General

“If women share their stories they understand that they are not alone”: Simone Leid of Women Speak Project

By Milena Rampoldi, ProMosaik.
In the following my interview with Simone Leid of WomenSpeak,
an initiative encouraging women in Trinidad Tobago and the Caribbean Region to
tell their own stories about discrimination at home, work, and in the public
domain to help themselves and other women. If women speak out they understand
that they are not the only one. Sharing discrimination is essential to promote
gender equality. It is fundamental to feminist discourse. And in this context
poetry is an important way of expression.


What does feminism mean to
you personally?
Feminism is the belief that men and women should be valued
equally. Inherent In that belief is the acceptance that all our institutions,
be they social, economic or political have been created with a patriarchal
world view, which either does not consider the effects on women and girls or
does not value them in the same way that they do men and boys. Feminism seeks
to promote and demand that women are given the same opportunities as men to
live a life free from limitations and which ensures that women’s human rights
are protected and respected. 

What is the main objective of the Women Speak
Project?
The WomenSpeak project seeks to build the capacity of
individuals and organizations to advocate around issues of discrimination
against women. We do this through promoting sharing of women’s stories and
perspectives on a range of issues from sexual abuse and domestic violence, to
feminization of HIV and Human trafficking.  We also highlight the work of
activists throughout the Caribbean region and promote sharing of knowledge and
lessons learned on strategies and opportunities for advancing the cause and
influencing the policy environment.

For ProMosaik the speaking-out is the first
step to struggle against violence and discrimination of women. What do you
think about it?
WomenSpeak was created with just that objective in mind. We
believe that speaking out about the injustices that women face in their daily
lives is important in letting others know the reality and extent of
discrimination that is perpetrated against women everyday. In addition to
raising consciousness, this self expression also helps women feel a sense of
empathy for other women and build a sense of community, especially when much of
the trauma women face is either unrecognized or normalized. At the womenspeak
blog, we encourage women to not only tell their stories but to highlight just
how these incidents have affected them and the choices they make. 
Which are the
most important problems of women in the Caribbean region?
The Caribbean region has extremely high levels of domestic
violence and sexual assault. In particular we see a troubling number of
homicides of women related to intimate partner violence. Our laws do not
provide adequate protection for women who are being abused and there is not
enough institutional support and resources dedicated to addressing the issue.
The number of Women’s shelters is woefully inadequate and some are unable to accommodate
children or male children over a certain age. Because our countries are small,
it’s very easy for an abuser to find a partner who has left the relationship.
There isn’t enough support for women who choose to leave and so they often
return to their abuser. There are also very few opportunities for abusers to
get counseling. NGOs are doing the best they can, but simply don’t have the
capacity to manage such a complex issue without adequate support from
government institutions or the private sector. 

How can we promote awareness about gender
issues?
There needs to be a concerted effort to mainstream gender
into everything we do. Every school, church, workplace should include programs
and policies which speak to the issues of gender and gender discrimination. We
need people and organizations who are willing to be leaders in implementing a
gender perspective but that is difficult. Often people are invested in
maintaining the status quo. They benefit from women and men having unequal
access to power, even in such areas as the role of men and women in
relationships. 

How can we educate men about women rights?
We need to infiltrate the spaces where men come together.
And we need to have men involved in sharing messages that promote valuing of
women, womanhood and women’s rights. If men are rewarded within their peer
groups when they use language or share stories that denigrate women then such
ideas will continue to be perpetuated. We also need to educate women. When
women interact with men, they need to know their rights so that they can stand
up for themselves. It is difficult. Men and women are socialized to understand
their roles in different social situations. We need to disrupt these gender
scripts and let men and women know that women have autonomy over their own
bodies, opinions and desires. 
How important
is poetry for you? How can we use poetry as an arm to struggle for women
rights?

Poetry is a tool for creating empathy. Poems delve deeply
into the human condition and help us see ourselves. Through image or
abstraction or story, poetry creates a snapshot of a time, a place and an
emotion; a singular experience.  A poem is a meditation, something we turn
over and over in our minds. That’s why poetry is such a powerful tool In the struggle
for women’s rights. It is able to lift the veil on the experience of being a
woman and illuminate the issues in a less theoretical and more personal and
multidimensional way.



Unbroken
And she cries into the sea 
that will someday bring her 
ashes home

And she sings a song of feedom 
that her people brought here
a long long time ago

And she washes her blood from the 
tile — like the river, it has also
traveled for miles 

And in the fresh day
she mends — their socks, a button
her heart

And she draws back the curtains to let in 
the light that still stings her 
near swollen eye

And she smiles with a calm
because God is her rainbow at the
end of each storm

You may break a woman’s bones 
but never her spirit…
At least not for long

Copyright 2012 © Mika Maharaj, Trinidad