Abuse: EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS: HOW STORY HELP CON...

Abuse: EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS: HOW STORY HELP CON...: Mona Ibrahim Ali Mona Ibrahim Ali is a Professor in the English Department at Cairo University. She obtained both her Masters and PhD...

Abuse: Getting to the root of power inequalities: collect...

Abuse: Getting to the root of power inequalities: collect...: Getting to the root of power inequalities: collective action to address gender-based violence Our contexts, histories and re...

Abuse: Getting to the root of power inequalities: collect...

Abuse: Getting to the root of power inequalities: collect...: Getting to the root of power inequalities: collective action to address gender-based violence Our contexts, histories and re...

Abuse: Involving men and boys in action on sexual and gen...

Abuse: Involving men and boys in action on sexual and gen...: Involving men and boys in action on sexual and gender-based violence… effectively Ntokozo Yingwana explores lessons on the importance of ...

EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS: HOW STORY HELP CONFRONT VIOLENCE

Mona Ibrahim Ali

Mona Ibrahim Ali is a Professor in the English Department at Cairo University. She obtained both her Masters and PhD degrees in American literature. She has publications on translation: theory and practice, travel literature, women’s writing and post-colonial literatures. She is the Director of the Centre for Humanities and Interdisciplinary Studies, Cairo University, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the New Woman Foundation. She is the editor-in-chief of Tiba, the theoretical magazine of the New Woman Foundation. She is also a writer, storyteller and a member of the ‘I am the Story (Ana el-Hekkayya)’ storytelling group.

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'I Am the Story'

I agree with Joanna that we need to ‘challenge things which may seem very normal and accepted’ and that we need to change attitudes and values that perceive violence as being just the ‘norm’. In using storytelling we can create new narratives that offer both women and men models beyond what they view as ‘normal’, and open up alternative ways of being.

Through its different activities, 'I Am the Story' presents aninteractive model of empowerment and combating violence against girls and women. Training participants of both sexes to read the cultural heritage of the Egyptian society (whether it's oral or written) from a critical gender-sensitive perspective helps them realise the roots of the problem of violence against women. These roots are usually represented within widespread cultural materials in the form of stereotyping the roles of men and women in the society, putting women at a lower status than men and treating them in this cultural heritage as sex objects or simply objects, which renders violence against girls and women acceptable and sometimes even encouraged.

Unlike other conceptions of empowerment, 'I Am the Story' also allows the space for empowering discourses to be locally developed and not imposed by external players. Conceptualizing empowerment through creative materials is a special focus for 'I Am the Story', as it works on empowering women and girls through a gender-sensitive and artistic production of knowledge. Training participants to use art, represented by storytelling, to express themselves helps to give voice to the participants and to boost their self esteem and their ability to communicate their feelings and experiences. The following story is one example of the stories produced in our storytelling workshops:

A Cloth Doll

By Soha Raafat

When Fatma’s father entered the country house at sunset, Fatma’s mother was sitting on the wooden bench, and still crying. The father’s sympathetic yet angry gaze had become so familiar to the mother. The father said in a compassionate voice: 'You have been crying for over a week, woman. Aren’t you going to stop it? Do I have to repeat what I have been saying over and over?'

Fatma’s mother looked at him while sniffing and said: 'This is not fair… You are a pious man and you have visited the Ka’ba in Mecca. You are aware that Fatma is our only daughter… I cannot believe that you could be so cruel to her.'

The father lost his temper this time and shouted: 'These have always been our traditions and our legacy from our ancestors. Do you want our people to look down on me? I am Fatma’s father and I know what is best for her or do you want her to stay with you for the rest of her life in this house? If I listen to you, no man in this country would ever be interested in her. Come on, go and prepare dinner for me. I want to pray, eat my dinner and sleep immediately. Stop nagging me.'

