Speaking Out - Celebrating 16 Days 2023

It is always important to have a place to meet, to have this chance to be together, to share information about where we are at in relation to the status of women - where we live, across the country, and across this world.

In 1969 here in Montreal about a dozen of us opened what was then one of the first Women’s Centres in Montreal, the Sainte Famille Women’s Centre. We handed out the Birth Control Handbook under the table as it was illegal for unmarried women to have access to birth control. We were an early centre because there was one doctor in town Dr. Henry Morgentaler who had the guts and the heart despite being jailed himself for 10 months in 1974 to provide abortions for women who needed them. We had mattresses on the floor with blankets and we tried our best to make women comfortable as they arrived from everywhere. We learned about their lives. We were aware of both the respect for indigenous women leaders across Canada, and the depth of the attacks. We were inspired by the community work being done by women in the black panther movement, by women across the US, by the Raging Grannies climbing the wire fences of the nuclear war centres. We strengthened connections with each other through writing letters and when we could and by travelling to meet each other, locally and internationally. I travelled through North Africa while reading La Femme Algerien. I met the Danish Redstockings and attended the gatherings they created on the island of Femo in Denmark which have been happening now for 50 years. I traveled through India knowing there were women rising to end dowry deaths and forced marriages. I had no way of finding the organizers and had not yet even heard about leaders like Vandana Shiva and Arundhati Roy. I had a wordless conversation with a woman sitting under a tree despite a lighter skinned man trying to break up our meeting. We had many great discussions in the women-only train cars.

We were inspired by the news about women looking for and working for change around the world. We linked arms across language and culture, held what we called consciousness-raising groups to inform ourselves on all of the changes needed, and the need to create a network locally, nationally and globally. 

It was in 2012 that I first learned that we have a strong global network of women and allies on line together. I celebrate daily that we are now 80,000 members from 227 countries working together for change, with a commitment that what we are working for is a world with no violence, and that in this global community we are determined that all women will be free and respected. Within this network of World Pulse many of us recognized as activists have been brought together as Ambassadors, committed to creating change. We are Changemakers who are deeply grateful to be able to be working together. We write, Zoom and Whatsapp with each other and when we can, meet in person with tremendous joy, staying informed and strengthening the work we are doing globally to change the lives of women and girls, to explain that we are working to end this violence, to end the wars, to end poverty, to put girls in school, to close widow’s huts, to end FGM, to take leadership in communities, in governments and in the UN as a Global Circle of Wise Women.

We are all connected with each other, working together within World Pulse. Together we feel the heartbeat of the world, women working for deep change. I never imagined I would experience this day. I never imagined that it would take this long, personally witnessing a half century of broken promises. The ongoing suppression and silencing of women is intentional. The ongoing expectation that women will work for no pay in this horrendous money system is intentional. If it were not intentional, it would have changed by now. 

The lack of action to stop men from beating, raping and murdering women who are in their homes or in the streets, the attack of any woman daring to walk alone in the streets, is intentional. To hold women prisoners in their own homes is intentional, as is the punishment of any woman breaking any of these rules, even speaking out about it. The continued teaching boys that men are superior to women and that men are meant to be in control is intentional. The teaching that anyone breaking free of this system and living differently and freely is to be punished, is intentional. Capturing women and forcing them into prostitution is intentional. All of this violence towards women is intentional to maintain control, as these billion dollar men continue to fight with each other for power, responsible for continually attacking with unspeakable cruelty.

 A recent statement from the UN Commission on the Status of Women 2021:

“At the current rate of progress, it will take another 130 years to reach gender equality at the highest positions of power”. Who has made that decision? Will our stories of resistance have been buried? Is there really any intention if it is to take as long as that for peace after we are all gone?

This week in the news: $182 million was set aside for 32 projects in 30 countries.

This compared to the military spending budget: 

USA 877B; China 292B; Russia 86B; India 81B; Saudi Arabia 75B; UK 68B; Germany 55B; France 53B; Canada 26B. This $1,613B is set aside for war as we find ways to stay strong to keep our hearts from breaking, transforming heart pain into rage, and rage into action. Learning how to heal and healing through the joy of finding each other. 

Women in Afghanistan still forced to stay indoors. Women in Iran tortured in jails and murdered. Wars in many more countries than what is reported in the news. Within World Pulse, women are writing from 227 countries, 32 countries with ongoing wars - terrorist wars, drug wars, civil wars, ethnic conflicts. Men fighting, women raped, children kidnapped, so many deaths.

