End Violence Day

Yesterday was the Day to End Violence, and women groups have made that day into a day to fight against violence - sexual violence - on women around the world. In my hometown, they made a small conference in the morning to talk about violence against women, in all its forms, and introduce the multiple organisms around the region where they use time and energy to help such women in need.

They had the testimony of a woman who'd lived all her life with the mental and physical sequels of sexual harrassement that occured from as young as when she was 5 years of age. She is one of those who had the courage to speak up and ask for help, and little by little, is getting closer to live a normal fulfilling life. I was really touched by her testimony, not as much by the words she spoke, but the unspoken discourse her whole body was giving at the same time. She had this aura of hardly-earned strength and the sonstant struggle she was facing every single day of her life.

Val d'Or City later presented a short video in regard to the issue of violence against women, that was short, but really moving. They are officially launching the video later next month so I cannot link it to this blog, but I will try to update my page when they do, so you get to see it.

My computer seems to have som trouble uploading pictures today, so I'll explain what the picture above is about.

Before parting, at the end of the event, they asked three women in the room to come up front to participate in an 'push' action (I don't know if the expression exists in English, but as we use an English term in French, I suppose there has to be an equivalent somewhere...) meant to give a slap of realization to people watching it.

They gave a tiny backpack to each of the women in the room. Without being explained, we could picture the backpacks as a person's burden, the luggage of life experiences and learnings people carry on their backs as they go about life each in their own way.

Thing is, as tiny as they seemed, those backpack were filled with something really heavy.

They called on people in the room to come and help the three women, by taking away stuff in their backpacks. Lots of people stood up without a second of hesitation.

When opening the bags, we saw they held big rocks, each of them with black writings on them:

- shame

- guilt

- sadness

- pain

- phobia

- toxicomania

- fear

- depression

- STD

- rejection

- suicide

- self inflicted mutilation/injury

- isolation

- poverty

- injustice

- eating disorder

All of those being direct and indirect consequences of sexual abuse on women. With each rock taken away from the bag, the three women's burden was eased.

Of course violence marks and doesn't disappear. If only people were eager to help victims as easily as they volunteered to take those rocks away from the backpacks, the world could be a better place. The eexercice was meant to show how by sharing, speaking out about those experiences, women can ease their burden. The rocks don't disappear, they shrink up to peebles, and later, become little parts of them, a little painful at times, but not as heavy a burden to carry.

Anyways.

It was a moving day. In many ways.