When Fatma’s mother went to the kitchen, Fatma stood behind the door of her room watching her father praying. She was trying to understand anything about the catastrophe about to happen. She did not hear anything except the voice of her father asking God for forgiveness. When she got tired, she went inside her room, hugged her cloth doll and started talking and asking the doll questions about her fears until she fell asleep in a small corner of the bed and her little back was stuck to the cold stone wall.

The following day, early in the morning, Fatma saw her mother heating the water in order to bathe her. After the bath, the mother combed Fatma’s hair, pulled and interweaved it into two braids that remained hung up in the air as they were strongly stretched from the roots. 'Aiy ! Aiy ! Ahhhhhhhhh … My hair, mom, please unwind my braids a little mom, please mom let go…' But Fatma’s mother was speechless, her eyes were staring nowhere.

Suddenly, Fatma’s mother heard someone knocking on the door. She was stunned and ran to open the door quickly. The fat woman 'Om Badawy' stepped inside the house and said in her buzzing voice: 'How are you Om Fatma? Where is our little bride?' When she saw Fatma standing in the corner trembling of fear and the winter cold after the hot bath, she laughed and her gold tooth shone in the narrow sun beam that passed through the window of the big dim hall. She lifted and opened her grey stained cloth bag and brought out a small, sharp knife and a bag of cotton and a small bottle filled with red water, the colour of blood!! And then she laughed said to Fatma’s mother: 'Come on Haja Adeela, hold the little bride and tighten your grip on her. Don’t be afraid… I am very skillful and all children have a very short memory. Hope I come again soon to your place on her wedding day, if God wills.'

Fatma stared at the sharp blade in the hand of Om Badawy and hugged her cloth doll strongly. The shiver of fear ran through her body from the top of her head to the tips of her toes and her tight braids hung higher up in the air. Fatma tried to escape, but, like what happens in nightmares, her legs were heavy and would not move.

When her mother caught her clothes, Fatma resisted with all her being, kicked strongly in the air with both legs and arms over and over until she got extremely tired and then fainted while holding her cloth doll firmly. Her mother and Om Badawy carried her unconscious to bed.

Fatma’s loud scream brought her back to consciousness and shook her weak body like an earthquake shaking the earth. The colour of red blood was spread on her galabia (dress) and marked the face of her cloth doll. The following day, in spite of her pain, Fatma rose up from bed and put her doll inside her wardrobe… She did not utter a single word, as if nothing had happened.

Fatma’s mother and father were ready for the aftermath… They waited for Fatma to speak about the pain in order to cheer her up or bring her some sweets or a molasses lollipop from the grocery shop. But, Fatma did not say anything and did not cry….. Weird!! Maybe Om Badawy was right when she said that 'Children have a short memory!'

One week later, Fatma went to school and when she heard Aisha telling the girls about Om Badawy during the break, Fatma left the girls and walked away. As soon as she reached home, she walked directly to the wardrobe, had a look at her cloth doll with the stain of blood on its face, kissed the bleeding scar and locked the doll inside the wardrobe again.

Many years later, a year before Fatma was due to complete her high school education, a suitor came to her father to ask for Fatma’s hand. He was the type of suitor that everybody in the country admired, a pious and wealthy man. Fatma heard her father saying to her mother: 'Why do we have to wait for Fatma to finish school? I am Fatma’s father and I know what is best for her or do you want her to stay with you for the rest of her life. If I listen to you, no man in this country would ever be interested in her. Come on, go and prepare dinner for me. I want to pray, eat my dinner and sleep immediately. Stop nagging me.'

Fatma ran to the wardrobe, brought out her doll with the blood mark on its face, looking as if it was the fresh blood of a new bleeding scar. Fatma stood opposite her father and said with a steady challenging voice: 'Dad… there is no bride to be in this house. I am not going to get married now.' And before the father opened his mouth to speak, Fatma threw the cloth doll with the fresh blood mark in his lap and went inside her room, leaving the father in his complete bewilderment.

What happened before would never happen again to Fatma. Now, she knows quite well what she could do if anybody tries to hold her back once more.

