On April 11, ADHS and Equipop co-organized a public speaking contest on women's rights. The five finalists delivered powerful speeches to the audience, reminding us of today's youth's thirst for engagement. Discover or rediscover their speeches.
Transcript of Louise's speech, winner of first prize in the competition –
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, noble competitors, and splendid assembly, good evening.
"One million women have abortions every year in France. They do so in dangerous conditions because they are forced to do so clandestinely, even though this procedure, when performed under medical supervision, is extremely simple. These millions of women are silenced. I declare that I am one of them. I declare that I have had an abortion. Just as we demand free access to contraception, we demand free abortion." 343 French celebrities signed this petition. 343 voices among thousands of others who fought for the right to abortion.
The instigator of this movement? Her name was Simone, a "well-behaved young woman" who was also consumed by a desire for emancipation. A woman who expressed herself in these words: "Never forget that all it takes is a political, economic, or religious crisis for women's rights to be called into question. These rights are never guaranteed. You must remain vigilant throughout your lives."
Simone was right. Simone knew that "one is not born a woman, one becomes one. That there is no biological or psychological destiny that defines a woman as such."Vigilance is therefore obviously required BECAUSE women do not want to be and will not be neither whores nor submissive. They know that for the moment, these rights are obviously NOT guaranteed.
We must constantly ensure that human rights are respected. Women are human beings. Therefore, we must remain vigilant when it comes to women's rights...
Because every day, in both the public and private spheres, thousands of women and girls are victims of – humiliation, deprivation, – harassment and inhuman and degrading treatment, – rape, violence, and femicide, perpetrated in the name of sordid traditions or laws.
Because early and forced marriages rob thousands of girls of their youth, leading to school dropouts, unwanted pregnancies, and situations of profound distress. The absolute ban or extreme restriction of abortion takes away the possibility of CHOOSING whether or not to have a child, and forces women to resort to illegal abortions that put their lives at risk. In some countries, women are thrown in prison after a miscarriage because they are suspected of having had an abortion. More than 200 million women have been victims of female genital mutilation.
So no, these rights are not guaranteed everywhere in the world. So no, even where they have been won, they cannot be taken for granted. Let us rise up like those Polish women who took to the streets to oppose the government's plan to make abortion virtually impossible. But above all, let us remain vigilant. These are Simone's words, words that implore us to do so. We must be ready to defend ourselves against any possible attack on these rights, which are ours.
Never forget, never take your attention away from this jewel we enjoy, from these rights we have won. For although these rights have been won through struggle, recognized, approved, and legalized, they have yet to be fully acquired. No infringement should be allowed. No questioning or reconsideration should be allowed. "Things are beginning to change. Legislators, priests, philosophers, and scholars have striven to demonstrate that the subordinate status of women was willed by heaven and beneficial to earth." But they were wrong. The Second Sex must be able to earn as much as the First Sex, not 25% less. The Second Sex must have a guarantee that these rights, once acquired, cannot be taken away. The Second Sex does not want the First Sex as an enemy but will strive to destroy its perverted version, namely, phallocracy.
Transcript of the speech by Arianne, winner of the audience award –
Simone, dear Simone, as a woman, I owe you so much, I owe you so very much, and I know how much respect I owe you for fighting for all of us. And yet... And yet, Simone, today, I must tell you that I disagree with you. You claim that all it will take is a crisis for our rights to be called into question.
You dare to say that a crisis will be enough, as if a crisis were nothing. But no, Simone, a crisis is not nothing. And yet, Simone, it won't take a crisis for our rights to be called into question; it will take nothing at all.
You who claim that "No one is more arrogant toward women, more aggressive or contemptuous, than a man worried about his masculinity,"then you are aware that all it takes is one romantic disappointment for a man to hate women. All it takes is a bill to criminalize street harassment for women to start invoking their "freedom to bother." All it takes is for one woman claiming to be a feminist to go too far in her words or actions for all feminists to be stigmatized as rabid hysterics preaching hatred of men. All it takes is for a controversial writer such as Eric Zemmour to call for stricter regulation of abortion and greater responsibility for women for his readers to question the right to abortion. All it takes is one sexist business leader for the glass ceiling to prevent competent women from accessing positions of responsibility. All it takes is a misogynistic president for the United States and Poland to stop funding family planning.
