lara: this is “focus on europe.” i'm lara babalola. welcome. as the war in ukraine rages on, we've seen men on the front lines and millions of women fleeing withheir children. but that's not the full picture. societal norms are being rapidly redefined as a result of the conflict. women are performing vital roles and have proved a crucial part of the war effort. an increasing number of women are undergoing weapons training, and tens of thousands are now fighting for their country against russia.

the war has changed the landscape in other professions as well. for a long time, many jobs were considered to be male domain only. some were even officially off-limits for women. discrimination is a reality in viktoria kikot's profession. but she is determined to break down those barriers and is becoming a trailblazer in her line of work. viktoria is showing that gender equality is not only fair, it is essential. reporter: each time she starts work is a moment of validation for viktoria kikot. she is ukraine's first female train co-driver. until recently, sexist regulations banned women from the job -- it was considered risky to their reproductive health. now in the war, it really is dangerous for everyone on the trains. viktoria: it's hard mentally and physically because you very

often hear the air raid siren. i've even seen when missiles hit. we try to suppress these emotions and continue our work because it's not just about our lives. the lives of the passengers sitting behind us also depend on us. reporter: viktoria had to try many times before she could even study for her dream job. viktoria: i was applying to many universities and colleges and asking if they could teach me, and everyone said the same thing -- “no, you are a woman”" that was it. then one school said they did not have the right to refuse me, but they could not promise that i would ever work in this profession. reporter: but by the time she'd

graduated, the old soviet-era ban on women doing certain jobs had been dropped. viktoria started as a co-driver a few months before russia invaded in february. viktoria: attention passengers, our destination is hrebinka station. time of departure from kyiv is 18:27. reporter: there's a lot to do. update logbooks, check the speed of the train, the signals, the electrical contact line, and speak to passengers. and if something were to happen to the driver, she'd have to take over. viktoria: at the beginning, men treated me suspiciously because they didn't believe that we can do the same jobs that they can. and women also didn't think that, in our patriarchal society, we could take on such positions.

reporter: ukraine's women are becoming more visible everywhere. hanna hrytsenko, an expert on gender studies, says the necessities of war are changing society. hanna: it's an interconnected process, meaning that women who are on the frontline become role models for civilian women. but also those women in the military, they want to see examples of women in civilian professions. they want examples of women in traditionally male professions, outside of the military. reporter: olena also wants to be part of that process. she graduated in economics but two years ago decided to join the army as well and is now on active duty. she served in the kyiv region at the start of the war when the russians tried to invade the capital. olena: i set up checkpoints, prepared

molotov cocktails, helped order medicine, helped elderly people. it was a mixture of both military and civilian tasks. reporter: she says now, even though the russians are further away, her current job is much more difficult. olena: we talk to parents whose child has died, and we organize the funerals. i'd rather be at checkpoints than speaking with the parents of dead soldiers. reporter: she says she feels it's important for women to serve in the military, to break gender clichés. but she says civilian women who want to volunteer are being turned away, while men are taken on. olena: if you just show up at a conscription office and tell them that you want to serve, no one will take you if you have no experience. they simply won't believe in you. it's probably part of the skeptical attitude towards women. reporter: back on the train, it's late. viktoria's shift will be at

least 12 hours today. trains have become a vital form of transport in this war, and there is never enough staff. nobody here cares whether it's a man or a woman in charge. >> it doesn't make any difference at all. it's the same to me if it's a man or woman, as long as they can do the job. >> there's nothing wrong with a woman driving the train. this is just work. work is work. reporter: viktoria says she will still need to push hard to make it from the co-driver to driver. that top job is still done by a man. viktoria: it hasn't completely changed yet. we still need a lot more time. we need to raise a new generation, a young generation with the idea that women have

the same rights as men. reporter: viktoria is pushing through ths a brighter future for ukrainian women. one day she will become a train driver. lara: gender roles are also under scrutiny in turkey. female musicians are facing discrimination, with their concerts being cancelled more frequently than their male counterparts. women with liberal and critical voices are especially affected, as are female artists who are considered to be provocative. images like these draw the ire of islamic conservative politicians in turkey. ahead of shows in places like the city of adana, artists are fraught with nerves, not knowing if authorities will pull the plug at the last minute.

