As an advocate for human rights, my work has seen me skew organically towards expertise in combating gendered - and particularly sexual - violence.
Every single day, I spend hours wading through the words of those who have suffered and survived. I have pushed aside my spare time, my hobbies, even my health because I believe that for each person brave enough to share their stories, there should be an opportunity for them to yield some small comfort in return. Perhaps it's a platform through which to be heard, a connection to help them heal, or a change in attitude or ethos or culture spawned by their story that mean, one day, they might be amongst the last people who have that story to tell. With #MeToo tearing down all the flimsy constructs we have societally created to protect abusers and diminish survivors, there is a lot of emotion taking place. People want justice, they want action - but what can be done? For many of these cases, the best was an offer is a change within ourselves. There are action points you can take - today - to support survivors of sexual assault and change the culture that enables their abuse. They come with no financial cost, but they demand consistency and commitment. Wellbeing for Women Africa has launched its first Master Document, Action Points for Changing the World: Sexual Assault, which examines the grey areas of sexual consent within which so much sexual abuse takes place, dismantales the logical fallacies that protect abusers and diminish the voice of survivors, and provide a tangible list of actions you can take to recognise the problem so that you can be part of the solution. Unless we stand boldly against sexual assault, we are complicit. Read the Master Document here at www.wellbeingwomen.org |
AuthorScarlett Hawkins writes novels... But in her spare time, she writes rants. Archives
April 2019
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