Accelerate Action - International Women’s
IWD has been officially recognised by the UN since 1977 as a result of International labour movements around women’s rights. It’s a day where women’s achievements can be recognised around the world while also identifying the areas in which there is still work to be done.
This year the theme is Accelerate Action in recognition that while many movements have been made to see greater equality for women, there is still so much left to do and events of the last 12 months have often felt like the momentum is going in the opposite direction.
There are a number of women I want to make note of from the last 12 months and their role in progressing the rights of women at great personal sacrifice to themselves and often in order to benefit others and not their own life.
“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women”
Gisèle Pelicot, France - at a huge personal sacrifice, waived her anonymity in order to shine a light on the horror that she went through at the hands of her husband and at least 47 men. She was drugged and raped over period of around 10 years and with huge courage shone a light on the shame still associated with sexual assault in society.
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, New Zealand - A politician who became the youngest Māori woman ever elected to New Zealand’s parliament and performed the haka as part of her maiden speech to draw attention to the need for increased representation of indigenous voices.
Dr Charlotte Proudman - Having fought countless cases for women through the family court she entered her own battle with the Bar Standards Bar (BSB) when after criticising a domestic abuse judegment and calling out institutional misogyny she was accused of professional misconduct. The case was later thrown out with the board stating there was “no case to answer” but this didn’t stop the personal attack that Dr. Proudman experienced.
“Shame must change sides.”
I have the joy of sharing so much of my life with women who are actively working to Accelerate Action and to start naming them here would make for a very long blog! And I also know of good men who are actively doing what they can to Accelerate Action but we’re not going to see real change until all men recognise the gaps that still exist and the part they have in eradicating it.
So this Internation Women’s Day I want to do 2 things:
Celebrate the women who are consciously living out action to change
Commit myself to being part of Accelerating Action