No, Simone, it is not crises that we should fear, but those who hold political and economic power. Not only should we not fear crises, but on the contrary, we should welcome them. It is precisely during crises that we discuss everything that is going wrong, highlight inequalities, seek solutions, and find them. And in times of calm, peace, and tranquility, everyone is content with their situation. We don't nitpick, we don't provoke people when our little lives are peaceful, for fear of triggering social tensions. And if we don't speak up, then things don't change.
If crises frighten us, it is wrongly so, because it is thanks to them that many rights have been acquired or strengthened, rights that do not only concern women.
- 1948: Abolition of slavery during the Three Glorious Days Revolution.
- 1914-1918, World War I: munitionettes, women working in place of men.
- 1944, World War II: women are granted the right to vote.
- 1975: In the midst of an economic crisis, abortion is legalized.
So, dear women, dear men, dear humans, while Simone encouraged you to fear crises as a factor that undermines women's rights, I invite you to cherish these crises, which allow us to expand our rights. But in reality, Simone, I believe you saw your detractors coming, and to cut them off at the pass, you used a most ambiguous phrase. You talk about challenging women's rights. But challenging these rights, questioning these rights, does not necessarily mean going against them. You did not necessarily mean this phrase in a negative way. You could see questioning these rights as questioning their reality, their scope, and the road that still needs to be traveled to make them effective. You could think of this phrase in a positive way. And thinking that you could interpret the term "questioning women's rights" in this positive way would be the only way for me to agree with you.
And you know how much I want to join you, you who showed us the way, you who tried to break our chains, all of us.
And I promise you, Simone, that throughout our lives we will remain vigilant and combative.
Transcript of the speech by Léonie, winner of the "Most Promising Newcomer" award –
Ladies and gentlemen, Dear Jury,Simone, if you can hear me,
It's getting late... Night has almost fallen... The amphitheater is warm, and we're all gathered here, drawn in by such eloquence, excited... So, I'd like to offer you... with a touch of embarrassment in such a solemn place... tonight... A story. Yes, tonight, I come to you as a storyteller. Rest assured, there will be no tragedy or melodrama. I am about to recount the adventures of a Beaver, the beloved Beaver of Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. So let us begin this story as it should be...
Once upon a time, there was a beaver. A beaver who was equally skilled with a pen and a trowel, manual labor and intellectual pursuits. This beaver—like any self-respecting beaver—built. He built bridges between us and the feminist firmament. Paw by paw, our Beaver progressed, building on the solid foundations laid by his ancestors. The edifice is refined, full of subtleties, but not yet fully completed. It is fragile, it is new. It has not yet stood the test of time. A breeze could break it, a powerful gust could destroy it forever. Castor, aware of its fragility, has warned us to remain vigilant throughout our lives against any crisis that could seriously threaten it. Because yes, time and again, like a hurricane sweeping over us, religious obscurantism, radical political expressions, and unbridled globalization have swept everything away, like fires that can no longer be stopped.Like a hurricane, storms have repeatedly swept away the past. And who would want to see this bridge, built on rights so dearly won, swept away once again?
There are many examples of crises that have wiped out decades of feminist struggle: Iranian women before Khomeini, like Mistinguett, were said to have...beautiful legs...whereas now few dare to show their faces. And what's more... Curious collusions between prudish authorities and reactionary religious leaders are rife. The consequences are dramatic. An example? Poland is on the verge of ending abortion rights. And the reactionary Polish anticyclone has caused a serious depression in the progressive European sky, dragging Spain down with it as it is hit hard by an unprecedented economic crisis.
So yes, vigilance is required! No, these rights are never guaranteed. Yes, each and every one of us must be a watchtower scanning the horizon and sounding the alarm at the slightest threat. Each and every one of us must be a soldier ready to take up arms to defend the edifice of rights.
But being vigilant... doesn't that strike you as odd? Being vigilant... well, it struck me that one letter was too many. A simple "e" almost nipped in the bud any support I might have had for the honorable Castor's statement. Are women's rights a women's issue to be settled among women? I don't think so. It's a matter of equality. Of equality among all human beings. No group is therefore more legitimate than another in defending it. Men also have a duty of vigilance. And suddenly, this maxim seems to me to be only half relevant at best, and completely sexist at worst! Argh Castor, hide this machismo from my sight!
