Evdokia Romanova (born 30 April 1990) is a human rights activist, who has campaigned on

sexual and reproductive health and rights Sexual and reproductive health and rights or ''SRHR'' is the concept of human rights applied to sexuality and Human reproduction, reproduction. It is the recognition of every person’s right to make fully informed and self-determined decisions ...

(SRHR) and LGBTQI issues in Russia. She was prosecuted under Russia's “homosexual propaganda law” in 2017.

Early life and education

Evdokia Romanova (Dunia) was born in Kuibishev (Samara since 1991), USSR. She studied at Samara State University (BA in sociology) and the

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public university, public research university in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1913 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, it is the third oldest academic component of the Univers ...

(MA in sociology). She works as a social worker and community activist.

Work and activism

Dunia's human rights activism focuses on people with disability rights, women's rights, refugee rights, sexual and reproductive health and rights. Dunia is a member of the LGBT-rights movement ''Avers'', which provides legal and psychological assistance to the LGBT community and defends the rights of other LGBT groups. She also works with ''Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights'' (YCSRR) and the young feminists’ foundation. Dunia has used theatre as a tool for social change, based on the

Theatre of the Oppressed The Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) describes theatrical forms that the Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal first elaborated in the 1970s, initially in Brazil and later in Europe. Boal was influenced by the work of the educator and theori ...

methodology of popular community-based education. Evdokia spoke at the

Commission on the Status of Women The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW or UNCSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, principal organs of the United Nations. CSW has bee ...

in March 2018.

Prosecution

On 26 July 2017 Evdokia was called into her local police station on the pretext of having to act as a witness in a case she had never heard of. On arrival, she was instead informed that she was facing legal proceedings for “homosexual propaganda” but denied disclosure of any details of the case against her. Dunia and her lawyer were refused any details about her case for weeks. They were granted access to her case file on 5 September 2017, only days before the trial. On 18 October 2017, Evdokia was prosecuted with the administrative offence of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships among minors using the Internet”. This was on the basis of posts she shared on her private Facebook page in 2015 and 2016, including a ''Guardian'' story on Ireland's same sex marriage referendum and a Buzzfeed article about an LGBTI exhibition in St Petersburg. She was fined 50,000 roubles (US$870). Following her arrest, Dunia struggled with a loss of confidence and self-esteem as she shut down her social media accounts. She paid the fine, but is now appealing the decision.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romanova, Edvokia 1990 births Living people Women human rights activists People from Samara, Russia Samara State University alumni University of Texas at El Paso alumni 21st-century Russian LGBTQ people Russian women activists Russian human rights activists Russian feminists