As I enter the final days of my time in New York and at the UN I have had time to reflect on the learning and the knowledge that I have been exposed to in the past number of days. At times that reflection has been on how far we as a gender have come in the past 100 years and it has been a reflection on all those who worked so hard to lobby and campaign for the rights that I, as a woman born in the 1970s, take for granted. But with the issues raised by the #metoo campaign and the #timesup campaign it brings it home that the world is still unequal. A key message from the conference is that unless we all step up to effect a change, men and women, its likely that my daughters and others will be exposed to the same glass ceilings the women who spoke at today's conference have experienced.
A plea came from women in regions where gender rights are less well recognized. They said that they often looked to the western developed world as a region where sexual exploitation and inequality didn't exist. The Hollywood exposure of very powerful men and famous womens' experiences of sexual violence and violation was a shock for them. But the exposure has helped them ( mainly in African nations) to begin dialogue and begin to organise behind this campaign. They have taken great hope , inspiration and solace from the bravery of those who said 'no more!' Delegates said that hearing from those actresses they began to realise it could happen to anyone, how it is not as a result of something they did but that the fault in this lies solely with the perpetrator. That's a hugely powerful message to send to those who feel weaken and ashamed by their violation. Many from regions where women struggle with issues of equality began to realise that the only way to stop this from happening is to speak up and be strong. But we were warned the consequences of doing so can impact on women themselves who will be ostracized locally, their wider families can be shamed, their marriages can be at risk and most worrying their children can be targeted. The risk for some is too much and for others that risk will only be taken when they are supported by governments, powerful legislation and local leaders. 'When women stand up they need to be supported'
One quote that stuck with me was 'By speaking out the visible women of Hollywood made invisible women visible and vocal'
But in all of this the question 'what next?' has been raised. Exposing the conduct and securing convictions for those who are perpetrators is one element of it but how do we begin to use this campaign to push for something more - something that will see a stamping out of violation by those who hold power.
A plea at the end of the session was that men need to be a part of the change. We cannot as women keep talking to ourselves. We need to bring in men tot he dialogue, listen to their experiences, we need to develop a zero tolerance of the unequal treatment of women at all levels and places in society.
One journalist said too that we need, as women, to demand to be allowed to infiltrate the 'male only' locker/golf club and 'boys club' situations which prevent women from rising above certain pay grades in many media and corporate situations. She described situations where men in her media organisation go, that are impossible for her to go simply because of her gender, and so she finds herself 'outside the circle'. She suggested that women begin to test the boundaries and began to sit at their tables and demand to be included in these spaces and when they are not allowed or enabled they need to cry foul loudly!
No comments:
Post a Comment