We are pleased to announce the availability of our latest installment of podcast episodes in Human Rights Education NOW! Episodes 62 & 63 feature conversations with Zeynep Karatas, Eugenia Ricciotti, and Tata Varadashvili.
Zeynep Karatas
Zeynep Karatas is a recent graduate of University of California – Irvine (UCI), where she studied Political Science and International Studies in the honors program. She gained experience with several international human rights organizations, including The Borgen Project, Lawyers Without Borders, the United Nations Association of the USA, and The Advocates for Human Rights. On campus, she held multiple leadership roles in student government, teaching, and event planning. Her honors thesis on the European Court of Human Rights examined the protection of rights amid democratic erosion, presented at three conferences. Recognized with awards such as UCI’s Outstanding Undergraduate Award, the Phi Beta Kappa Graduate Study Award, and the Order of Merit, she aspires to pursue graduate school and a career in international human rights law.
Eugenia Ricciotti
Eugenia Ricciotti is a law graduate from the University of Trento, Italy, currently pursuing a Master’s in Human Rights and Sustainability at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She previously interned with The Advocates for Human Rights, contributing to advocacy campaigns, women’s rights initiatives, and the Beijing+30 project, which documents the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women. With interests in minority rights and gender equality, she hopes to build a career as a researcher and advocate in human rights.
Tata Varadashvili
Tata Varadashvili, based in Vienna, Austria, is a graduate of Central European University with a degree in Political, Legal, and Governmental Studies and will soon begin her LL.M. in Human Rights. She has served as First Vice Chair of the Student Union and participated in numerous human rights initiatives during her studies. Currently interning with the WAVE Network, she aims to pursue a career specializing in women’s rights and international criminal law.
Episode 62, Zeynep Karatas, Eugenia Ricciotti, and Tata Varadashvili – Part One
In Episode 62, three young feminists—Zeynep Karatas, Eugenia Ricciotti, and Tata Varadashvili—share how personal experiences shaped their interest in human rights and women’s rights. Zeynep by the femicide of Özgecan Aslan in Turkey, Eugenia was influenced by The Handmaid’s Tale and abortion restrictions, and Tata by her mother’s warnings about rights being taken away, drawing parallels to Iran. They highlight the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women as a turning point, though one not widely known until recent years, emphasizing the need to raise awareness and integrate women’s rights into education.
They compare feminist struggles from 1995 to today, noting persistent restrictions on reproductive health and education, the rise of authoritarian regimes, and slow progress, though today’s feminism is more intersectional. The digital era provides new platforms for activism, but also creates risks of misinformation and harassment. The guests outline key challenges facing young feminists: systemic perceptions of women as inferior, lack of funding, backlash against feminism, misrepresentation in media, not being taken seriously, and burnout from unpaid labor. The episode closes with reflections on sustaining feminist activism amid these challenges.
Topics discussed:
- Personal motivations: Influences of literature, femicide, and family warnings on feminist awareness
- Beijing 1995 legacy: Need for more awareness and integration in curricula
- Then vs. now: Continued barriers to women’s rights; slow progress; rise of authoritarianism; growing intersectionality
- Digital activism: Opportunities for mobilization but risks of harassment and misinformation
- Challenges for young feminists: Funding gaps, institutional sexism, media misrepresentation, backlash, and burnout
- Closing reflections on sustaining feminist struggles
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
Episode 63, Zeynep Karatas, Eugenia Ricciotti, and Tata Varadashvili – Part Two
In Episode 63, Zeynep Karatas, Eugenia Ricciotti, and Tata Varadashvili reflect on feminist movements past and present, drawing inspiration from earlier thinkers and organizers while emphasizing the need for intersectionality, self-care, and adaptation to today’s digital and media landscapes. Zeynep, Eugenia, and Tata highlight the importance of centering historically silenced groups, resisting hierarchy within feminism, and framing women’s rights as human rights. They discuss patriarchy as a system that harms all genders and note the persistence and courage modeled by past movements.
The 1995 Beijing Conference on Women is revisited as a pivotal global moment that fostered transnational feminist networks and coalition building, with today’s context marked by democratic backsliding and disinformation. The conversation then turns to sustainability strategies, stressing self-care, mutual aid, and viewing activism as a lifelong commitment. Zeynep, Eugenia, and Tata imagine what a global feminist conference today might address, including cultural relativism, child marriage, economic justice, and climate change as a feminist issue. They also examine how austerity policies, unpaid care work, and far-right backlash continue to challenge progress, while offering intergenerational advice for feminist resilience.
Topics discussed:
- Feminist inspirations: Intersectionality, self-care, lessons from collective organizing, centering marginalized voices
- Women’s rights as human rights: Challenging patriarchy and identity politics; persistence from past movements
- Beijing 1995 legacy: Global networks, coalition building, responding to disinformation and democratic erosion
- Sustainability strategies: Self-care, mutual aid, and imagining a modern global feminist conference
- Key issues today: Cultural relativism, child marriage, economic justice, climate justice
- Ongoing challenges: Austerity, unpaid care labor, far-right backlash
- Intergenerational advice and closing reflections
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
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