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Sharing some largely unstructured thoughts for those who are surprised by 'shocking' stories of gender-based violence during #COVID19, and don't know what to do:
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Sharing some largely unstructured thoughts for those who are surprised by 'shocking' stories of gender-based violence during #COVID19, and don't know what to do:
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The last few weeks for me have involved gathering evidence from around the globe about the persistence of gender-based violence during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The occasional story that gets reported is probably a drop in the ocean.
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I've felt the anxiety in the voices of feminist sisters - 'we are struggling to get the data, we need to show that this is happening'. How many womxn need to die or get sexually assaulted before this is urgent? Even if there is a 'magic' number- why does this surprise us?
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3/n
This issue is an 'add on', and probably gets inserted in to official statements after the tireless work of a bunch of feminists yelling in the background. The thing is, for many of us, this is the first thing we see. It is not surprising or 'shocking' to us.
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It is about the womxn who are locked away in their homes because of abusive spouses/partners. It's also about the violence faced by the womxn health workers and essential service workers trying to get to their jobs.
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It's also, as my colleague @DashMamata68 put it, about the violence from the system as womxn are trying to sell their produce. It's about the violence of the misogynistic drivel that passes off as jokes on whatsapp. It's about the violence & invisibility of non cis-womxn.
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Yes, helplines are good to share. But please recognise first that violence surrounds us now, & will surround us after #COVID19. Not all of this violence can be solved by calling a helpline. Many womxn are UTTERLY silent about what they are going through.
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So when we do say something, believe us- don't put the onus on us to 'prove' the scale & give you the numbers. Start from the reality that this is happening. And recognise your role & responsibility in ending it. And if you don't know what that is- do the labour & find out.
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