Bodies Of Revolution
Nimko Ali, co-founder of Daughters of Eve
At the beginning of my work campaigning there was lot of shouting and emotion involved in trying to be heard, but now I just try to connect people, and listen. For the first time, I see myself as an agent of change as opposed to the protestor on their behalf. We’ve put the issue of FGM on the table, but it’s also about what else effects young people who are marginalised, whether they are from refugee backgrounds or working-class backgrounds – those who are underrepresented in the media and beyond. I will always find a young person who can speak to the people in power, because it has to come from them – not me. I’m not 16 anymore, I’m at a different stage in my life, but I can help them be heard by respecting them as they grow up.
What does it mean for young women to be empowered in 2016? It’s vital that young people have a voice and are able to speak, because they have something to say. Young people are the one who face the most form of domestic abuse and sexual violence, and with them being at the source and closest to the issue, they can really give us the worlds to address this and end it. We need to not only speak to young people, but really hear them – to make the changes we want to make.
There are a lot of theoretical solutions to these problems discussed, rather than practical action. One of the stark statistics that stuck out to me was that 75% of 11-21 year olds would change their daily routine to avoid placing themselves in situations where they were subject to abuse and violence. Fear is very real for young people, and it drives them. As much as we need to talk about equal pay and the representation of women in government, the day to day realities of young people and the lack of safety with in schools is a real crisis. There is a term that is used a lot when discussing these issues; resilience. Young people should not need to be resilient; we have to change the world around them.
Social Media plays a huge role in giving young people a voice, and adds a layer of accessibility between them and the key decision makers. Politicians and game changers are now part of this framework. They can be tagged and held accountable to answer questions and participate in conversations where previously they wouldn’t. People are sharing their stories and using social media as a way of gathering information. The problem is it’s not contextualised and there is conflicting information that’s hard to process and trust, but it is a powerful tool.
Every year, WOW picks up on the pulse of women’s needs; in many cases it is the first time women from around the world – who may not have a voice – can talk and share. really important. Whether it is survivors of sexual assault in India or young women for whom education is a luxury, this is a forum in which they can be heard. Refugee women are some of the most vulnerable in the world. A lot of these women have waited and waited, and eventually they have had enough. WOW is like our call to arms: we see young men rioting in the Jungle in Calais, but the women are on the side lines, keeping it together. As well as this, women are being left behind in war zones, dying or being prostituted. They are bottom of the heap. The sad truth is they are not even invisible – it’s worse than that, they just don’t matter. It makes me very proud that refugee women are the ones we’re having a conversation about this year. When I first started out, the young girls who were victims of FGM didn’t have any political clout, so that decision makes would really listen, but WOW gave them that platform. If you don’t have the right to vote, if you’re not supported in the global society or by the media, you are pictured as a weird enigma and we must fight that. If there is situation like Ebola, because it affects men and women it’s a global epidemic and a shocking news story, but when you have something that only affects women like FGM or the recent Zika virus, it becomes an ‘issue’ not a crisis. Language is key in how we talk about issues faces young women; how we listen to them and represent them. It’s easy to co-opt someone else’s story but allowing people to tell their own story will always be the most powerful thing.
#WomensEqualityParty #DaughtersOfEve #FGM #TeensTalkBack #BodiesofRevolution #WomenCrossingBorders @NimkoAli