Trigger warning, this article mentions violence, sexual harassment and other sensitive topics.
From a young age, I was already aware of what the reality of being a woman meant. It meant being told how much of a great mother or wife I would make, to not ‘spoil’ my looks with tattoos or piercings because ‘who would want to marry that’. I knew the reality of being a woman meant to dim my light in order to make men feel less threatened by my presence and in turn to protect myself from unnecessary attention. But dimming my light and making myself unnoticeable did nothing when I was a minor walking home from school being cat called by men twice my age. It did nothing when I was minding my business out with my friends at a bar and the simple answer of no wasn’t quite enough.
The reality of being a woman is simple. It means on the 25th of November, myself and other women support the UNITE campaign. It embarks 16 days of activism to push the elimination of violence against women and girls, ending on the 10th of December which commemorates the International Human Rights Day. The campaign calls for global action to increase awareness, promote advocacy and create safe spaces for discussions surrounding challenges and solutions.
Violence against women and girls has been recognised by the UN as one of the most widespread and persistent violation of human rights. Despite it being largely unreported due to the silence, stigma and shame around it. Violence can manifest itself in ways such as:
- Intimate partner violence
- Sexual violence and harassment
- human trafficking
- child marriage
- female genital mutilation
It is important to understand that gender based violence can happen to anyone at any time, however the recent global pandemic saw the world stand still and retreat inside their homes. Unfortunately, since the pandemic 45% of women said they or a women they know has experienced some form of violence. Alongside 6 out of 10 women felt that sexual harassment in public spaces has worsened.
Undeniably there is a call towards people who identify as men to become more conscious of their actions in public spaces towards and around women. There are plenty of ways In which men can make women feel safer about their presence and here are just a few.
This article may be your first introduction to this campaign against violence, or it may be something you support every year. Regardless, campaigning towards the end of violence against women and girls should be a practice we all support and encourage daily. To find out exactly what activities and how you can become a devoted activist for this campaign, head to this site.