reporter: a final sound check. turkish singer ilkay akkaya and her band are getting ready to perform. but will the concert in the southern turkish city of adana really take place? in recent months, many of akkaya's performances have been canceled. often at short notice. ilkay: i read on twitter the night before our concert in mersin that it was canceled. ayhan: it's pretty rough every time. i mean, the venues are rented, the equipment is on its way, the musicians are booked. and then all of a sudden it's forbidden due to some regulation. reporter: more concerts and festivals have been banned in turkey this year than ever before. just the list of canceled music festivals alone is long. in past years, many we attended by tens of thousands of people. the bans are usually justified by “protecting public order.”

but ilkay akkaya is suspicious. ilkay: they try to impose a certain way of life on us. it's often female singers who are affected by the prohibitions. because these people think women should stay at home. musicians who stand up for fairer and freer conditions are also affected. it's taken as criticism of the government, and this is how they're silenced. reporter: pop singer gülsen is a thorn in the side of the ruling religious conservatives under turkish president recep tayyip erdogan for another reason. pro-government media outlets claim her outfits violate the values of the people. she's currently being tried in court for allegedly making disparaging remarks about islamic religious schools. the islamist party, hüda par, welcomes the state's crackdown.

for them, it's a question of morality. hayrullah: these concerts familiarize people with such immoralities. there is not only a serious economic crisis in the country at the moment, there is also a crisis of morality and decency. and this moral crisis is only exacerbated by such concerts, which are incompatible with our faith. reporter: for some conservatives in turkey, rock and pop music such as ilkay akkaya's is as dangerous as drugs. but concertgoers in adana say these are just excuses. some fear that turkey is becoming more and more religious. >> with the bans, they want to prevent this part of society and culture from growing. >> we've attended countless concerts in our lives and enjoyed ourselves. of course, the fact that our

children might not have these same experiences worries us. reporter: this particular concert does take place. freedom is a common theme in ilkay akkaya's music. the audience cheers her on. but rock and pop music is increasingly being portrayed as immoral. critical observers suspect this is intended to satisfy conservative voters before next year's elections. islamist parties like hüda par recognize the opportunity. hayrullah: we shouldn't talk about these bans all the time. instead we should talk about the alternatives for young people. we also organize concerts, sports, and cultural events,

ones that actually connect young people to their own values and traditions. reporter: ilkay akkaya's tour through this turkish province came to an end that evening. the following concert was canceled. this time by the organizers, possibly due to pressure from the authorities. ilkay: it's not just me who's being slowly deprived of a livelihood, it's my 10 musicians, collaborators, and their families too. this policy is simply unlawful and unjust. reporter: but ilkay akkaya and many fellow artists in turkey will continue making music, despite the threat of being silenced. lara: it's a dream destination for many -- the mediterranean sea along the italian coast. but beneath the pristine facade,

the sea is suffering from overfishing. off the coastal town of talamone in tuscany, the fragile ecosystem is slowly starting to make a recovery. and this man has played a key role -- fisherman paolo fanciulli. he is fighting to restore balance. but not everyone is on board, and so paolo has come up with a unique solution. reporter: paolo fanciulli works a long day. it's late in the night by the time he returns to the port of talamone in his fishing boat. but paolo does more than fish. he's also fighting illegal catch methods, particularly the use of trawl nets just above the seabed. his battle has made him lots of enemies. paolo: the illegal fishers hate me. they've tried to intimidate me, i've gotten death threats, i've been banned from all the fish markets. and the worst part is that instead of protecting me, the authorities have threatened me too. reporter: these marble sculptures are at

