves, where many voices remain unheard, FiLiA stands as a compelling actor. It blends history and hope, grassroots energy and global reach, art and activism. It reminds us that sisterhood, solidarity, and shared voice matter.

But it also reminds us that rights are not just about slogans—they are about systems, resources, representation and power. FiLiA’s work invites us to ask: How do we defend women’s rights today? Whose voices are silent? And how can movements ensure that no woman is left behind?

For those interested in women's liberation, feminist organising, rights protection and creative activism, FiLiA offers a rich terrain for engagement, challenge and growth. Their work is not finished; in fact, for many of us, it is just beginning.