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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE November 1, 2005
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| October 17, 2005 |
Peace Boat’s Gender Project: Violence against women – an issue concerning the whole world |
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| Some of the participants, staff and guests involved in Peace Boat’s Gender Project |
Gender inequality and violence against women is widespread throughout the world, yet in many cultures it is not commonly discussed or recognized in a public setting. In order to address this issue in an open and cross-cultural environment, Peace Boat held a two-week long Gender Project that took place both onboard and in ports between Egypt and Morocco from October 2-16, 2005. Port-of-Call report on Gender Project Activities >>read more
Female guests from Japan, Kenya and Morocco who are involved in violence against women issues in their local communities came together on Peace Boat to partake in workshops, lectures and meetings. Their common aim was to express and share experiences and strategies to combat violence, and to raise awareness among participants on the universality and urgency of this problem. |
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| Gender Project Guests present their views onboard Peace Boat. From left, Saida Drissi Amrani, Loice Achieng and Mina Watanabe. |
The Guest Participants
Saida Drissi Amrani
An activist for women’s rights, Saida joined Peace Boat as a representative from the Democratic Organization of Moroccan Women (ADFM). This non-profit organization works for the advancement of women through advocacy activities. In particular it seeks to strengthen the capacity of women to participate fully in the public sphere – particularly in terms of attaining economic and social autonomy. Most recently, ADFM has been working to implement the recent legal reforms to the status of women in Morocco.
Mina Watanabe
Mina is actively involved in the women’s movement in Japan. She works with the Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Centre (AJWRC), an NGO which seeks to build a society based on respect for human rights and gender equality. She is the Secretary General of the Active Museum on War and Peace (WAM). WAM is a new museum in Tokyo which keeps testimonies of women who served as so-called “comfort women” (sex slaves) to Japanese soldiers before and during World War II.
Loice Achieng
A medical doctor from Nairobi, Kenya, Loice is actively involved with several NGOs, including the ‘Association of Physicians and Medical Workers for Social Responsibility Kenya’ (PSR). PSR members are medical professionals who work together with a common concern for issues concerning social responsibility, including that of violence against women.
US photojournalist Evelyn Hockstein was also onboard Peace Boat between Egypt and Morocco. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Evelyn has traveled to over 50 countries in her career, and witnessed many kinds of violence, including gender-based violence. Her striking images portraying female victims from around the world reminded participants of the realities of violent behavior. |
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| Peace Boat staff member Laure Norest facilitates discussion in a Gender Project workshop |
The Gender Project Onboard
The onboard project sought to explore and identify different forms of violence in society. These include structural violence, such as legislation and social norms that are detrimental to women, as well as physical and emotional violence
Through discussion initiated by Peace Boat’s guests, participants learned about the situation for women in different countries. Examples of topics included sexual abuse in Kenya, lack of freedom of choice in Morocco, wartime sex crimes by the Japanese army, the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation, and living within male dominated societies. |
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| Loice Achieng encourages Peace Boat participants to speak out against violence. |
A survey carried out by gender project participants showed that 92.5% of the 50 people interviewed had experienced or witnessed some form of violence against women. In addition, a video interview survey asked participants what they considered violence to be, and whether they believed it differed from violence against men.
Andrew Reeves, a volunteer GET teacher from England, said he felt violence was any kind of cultural practice that denied women choice. “Violence is violence, but violence against women is so much more common, and we need to be aware of that so we can change it. Changing this culture is one of the most important things we can do. So many situations are caused by culture saying it’s OK.”
Kim Choang Hen, a guest onboard Peace Boat from Japan, believed anything that hurt a person’s emotionally or physically was violence. “I think if you raise your hand it’s already violence, however, words can be violence too, so violence has a lot of different meanings and forms.”
At the end of the Project, Peace Boat participants – mostly all young women in their 20s – presented their findings and opinions. Many felt the project had helped to raise awareness among the public and themselves, and forced people to acknowledge and think about the issue of violence against women. They realized that violence against women was not limited to one definition, one social grouping, one culture or one country, but exists throughout all spectrums of society, all over the world.
In the final workshop, Peace Boat guest Loice Achieng encouraged participants to stand up and speak out against violence against women. “We need to stop thinking that violence against women is something that happens in other countries, in poor countries, because it does happen in our own homes,” she said. “We need to speak out, stand up for our friends, neighbors and families. I hope now we can go and make the world a better place for women.”
Saida Drissi Amrani said that everyone onboard Peace Boat was now thinking seriously about this issue. She had a message for the young participants onboard: “Talk. Please stand up against violence and take action.” |
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