Nous Toutes, a movement fighting against gender-based and sexual violence, is organizing a march on November 23 in Paris. Because of our commitment to the rights of women and girls, and the values, struggles, and goals we share with Nous Toutes, Equipop is participating in the mobilization.
Nous Toutes is a movement fighting against gender-based and sexual violence. Since 2018, this collective has organized several communication and advocacy campaigns, notably around the Grenelle Forum on Domestic Violence. As it did last year, it is organizing demonstrations against sexist and sexual violence in several cities across France. This year, the march will take place on Saturday, November 23. Volunteers, employees, and members of Equipop will be there.
Because unity is strength
The fight against gender-based and sexual violence is part of the ongoing feminist struggle for equality between women and men. To bring about change and create the conditions for radical social transformation, it is important to mobilize a critical mass of people. Every association and every activist can contribute to this effort.
Equipop is mobilizing in the fight against violence against women with its partners in West Africa, but also in France, with activities targeting diasporas to end female genital mutilation and child marriage. This year, in the context of France's presidency of the G7, Equipop's advocacy for gender equality has taken on an international dimension through its role in the Women7* movement.
Because the fight against violence against women is universal
Gender-based and sexual violence are universal. In West African countries, as in France, the same factors lead to gender-based and sexual violence: gender inequalities, deeply rooted in our societies, which lead to systemic inequalities (unequal treatment in the justice system, lack of funding for women's rights) and a rape culture that trivializes violence (questioning victims' accounts, lack of recognition and affirmation of the concept of consent).
Because the response must be political and feminist
Gender-based and sexual violence require a political response at the highest level. The year 2019 marked a turning point in this regard: thanks to the work accomplished by feminist associations over many years around the world, and more recently with the #MeToo movement, the issue of gender-based and sexual violence has become political. In France, for the first time, the government organized a Grenelle forum on domestic violence, which brought together the Prime Minister and several ministers. However, the focus of the debates on the budget allocated to domestic violence in France shows that the issue of funding is unavoidable and that much remains to be done in this area.
It is by drawing on the approaches and demands of feminist movements, and by providing the necessary financial resources, that the government will be able to implement effective public policies.
In just under a year, France will host one of the largest forums for gender equality to date: the Generation Equality Forum. To be consistent and credible with its counterparts, it must defend its feminist position with the same vigor on the international stage as it does on the national stage. Because the feminist approach is not a thematic political variation, it is a global social project.
*The W7 movement brings together organizations that defend the rights of women and girls in G7 countries and around the world, and that are campaigning for the G7 to take political and financial measures to promote gender equality.
You too can take part in the walk! Visit the event's Facebook page.
