.... The public gallery was jam-packed, full of mostly South Asian women, young and old, of faith and none, from across the country who came to show solidarity. To be visible for those who could not be. To represent the countless testimonies of women, men and children we have listened to over the years.
The stories of being told you have to behave a certain way because of your gender. The feelings of “I have no choice” to “I have been told I will go to hell if I don’t cover myself”, to the emotional pressure exerted by family and community members. The feelings of guilt, shame and self-loathing for daring to question a set of imposed values on them.
There were not enough seats for all the frontline activists that came and a camaraderie game of musical chairs took place. But we stayed. Waiting. Willing that justice be served for the children who quietly spoke about being treated unequally. Familiar strangers, an imperceptible thread connecting us across cultures.
We understand the everyday, ordinary impact of gender inequality, for we live it. Through our lives, listening to our mothers or our grandmothers before them. Worlds largely hidden away from those in power, often only sought out by vote-seeking politicians or by far-right propagandists. [Sedaa.org] Read more