Getting to the root of power inequalities: collective action to address gender-based violence

Our contexts, histories and relationships are a part of who we are, how we act and how we make life choices. These are complex realities that we interact with on a daily basis, learn from and are shaped by over time. In turn, we experience opportunities, power, discrimination and oppression differently according to the multiple identities that make up who we are. Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cannot therefore be seen to exist in isolation from this complex web of structural discrimination and inequalities of identity – it is tangled within other forms of power, privilege and social exclusion which are deeply embedded in societal structures and norms.

As we near the end of the 16 days of activism against sexual and gender-based violence and we look ahead towards global commitments and continued activism to address the issue in private and public life (in all its forms), understanding context and how gendered power differences intersect with inequalities and privileges in relation to race, ethnicity, class, (dis)ability, sexuality, age and citizenship status is critical

Recent research undertaken by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) with civil society organisations and social movements in the global south has shown that an analysis of the root causes of sexual and gendered violence can provide direction for mobilisation, political action and accountability. Thus by analysing the intersections of inequality, exclusion, privilege and power men and women are coming together in gender justice movements to: 

• Politicise action to address SGBV; 
• Make visible the transformation of the issue from a private to a public concern; 
• Make a shift towards addressing the root causes of the issue; 
• Challenge problematic gender roles and expectations amongst both men and women;
• Highlight that gender and other social justice issues must be understood within specific cultural and historical contexts and as having multiple dimensions – social, economic and political.

In doing so work with men in collective action for gender equality has been critically engaged and the possibilities of transformative, inclusive approaches explored. The research found that men are working to analyse the intersecting inequalities and vulnerabilities experienced by different men and boys (e.g. social class, ethnicity or sexuality) which is catalysing a personal and political connection to how and why gendered violence can be prevented and addressed. This rejection of patriarchal privilege has, in India, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt for example, enabled solidarity between women, men and persons of non-conforming gender identities in a shared struggle towards social justice for women, men, girls and boys and to demand accountability in the response to SGBV.

Activist groups working in conflict-affected contexts and with refugees, including in Sierra Leone and Uganda, are also using an analysis of complex vulnerabilities to provide a critique of a narrow understanding of ‘victim/perpetrator’. Men are usually cast as perpetrators and women as victims. Where this binary is upheld in laws and policies victimhood is being simplified as feminine and lacking agency. The implication is that this compromises responses with female as well as male victims and does not recognise that victims of violence can also be survivors, and activists or agents of change.

This research has also made visible how discriminations play out in the political positions of different groups, highlighting the role of public institutions, like the police and healthcare workers, in perpetuating and challenging multiple discriminations. In Kenya and South Africa sexual minorities and sex workers have faced institutional discrimination; with survivors being met with hostility and humiliation from police officers which is deeply challenging for the way that gender equality laws and policies become implemented.

We are living in time where levels of gendered violence are still as high as 35 per cent globally for intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence. The opportunities for change, made available by global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals, present a chance to reinvigorate national laws and policies, action plans and implementation agendas are therefore critical. However, alongside goals and targets on gender inequality, violence against women and girls, institutional discrimination, and inequalities within and between countries must come explicit engagement with those movements driving change on the ground in order to ensure sustainable strategies that transform inequalities and tackle the roots of gendered violence.

It is through a commitment to and understanding of more inclusive strategies to end sexual and gendered-violence that a more nuanced and effective space for addressing SGBV can be created, insights from this global research study therefore suggest that actors from local to global levels should:

• Reframe gender as social relations and understand better how gender power differences intersect with inequalities and privileges within specific contexts to fuel and reinforce sexual and gender violence.
• Build an understanding SGBV grounded in the experiences of those who are most marginalised and living with violence, solutions must be driven from the bottom up in order to leave no-one behind and ensure contextual relevance.
• Facilitate collective action across movements which can provide a platform to unpack the complex issues around intersecting inequalities and hold those with power and privilege accountable for addressing SGBV; importantly addressing institutional discrimination.
• Take forward approaches that support men and women to explore their personal connection with political action and work together as agents of change within an accountable relationship that engages men for social and gender justice.

