Being hopeful on International Day of the Girl

Recent events underscore Canada’s responsibility, Susan Watts writes

Much of North America was stunned by the spectacle of a woman’s story of sexual assault by a powerful man being dismissed by other powerful men, with little in the way of serious investigation. The woman involved was 15 at the time of her assault.

What we are witnessing is the worst practice in access to justice.

International Day of the Girl (Oct. 11) has taken on new importance as global consciousness has been raised by high-profile media coverage of assault allegations and convictions.

We must use this moment to move beyond shocked awareness to find solutions that allow victims of genderbased violence to preserve dignity and access justice. As an international development advocate, I recognize this is a particularly challenging goal for vulnerable women and girls in the global South.

Violence, harassment, and the deprivation of rights happens everywhere. This is a reality that plays out from frat houses to boardrooms, halls of power to courts of justice.

In the South, the danger is acute, the limitations on freedom more overt, and the opportunities for redress and remediation often beyond reach.

Crossroads International works in many of the countries in which the world’s most vulnerable women and girls can be found. In Burkina Faso, for example, the child marriage rate is a staggering 52 per cent (14-million girls are married as children throughout the world). In Swaziland, one in three girls experience sexual abuse by the time they turn 18. In Tanzania, in spite of strong legislation on domestic violence, access to justice is limited. Its president recently astounded the global community by saying that women using birth control were being “lazy” and not wanting to feed a family!

If Canadians do not stand up for girls, we risk not only their futures, but our own. Complacency on gender equality can take hold in this country too. This is especially true at a time when dangerous rhetoric infects the discourse in North America.

The rights of women and girls can be vexingly elusive, even among liberal democracies, and our own society is not immune to the failures of institutions and acts of systemic violence.

Taking leadership abroad and demonstrating the right example at home is imperative.

The federal government has taken several positive steps on both paths, from its Feminist International Development Assistance Policy and recently announced plans for an ambassador for Women, Peace and Security, to its application of a gender equality lens to all domestic policy decisions.

We must do more.

The Government of Canada must ensure resources match our rhetoric.

There is much we can do as individuals as well. While some voices call for building walls, Canadians must don the hats of global citizenship and be ambassadors for the cause of global gender equality. This can range from denouncing misogynistic rhetoric and sexual exploitation at home to volunteering skills and experience to support the rights of women and girls overseas.

Crossroads’ volunteers work with local partners overseas to educate and support girls at risk of early and forced marriage.

They support victims of sexual violence or those at risk through Girls’ Empowerment Clubs, informing girls of their rights and supporting them to stay in school. Many of these volunteers become emboldened advocates and participants of initiatives that further the rights of women and girls when they return to Canada.

As a woman, and as a citizen, it can be disheartening to read the international news or watch events such as the U.S. Senate hearings. Yet as a mother, I must remain vigilant. When I think of these volunteers, and the girls they support, I have hope. When I look into my daughters’ eyes I see optimism and determination, courage and potential. This too, fills me with hope.

On this meaningful day, I hope this is your vision too.