Last week I went to my first ever protest (what is SOAS doing to me?!). It was to call for justice for Jyoti, the young woman who was raped and killed in India in December. I have always toyed with the idea of attending the various marches and protests that we are lucky enough to have in London, but have never made it, not really feeling comfortable and wondering what the real reason for me going was. But when I saw that a protest had been organised here against this rape in Delhi, I knew that I couldn't not go. I wanted to support my friends in India, letting them know that we are doing all we can to help put pressure on the government, but most importantly to stand in solidarity with all women to fight against these violent crimes.
At the protest I had a feeling that I don't think I've ever felt before - standing in the freezing cold with hundreds of women (and men I should add), shouting and singing for the same cause - I realised I had a voice. Not to say that I haven't ever felt like I could express my opinions before (I do it on a frequent basis!), but this was something different, this was collective action and I felt the amazing power of that. I now understand why public protests have been so important in history, especially in women's history, from the suffragette movement that helped to get women the vote here in the UK to the 'Reclaim the night' movement that I believe spans 3-4 decades. The Guardian has a great photo story on protests here
The protest was to call for the Indian government to ensure that more is done to protect women and to bring justice, but it was more than that. It reminded us that we still live in a culture where rape and sexual assault are blamed on women and the clothes they wear and one where these horrific crimes more often than not go unpunished, highlighted this week, by the front page of the Independent on Friday talking about the terribly low conviction rate of sexual offenders in the UK.
This is something I care about, and at this protest I discovered that I have a voice, something that no-one can take away from me - I intend to use it to the best of my ability. We all have a voice, so speak out about something that matters to you. I would also very much recommend for everyone to go to a protest (no, not a riot) happening near you, let's face it there's a lot going on with the 'cuts' government that are in power!
B x
And to finish with, here's some of my favourite pictures from the protest:
At the protest I had a feeling that I don't think I've ever felt before - standing in the freezing cold with hundreds of women (and men I should add), shouting and singing for the same cause - I realised I had a voice. Not to say that I haven't ever felt like I could express my opinions before (I do it on a frequent basis!), but this was something different, this was collective action and I felt the amazing power of that. I now understand why public protests have been so important in history, especially in women's history, from the suffragette movement that helped to get women the vote here in the UK to the 'Reclaim the night' movement that I believe spans 3-4 decades. The Guardian has a great photo story on protests here
This is something I care about, and at this protest I discovered that I have a voice, something that no-one can take away from me - I intend to use it to the best of my ability. We all have a voice, so speak out about something that matters to you. I would also very much recommend for everyone to go to a protest (no, not a riot) happening near you, let's face it there's a lot going on with the 'cuts' government that are in power!
B x
And to finish with, here's some of my favourite pictures from the protest:
