"Voices to be reckoned with": Women speak out at Global Forum on Freedom of Expression

10 June 2009

... What became painfully obvious from the discussion was the struggle shared by each of the panelists in trying to discover her voice, finding the courage to use it and finally having it heard. Joya spoke of being expelled from the Afghan parliament and threatened with rape for speaking out against the country's warlords. While she is forced to live a life under daily threats, the true criminals and warlords continue to sit in parliament. She uses her voice to denounce the laws that provide impunity for those in government who rule with disregard for public interest and thrive on corruption. Her commitment to the people of Afghanistan and her anger at being silenced was palpable.

"Esta Boca es Mia" (This Mouth is Mine), a popular Mexican television show, lost its host when Cacho was fired after she dared to talk explicitly about female condoms. She openly questioned how this could be considered an offence when Mexican soap operas daily reinforce women as objects and condone domestic violence as an acceptable way of life. She held the audience rapt with her vivid tales of helping abused children to find their voices in naming their aggressors. Her personal journey as a journalist has been fraught with death threats for exposing corruption, organised crime and violence against women.

If not us then who will challenge political correctness, intellectual conformity and self-censorship, asked Manji. Manji spoke of mainstream media's indifference to women's voices and her work promoting critical thinking, and the need for moral courage to address the forces that try to keep us silent ...

"Women hold up half the sky but they don't have half the power. Their lives and their bodies are exploited, their voices and needs marginalised," Owen explained. "What is undeniable is that free expression is what makes people feel human, and it's the right upon which all other rights depend" ...

http://www.ifex.org/international/2009/06/10/silenced_womens_voices/