the root of the conflict. paolo dropped them there to save fish stocks and corals. his method has proven effective because illegal fishers' expensive trawl nets get tangled on the sculptures and tear. paolo: the illegal fishers don't like me at all. the big players don't want me to sink these blocks of marble, these artworks, in the sea because they can't fish anymore. but they're required to fish five kilometers from the coast and the blocks are only 500 meters from the shore. reporter: paolo has been working the seas since he was 15. he's seen how industrial fishing has gotten bigger and bigger in his homeland. meanwhile, the fish stocks have gotten smaller and smaller. at some point, he started catching far fewer fish. it started looking like paolo and other small fishers might not catch enough to survive.

paolo: traditional fishing means the nets stay above the seabed without destroying the ecosystem. during industrial fishing, they drop trawl nets onto the sea floor. they're pulled with chains that weigh tons. that wrecks everything. it's as if a hunter would burn down an entire forest just to kill wild boar. reporter: to protect the sea and still pursue his passion, paolo launched fishing tourism. he takes travelers on his fishing boat and wins them over to his cause. on each voyage he tells of his opponents. paolo: the illegal fishers don't even stop at marine protected areas. reporter: he also tells his guests of how a quarry owner once gave him 100 blocks of

marble. and how artists from all over the world used them to make sculptures, each weighing several tons. he also recounts how he overcame bureaucratic hurdles and recalls the boat he used to bring the sculptures out to sea and place them on the seabed. that marked the birth of casa dei pesci, “house of fish,” an underwater sculpture park. fish stocks here have already recovered, because the fish can again find safe places to spawn. paolo: the aim of our work is to protect the sea and restore what humans have destroyed. reporter: but paolo says consumers have something to contribute as well. paolo: it's like i always say, we'll save the environment at our own tables, because if we keep eating fish that are caught

industrially or farmed using hormones, then the illegal fishers will never change their catch methods. they'll just keep on producing and fishing using a system that is no longer sustainable. reporter: paolo's strategy has had another consequence, too. paolo: the dolphins have returned because they find lots of fish here. they know that there's food for them along the coast. reporter: but the ongoing battle against illegal fishing has been grueling for paolo. paolo: i often feel sad and disappointed. but then when i'm with the guests who come on my boat, i get the strength to say, “you have to keep on going.” reporter: so paolo fanciulli sets off

again each morning to save his sea. lara: the french port city of marseille is also picturesque, but troubled. some residents say they're living in fear, as gangs and drugs plague the mediterranean city. residents are becoming increasingly desperate, and some have opted to isolate themselves in housing complexes fortified by security walls. but that has created a new problem in france's second-largest city. it has turned marseille into a giant obstacle course. reporter: it's early morning in marseille. theo is on his way to school. to reach his destination, he needs to get past walls, fences, and barriers. it's a veritable obstacle course. theo's father is angry.

jonathan: theo needs to take risks just to arrive to school on time. the alternative would be waking up and leaving the house much earlier. reporter: this wall is an obstacle theo and many others need to overcome. it restricts access to the residential complex next door. there have been calls to install a door, but the neighbors refused. jonathan: our children are made to feel ostracized from a young age. that can trigger criminal behavior, because they feel so rejected. what are you supposed to think when you're treated like a crook throughout your childhood? eventually you start acting like a crook. reporter: walls and fences are going up across the city because people fear crime.

as of early october, 28 people were killed in marseille's drug scene this year. vehicles have been torched, car parts stolen, apartments broken into. pascal lienhard works as a caretaker and security guard. he takes us to a residential block. only residents are granted entry through these fences and barriers. pascal: i've seen this neighborhood develop bit by bit. when residential blocks have enough money, they put up barricades. first, they install gates with intercoms. then, add cameras. they build fences. because these days when you call the police, they unfortunately won't come -- they're overwhelmed. reporter: there aren't super wealthy people living in this complex. it's ordinary people, bus drivers and retirees. they're willing to pay a bit more for extra security. dominique reymaud welcomes the new keypad locks.