Involving men and boys in action on sexual and gender-based violence… effectively

Involving men and boys in action on sexual and gender-based violence… effectively

Ntokozo Yingwana explores lessons on the importance of a collective strategy for impact, inspired by a global learning workshop

The debate has long since moved from whether women’s movements should be engaging men and boys in combating sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), to rather how best to engage them in prevention and interventions. A recent learning workshop on Collective Action on SGBV Involving Men held at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) sought to explore the factors and dynamics involved in engaging men and boys in SGBV initiatives around the world.

The workshop, which took place from 16-19 February 2015, brought together researchers and practitioners from six countries (Egypt, Kenya, India, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Uganda). They are all collaborating partners in a four-year research project on engaging men and boys, collective action and (re)addressing SGBV. With just under a year of the project left, the partners used the workshop to reflect and exchange learning with each other.

The lessons shared ranged from the power of storytelling as a research and advocacy tool, to the importance of knowledge sharing within collective action when dealing with political push-backs. Indeed, building networks and alliances with other social justice movements was stressed as key to sustainability.

The workshop also explored tensions in power relations in the knowledge creation/exchange process, especially when there is collaboration between organisations and institutions based in the global North and global South. The collation of research data in the global South, while the analysis and publication of reports takes place in the global North was also problematised. So even though the workshop was, as described by one partner, ‘a great space in discussing the politics of what we’re doing’, it was clear that there was a concern over whose knowledge was considered as valid or legitimate .

Suggestions were made for the deconstruction of hegemonic knowledge creation processes through translations of languages and addressing the digital divide. In addition, it was noted that a multi-nodal approach to funding is needed in order to maintain independence. Ideas were shared on ‘how collective organising can sustain itself and have a deeper analysis, while not having to relay so much on outsiders’ (partner at SGBV workshop).

It was agreed, following a point raised by another partner, that the focus should not be on the ‘idea of what it means to be this or that type of feminist, at the detriment of collective organising’. Instead a more human rights perspective was needed. However, the importance of keeping strong feminist relations and constantly (re)addressing power dynamics was still emphasised.

Specifically it was felt that ‘by removing ourselves from these gender identities we can begin to have a conversation’ (partner at SGBV workshop). In doing so we could avoid the essentialism that comes with gender binaries of perpetrator (man) versus victim (woman). There is also a need for programmes that emasculate men from patriarchal privilege, while raising their consciousness to gender and broader social justice.

This entails recognising men’s own expectations, what they value as individuals and helping them deal with the structural conflict of being ‘attached to masculinities and their benefits’ (partner at SGBV workshop). The wide spectrum of masculinities in each context means there is a range of entry points and forms of engagements appropriate for different men and boys. Once that initial contact has been made a safe and nurturing environment needs to be created to sustain their engagement.

An exercise to map out connections between different forms of SGBV across ecological levels revealed that structural violence is the thread that links the different levels to each other. With that said, concerns were raised about the promotion of a one-size-fits-all set of good practices that can supposedly be applied for working with all men and boys in a decontextualised and de-politicised manner. An integral lesson here seemed to be the importance of understanding each specific context in order to carefully develop evidence and arguments that inform appropriate SGBV interventions.

As one of the Research Assistants observing and documenting this workshop, what stood out for me the most was the constant negotiation (and renegotiation) of power dynamics. The partners collectively held the space, offering their insights while also challenging each other. Even though this at times led to tensions which were carefully talked through, no one ever lost sight of the overarching goal of arriving at strategies that effectively engage men and boys in combating SGBV. Perhaps that is the main learning; no matter how diverse our contexts or personal and political motivations are, if we intend to be impactful in combating SGBV then we need to strategise collectively.