How much could that one thousand billion US dollars do to lift communities out of poverty? out of hunger? out of homelessness? Putting money into growing food? Into housing and schooling? Into planting and protecting trees, into to saving our planet. These are the questions arising from our global connections as women working for deep change. When Covid hit, it was women from World Pulse writing in to describe the extra emergency work that they were taking on personally, everywhere. All this work, every day, women working with no money. This is intentional. This is patriarchy. This is what we are up against. But we will not stop.

Just as we celebrate here today as we open this year’s 16 Days of Action Against Violence Against Women and Girls, we are here to take heart and celebrate that we are not alone in our work. Our global sisterhood continues to find ways to strengthen our connections creating paths to move forward together.

Through our connections within World Pulse we are able to celebrate and carry forward the news of Grace and Harris in Uganda finding ways to keep girls in school, Busayo in Nigeria who by the time she joined world pulse had empowered more than 7000 women and girls through her workshops, Caroline in Nigeria who has mentored countless girls into empowerment through teaching filmmaking, Nana in Ghana and so many others developing organic farming and planting trees, Eunice in Kenya, Djamila in the DRC and many others opening centres for empowerment of women in tech, Urmila in India undoing the shame of menstruation, so many sisters setting up sewing centres to make pads to give away, and clothing to give away and to sell. Arrey challenging us to recognize paths needed for inclusion and working to address the effects of sickle cell disease, Paulina in the Philippines visiting rural women who teach how to prepare herbal medicines, Regina in Cameroon making sure deaf and vulnerable people got covid kits, teaching sign language and getting support in place. Stella from India a roving journalist covering news, speaking at international conferences and mentoring young reporter activists. Many brilliant sisters attending and speaking out at COPP conferences. The biggest joy we express collectively is we are now able to be working together. This is World Pulse.

Those of us with online access have the chance to take part in this global network where so many of us are getting to know each other well, finding ways to work together, brainstorming on how to end all of these forms of violence, brainstorming on how to make known the messages of those without online access, with the determination to have peace, to end poverty and to save this planet that we love and depend on for our lives. What an insult to face such resistance, calling us selfish for speaking out as women, when we are working to undo such disrespect and violence everywhere. Are we to remain silent when we learn that yet another woman has been raped? Must escape her home? Are we to remain silent that girls are not allowed to go to school? That women must not go outdoors? That we are to say nothing about these new wars? More than 1.5B US dollars this year from just 9 countries is earmarked to be spent on wars.

Through it all at least we have each other. We have this day to gather and share news, form priorities, work together for not only the safety but the respect for women and girls. The respect for women leaders. The respect for all women, everywhere. As we continue into this next year may we celebrate the times we have to be in discussion with each other, to plan together, to hold to what we know in our hearts is possible. A world with no violence. The story of women throughout time recognized and respected. An end to poverty and violence in all of their terrible forms. The protection of our earth. The respect for women and girls. May we experience this in our lifetimes, rejecting completely that such a world is not possible. In celebration of this time we have together today. Thank you for this chance to be together.

It is this online network, World Pulse that gives me hope. Those of us lucky enough to have access online have this chance to take part in this global network where so many of us are getting to know each other well, finding ways to work together, brainstorming on how to end all of these forms of violence, how to bring the power, perspective and determination to have peace and to end poverty and the ruination of this planet we love and depend on for our lives. What an insult to face such resistance, calling us selfish for speaking as women when we are working to undo such disrespect and violence everywhere. Are we to remain silent when we know that yet another woman has been raped? Must escape her home? Are we to remain silent that girls are not allowed to go to school? Say nothing about these new wars? More than 1.5 billion US dollars to be spent this year from just 9 countries.

We are facing so much but through it all at least we have each other. We have this 16 Days to gather and share news, form priorities, work together for not only the safety but also the respect for women and girls. The respect for women leaders. The respect for all women, everywhere. The respect for our planet. As we continue into this next year may we celebrate the times we have to be in discussion with each other, to plan together, to hold to what we know in our hearts is possible. A world with no violence. The story of women throughout time recognized and honoured. An end to poverty, to violence in all of its terrible forms. The protection of our earth. The respect for women and girls. May we experience this in our lifetimes, rejecting completely that such a world is not possible. 

In celebration of this time we have together during these 16 days, thank you for this chance to be together, strengthening and creating our path forward. We have so much work in front of us, but at least we have each other.