he's a retired police officer. he and his wife live on the 7th floor. dominique: judging by what i read in the paper every day, marseille isn't a very safe place. especially in the southern part of the city, drugs are everywhere. our neighborhood is still fine. reporter: sometimes, the fear of crime looms larger than the actual threat. pascal lienhard knows this well. pascal: residents start calling the moment a gate won't close properly, asking when it will be fixed. people worry. reporter: people feel safer with a gate? pascal: it's about the feeling of security. you need to understand there's no such thing as total safety. reporter: an exhibition at this library in marseille shows how more and more parts of the city have walled themselves in. areas marked red are off-limits

to non-residents. elisabeth: many marseille streets were built in the 19th and 20th century by the upper-middle class, who carved up this area. these were private streets. and the city did not want to integrate them into the public network and also pay for their maintenance. this means many residents today have the legal right to close off streets. reporter: this city's hands are tied. though it does have power over new construction projects. mathilde: in the future, we'll withhold permits for housing projects that are designed as gated communities. reporter: it's the afternoon. school's done for the day. regielyn ojerio is picking up her son deangelo. she bought a scooter to cover the distance. regielyn: there's a long route ahead of us. it takes 20, 25 minutes. reporter: it used to take just five minutes on foot.

but then this wall was built between the school and their home. regielyn: we live over there. reporter: they set off, past gates and walls and fences. and one is left wondering, are the residents in marseille locking others out, or themselves in? lara: imagine having to part with your pet because you simply can't keep up with the costs. more and more people in great britain are now faced with that dilemma. during the pandemic, animal adoption boomed as people searched for comfort during the lockdowns. but that trend has now reversed. the cost-of-living crisis is leading pet owners to abandon their companions. and animal shelters are struggling to cope. reporter: good, long walks -- bella-rose gets plenty of those here. the young dog was abandoned in front of this shelter a few days ago.

her previous owners likely couldn't afford her anymore, as dog food and visits to the vet are getting more and more expensive. that's why this london shelter is receiving requests from owners who want to give up their animals every day. an increase of 30% in comparison to last year. marina: how desperate people must be, actually to give up their dog like that. it's sad, but we try to focus on what we can change. we can't change the fact that the dog has been abandoned, has been tied to the gate. we can't change that. what we can change is their future. so we take them in, we love them, we assess them and we find them a loving home. reporter: this is crucial, as spots in animal shelters are scarce. with inflation at 10% and costs rising, fewer and fewer people can afford to take in a pet. nine-year-old hendrik has been waiting for quite a while. claire: it is quite expensive to have a pet. cats cost on average per year around 1500 pounds.

dogs are around 2000 pounds per year. and people are just unable to sadly afford them. reporter: julia camara works at the shelter. she brings her 16-year-old chihuahua, jack, to work with her every day. she adopted him after he was given up during the pandemic. she's seriously worried. julia: i can see a difference. the price of food, the vet fees, recently they had the monthly flea treatment. i can see the prices are more expensive, definitely. i can imagine how hard it must be when you read that they have to choose between their food or their pets' food. reporter: pet food banks are already preparing for the winter, as inflation could rise to 13% by the end of the year. that would affect dog and cat owners too, and the already overwhelmed animal shelters could see even more people giving up their animals. lara: well that's all for us today. thank you so much for your company. bye for now. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute,

which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

kxq#qqqcccwgcg/g'■q x■?qoñé>z■z■z■ñl1/22 11/21/22 democracy now! test 11/21/22 11/21/22 democracy now! test 11/21/22 11/21/22 democracy now! test amy: from new york, this is democracy now! nick: so, the first thanksgiving story is -- begins with the pequot massacre by members of the massachusetts bay colony, which really marks sort of -- in my opinion, marks sort of the mythology of the united states as a settler-colonial country founded on sort of genocide to create, ironically, peace. amy: our history is the future.