By ALICIA WALLACE

THE Global 16 Days Campaign (Against Gender-Based Violence) officially started yesterday with International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. There will be people wearing orange ribbons and orange t-shirts, showing their support for ending gender-based violence. This is what happens every year.

There are few people and organizations that go beyond “awareness” to focus on the changes we need to make and the barriers we face as we make those efforts. We need to criminalize marital rape. We need gender-equal nationality laws. We need to name, count, and report on the sex- and gender-based killings of women and call them what they are: femicide.

We need to have a timeline and action plan for a referendum on the issue of nationality rights to ensure that equal rights are enshrined in the constitution. We need to come into compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), starting by actioning the priority recommendations made following the 2018 review. We are aware of the issues but need to agitate and advocate for them to be addressed with solutions that transform systems and improve quality of life.

Here are five actions to take during this first week of the Global 16 Days Campaign:

1. Talk to a young person about healthy relationships. They may not want to share their experiences with you, but you can share your own. You can encourage them to embrace their bodily autonomy, understanding that they have the right to say no to anything that is not comfortable and that they have the responsibility to accept“no” from others. Ensure that they know they can come to you if anyone makes them uncomfortable or if they need help leaving an unhealthy relationship. Prepare yourself to be a reliable, knowledgeable support person.

2. Assess the division of labour in your household. Who cleans the house? Who prepares the meals? Who is grocery shopping and meal planning? Who does the laundry? Who is responsible for remembering birthdays, and who plans the celebrations? Who pays the bills? Who makes arrangements for repairs and maintenance to get done? Who supervises that work? Who does the school drop-off and pick-up? Who helps with the homework? Who do the children go to with their concerns? Who talks to the neighbours? Who answers the door? Why are the duties divided in that way? Is it equitable? Have a conversation with others in the household about the way you all operate and the adjustments that can be made to ensure that no one is inundated with the work of maintaining the home and taking care of the family.

3. Observe interactions in the work place. Who takes up the most physical space? Who dominates conversations? Who interrupts and who is interrupted? Who must leave work to attend to family matters? Who gets promoted, and who doesn’t? Who cleans up after a meeting or a working lunch? How appropriate is the lighting outside of the building? Where is the parking area in relation to the entrance/exit and the lighting? Who plans the work events? Consider the factors that contribute to these decisions and practices. Identify the areas that gender affects. Are you comfortable raising this topic with others in the workplace? Why or why not?

4. Contact your Member of Parliament to share your concerns about gender-based violence and the lack of action to address it. Let them know that this is a pressing issue. Highlight the abandonment of the marital rape bill and the gender-based violence bill. Name the women and girls who were victims of sex- and gender-based killings and the refusal to call it “femicide.” Point to the lack of comprehensive sexuality education and the need for it to be in all schools so our children can recognize unhealthy behaviour, know about contraceptives, understand the law on consent and recognize predatory behaviour in adults, and know where to go when they need help. Remind them that there are not enough shelters to house survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence. Ask them what they are doing to implement the InternationalLabor Organization’s Convention 190 on Eliminating Violence and Harassment in the World of Work. Let them know that you know what they are supposed to be doing, that they are failing, and that the general election is quickly approaching.

5. Mark your calendar and attend some of the vents hosted by Equality Bahamas, which includes film screenings, solution-based discussions, and engaging with the arts. The full lineup is available at Lu.ma/16days25.

Below are details on some of the upcoming events:

Reclaiming Memory with Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, PhD on Wednesday, November 26 at 6pm. In this session, we’ll speak with the Chair of The Bahamas National Reparations Committee about memory, history, school curricula, and the demand for reparations. We’ll talk about the need to (re)connect with our history, keep memory, understand the relevance of our history to where we are today, recognize the challenges we face, and determine how we move forward in demanding our rights and reparations. Register at tiny.cc/16daysmemory.

Two-Faced: Gender Inequality in The Bahamas, a film screening on Thursday, November 27 at 6pm at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. This Gina Rodgers-Sealy film explores issues of gender inequality, including rape culture, discriminatory articles in the constitution, the lack of women's rights in the country, the refusal of government administration after government administration to criminalize marital rape, and the root causes of gender inequality in The Bahamas. Register at tiny.cc/16daystwofacedfilm

Reclaiming Power: All We Want is Everything with Soraya Chemaly on Tuesday, December 1 at 6pm. Published earlier this month, Chemaly’s All We Want is Everything: How We Dismantle Male Supremacy is a “necessary manifesto . . . a call to refuse supremacist identities, relationships, and values in order to build more just, healthy, and sustainable worlds for everyone.” This conversation will delve into the themes of the book, apply them to the Bahamian context, and identify actions we need to take to achieve gender equality. Register at tiny.cc/26dayspower.

Reclaiming Recovery: People-Centered Disaster Preparedness with Yemi Knight and Kendria Ferguson on Wednesday, December 3 at 6pm. On the heels of the devastation caused by category five hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, this conversation will focus on disaster preparedness and the measures we need to take to ensure that it is inclusive, considering the specific circumstances of people who are situations of vulnerability and have increased risk of severe impact. Register at tiny.cc/16daysclimate

Tiny Movements: Film Screening and Discussion with Jenn Green and Laura Sweeney on Thursday, December 4 at 6pm. After learning her husband has been drugging and raping her for years, Jenn began a daily practice of dancing in her kitchen, calling on her years of movement training and practice to create space for healing. She filmed this practice, shared the videos on Instagram, and gradually shared her story. Following the screening, we will be in conversation with dancer and survivor Jenn Green and filmmaker Laura Sweeney about their work. Register at tiny.cc/16daystinymovements.

Reclaiming Stories: An Erasure Poetry Workshop with Sonia Farmer on Saturday, December at 9:30am. Erasure poetry is the act of removing text from recorded material to create a new narrative. Poet and founder of Poinciana Paper Press, Sonia Farmer, will guide participants through selecting newspaper articles and/or other found texts and transforming them in poetry. Register at tiny.cc/16daysstories

Reclaiming the Workplace with Suman Saurav and Keisha Ellis on Saturday, December 2 at noon. In March 2020, lockdowns and social distancing changed the workplace significantly, although many have since abandoned the practices since the restrictions were lifted. In 2022, The Bahamas ratified the International Labor Organization’s Convention 190 on Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work, but has yet to implement it or even provide related and necessary education to employers and employees.

Climate disaster, grief, burnout, and many other events and factors affect our ability to work. How have workplaces adapted? What feminist practices are in place now? How are workers building solidarity and advocating for change? What does it take to build a workplace that recognizes the humanity of the worker and meets their needs? Register at tiny.cc/16dayswork.

Hurricane relief for Jamaica still needed

Jamaica is still in the early stages of recovery from category five hurricane Melissa. There are Jamaican organizations on the ground, working in and with communities, that need financial support to continue their work.   

• GirlsCARE Jamaica centres women and girls in its work at the intersection of climate and gender. It provides hygiene kits, water, power banks, mosquito repellent, tarpaulins, food, baby items, and other necessary products. Donations can be made via PayPal to girlscareja@gmail.com.
• WE-Change Jamaica prioritizes LBQ+ women and provides direct cash assistance to affected people. Donations can be made via GoFundMe at gofund.me/5b6a69a3f.   
• Kindred on the Rock is a 70-acre farm that is building community, teaching new skills, and creating jobs. Its founder, Staceyann Chin, leads a group in purchasing supplies, making packages, and delivering them to people in some of the areas that suffered the most loss and damage. Donations can be made via GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/f/support-menddigap-incs-vital-mission.