Exhibition moves on to parliament
No Shame No Violence exhibition supporters from Horowhenua took a busload of people — survivors of family violence and the court system and supporters — to Parliament earlier this week for MPs to view Untitled Woman and Children from the No Shame No Silence exhibition in Foxton.
The turnout was good, said organiser Sarah-Jayne Shine, who created the piece.
MP Poto Williams (Labour) and Greens co-leader Marama Davidson accepted a petition from The Backbone Collective network of survivors.
“We join our hearts together in peace, in grief and in hope, gathering strength from each other and making a united call for change.
“We honour and remember those who lost their lives of those of their loved ones to domestic violence,” said Victoria KayeSimmons on behalf of The Backbone Collective, co-founder Deborah McKenzie.
“Family violence hides in the shadows of our communities and our court system enables it.
“We cannot begin to change such a toxic culture while the court lurks like a monster under the bed, the stuff of nightmares, praying on the vulnerable,” said Sarah-Jayne.
“We carried your stories into the House of Parliament to be heard by all. We had a fight on our hands that day, because we couldn’t even get the petition tabled that day. We had a fight to make that happen, and my sisters it has been a fight ever since,” said Poto Williams. “This journey is about women, mothers, grandmothers.
“It’s about our whakapapa and how the family court destroys the future of our children and our families. We cannot let this happen.”
“It is being face to face with your ihu and your tears that keeps this on our agenda,” MP Marama Davidson told the group.