And then... while we're on the subject of criticism... it seems to me that the defense of women's rights is not only threatened during a political, religious, or economic crisis. I believe that the fight is a daily one and begins in front of the broom or the kitchen sink. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, one of the most formidable weapons against feminism is Paic Citron. Feminism has this very particular property of being soluble in dishwater! What I mean by that is that the struggle is perpetual and must not be limited to times of crisis alone! Every day is not only a day of vigilance but also a day of struggle! Because after all, as we all know,feminism is like housework: if you don't do it regularly, you end up getting used to the dirt.
But I know that while criticism is easy, art is difficult! I wrote a short piece... when she wrote The Second Sex. I admit that since I was told that tonight's topic would be Momone, I've been beaming. It's good to see that the fight for equality is still relevant! So, vigilant citizens, I'm going to get back to my work and do my small part to build up our rights because, after all, we are not born beavers, we become them!
Transcript of Amélie's closing statement, finalist –
I would respond to Simone de Beauvoir by saying that it takes much less than a crisis for rights to be called into question. Women's rights are constantly threatened and challenged. I believe that no one here can name a single country in the world where the integrity of rights is not under threat. On the contrary, it is when the relentless routine of daily life takes hold, when people become accustomed to their comforts and their small or large privileges, that the danger is greatest. That is when we lose our vigilance. That is when we lose our humanity. When indifference prevails. When balance and status quo are confused. When order reigns.
So, we can make these ordinary people believe that the threat comes from Elsewhere, from the Other. With a capital "O." That Elsewhere, someone Else will take away our share of the pie, simply by existing, and by having been designated, if not guilty, then at least the cause of our real or potential misfortunes. Thus, we come to fear the other. And to hate them. No, the threat to our rights is not foreign or external to us. It is in our roots. In the stories of our memories. It begins with the fantasies that have shaped our narrative, at the crossroads between the influential forces of history and fiction.
It begins with original sin: what have exegeses been telling us for centuries, what have we learned? That Eve is responsible for the sin. Did Adam have no control over his actions? Because of Eve, we lost paradise? Are women therefore prone to being treacherous and manipulative, or, on the contrary, excessively naive and impressionable; in short, either harmful or submissive and reduced to their reproductive functions? If we are constantly told that we are one thing, do we not end up becoming it? Well, if we are not vigilant, yes, it does happen.
Despite all the devastation and desolation it leaves behind, crisis is a driver of change; it is, by definition, temporary. In times of crisis, humans find extraordinary resources within themselves that they do not normally have access to. Crises generate exceptional bursts of motivation. And they invariably lead to change. It remains to be seen whether this momentum will be used for good or for bad. History shows that without crisis, there are few major advances and little awareness. In the 21st century, while we may be surprised by the gap between our material resources, our technologies, and the wisdom of our morals, we can still say at times that we have accomplished a great deal.
I ask every woman here tonight to take a moment and think about what her situation might have been like two hundred years ago. I find this thought dizzying. We are getting there. While rights are not yet respected everywhere and all the time, the injustices committed against them are beginning to be recognized. Defined. Written down, observed, denounced.
Rape was recognized by the UN in 2008 through Resolution 1820 as a crime and even a weapon of war. Genital mutilation has its own global day of zero tolerance, established by UNICEF on February 6. Forced marriage, through a 2014 UN General Assembly resolution, has been abolished and is being combated. And these are just three examples among many others. When it comes to domestic violence, perhaps we will soon stop talking about "crimes of passion." Defining all these charges is just a small cog in the big positive dynamic that we must continue to build. And yet it is a major undertaking. You are undoubtedly better placed than I am to know that defining these concepts and classifying these acts in legal terms, on an international scale, is complicated and time-consuming. It is a long-term, in-depth task. This is what we are devoting our energies to.
I will conclude with a quote from Rosa Luxemburg, who said to us from her prison cell: "Make sure you remain human. That is the essential thing, to be human. And that means being strong, clear, and calm, against all odds, because whining is for the weak. To be human is, if necessary, to put your whole life on the "great scales of fate," while rejoicing in every beautiful day and every beautiful cloud."
