On this IWD, WHG recognises that safety and progress for women across the world is very far from equal. We express solidarity with women across the globe and especially those women living with and surviving the devastating impacts of war and conflict. Those of us who are privileged to have a voice to power and the freedom to live in peace have a duty to highlight the oppression and discrimination experienced by others. None of us are truly free until we are all free.
We know that the impacts of war and conflict are gendered, and that women and children suffer disproportionately. Women continue to nurture and care for family, give birth, recover and function in the most adverse of circumstances.
We mourn the lives lost and the utter devastation of the current conflict in Gaza and support calls across Australia for a permanent ceasefire. We pledge our support for women’s rights organisations who are courageously responding to the crisis on the ground. We extend our solidarity to women displaced and directly impacted by armed conflict around the world, including Congo, Sudan, Ukraine and several other countries, and honour the courage and commitment of those women working for peace in horrendous circumstances.
We are not powerless to help, although it might feel that way sometimes. We can all play a role, however small, in making the world a place where violence is never the answer, where women and children can safely thrive. It starts in our homes, our workplaces, and in our social groups. We can look out for others, speak up in the face of injustice, and model courage and compassion. This is what creates change. This is action we can take now, today, in solidarity with those women who are showing the same qualities under unimaginable conditions of hardship.
For those of you interested, consider supporting the following organisations that support women in conflict-affected areas: