A few things to know about the global fight for women’s rights

A few things to know about the global fight for women’s rights

I am feeling fired up, hopeful and energised at the same time that I am fatigued, overwhelmed and disillusioned. Confused? Welcome to my headspace! Spending three days attending the Stockholm Gender Forum, in the utopic capital of Sweden, with the modest objective of shaping a new reality for women, has been something of a mental rollercoaster.

There is no universal starting point for women and girls and the extremes are wild.  

This unassailable and uncomfortable truth dogged me throughout the duration of the Stockholm Gender Forum.

It is obvious but has never felt more obvious to me than in recent days. There is no singular reality for girls and women and the disparity that exists is difficult to reconcile. What constitutes the most pressing violation of a girl or woman’s rights varies enormously from place to place, from day to day. There is not a country in the world where women enjoy equal rights to men but the extent to which they are less equal, and the manner in which that inequality manifests, varies dramatically.

 

The incongruence of being in a country like Sweden that is so committed to delivering women equal rights that it has implemented a feminist foreign policy while also meeting women who work in Myanmar and Pakistan and Kenya and Syria – just as a few examples – where the violations women face on a daily basis range from acid attacks to genital mutilation to sexual-based violence as weapons of war is difficult to reconcile.

And yet this is the world we inhabit.

Inequality begets inequality

Because of the above it was tempting, and trust me I succumbed, to rank inequality. To relegate certain fights – like seeking greater representation of women in decision making positions – as less meaningful than others. (At one point my thoughts began to mirror the sentiments of a right-wing troll when I started to ask myself whether us Australian women should simply be grateful that we don’t face the same atrocities as women in other parts of the world).

But shining through the midst of various contradictions on show in Stockholm, the answer was obvious. Having women “more equal” in certain places is what is driving the pursuit of change. Were it not for the fight for greater representation we would not be gathered where we were. We would not have been summoned by a government that is actively working to make women and girls around the world safe and equal.

The answer is in the collective because as Martin Luther King Jnr said, inequality anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

One of the tangible results from Sweden’s feminist foreign policy – itself a result of not merely fighting for women to be safe but for them to have seats at the table – that the foreign minister Margot Wallstrom pointed out, is that it has prevented hundreds of thousands of unsafe abortions in East Africa.

Being less unequal than others is not equality. And as Madeleine Rees, the general secretary of the Women’s League for Peace and Freedom, said no one went to the barricades chanting “Let’s mitigate!”

We went to the barricades for equality. Nothing less is enough.

A world where every girl and every woman has the right to choose what to do with her body, with her life.

Full stop. No questions. No exceptions.

That is the new reality we are seeking as it was distilled by the British performing artist Ana Paz, in a piece she wrote and performed for the forum. This is what the universal starting point for woman and girls needs to be.

Repeat it after me.

A world where every girl and every woman has the right to choose what to do with her body, with her life.

The contradictions in the realm of gender equality are immense.  

In the words of Sweden’s foreign minister (and international beacon of hope) Margot Wallstrom: “It seems that gender equality is both the simplest thing there is and also the hardest.”

The up sides to building a world in which men and women enjoy the same rights and  opportunities are limitless and unequivocal. Whether it’s in peace and security, economic growth, poverty, the environment or violence outcomes are improved significantly when women are empowered. Logically, it is so simple but in reality it is anything but.

“The world is awful and wonderful at the same time,” Wallstrom said.

“Awful because of the limitless cruelty of some humans.  Because of starvation and poverty. Because of war and violence. But wonderful because of the limitless compassion and activism of those in the hardest of times.”

Annika Rembe, the director-general of forum co-host the Swedish Institute, noted the necessary change for gender equality requires power-sharing and power is rarely sacrificed easily.

Which is why a delegate from Brazil nailed the conundrum on stage on Day 2, when she described the forum as both heaven and hell.

“It is heaven to be here together…but it is hell out there to achieve,” she said.

No one wants to give up power.

The backlash is real.

There was broad consensus at the forum that the backlash against women’s rights is fiercer than ever right now. Sarah Martin, a gender-based violence specialist with nearly 20 years experience in the field as a humanitarian, said it is no longer sufficient to simply fight for new ground.

“You might think you’re moving forwards on women’s rights but then things get snatched away – you can’t be comfortable.”

The truth that was recognised many times throughout the forum is that many women still pay with their lives while fighting this fight. Which ups the ante on women who can fight without endangering their lives. Women like Margot Wallstrom.

The resistance right now cannot be ignored but Wallstrom offered a Gandhi quote which she said she used often when introducing the feminist foreign policy.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you…and then you win.”

There is power in numbers and there is a crack squad on the job

The power of sharing a physical space for three days with hundreds of other men and women who are fiercely committed to the same goal you are cannot be understated. It was electric and stirring and gratifying to meet, hear and learn from so many rockstars from around the globe who are on the frontline of the mission to make gender equality a fact not a fight.

Spending three days with so many people, who are brilliant and dedicated and passionate and smart, many of whom risk their own lives because of what they do, who have been working in pursuit of gender equality for decades was thrilling.

You are going to hear more about my new heroes (mostly sheroes) but if you are not familiar with the work of award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, champion human rights lawyer Colin Gonsalves, or Linnea Claesson, or Kenyan feminist activist Rachael Mwikali or Lina Abirafeh you are in for a treat.

(Of course this does present a steadying question. With this squad on side, fighting the fight, how can we not have won this already?)

Women’s movements are the only way women have ever won rights.

The vote. The right to choose. The right to work. To open bank accounts. To marry who we choose. To be free from harassment. These rights have only ever been achieved by movements led by women to make it so.

Can a global movement of women be the force to deliver and accelerate change for women and girls? In closing the forum Margot Wallstrom expressed this hope and it’s one I share.

“I think we have the power to move mountains…change is possible, necessary and long overdue.”

Wallstrom is confident that history will belong to those who work to make the world more wonderful.

“I am confident that gender equality is one of these defining issues – the unfinished business of our times – one of those fateful questions upon which future generations will judge our performance as leaders, activist and citizens.”

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