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Violence: A Barrier
to Our Education
by Lisa Bryn Rundle and Nicole Ysabet-Scott
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Most of us believe that the right to
education, from kindergarten through high school, is fundamental. However, not
everyone is able to fully enjoy that right...Women who have lived in violent
homes, who have been subjected to physical or sexual abuse, or who have
experienced systemic violence..., [do] not receive an education that is safe,
empowering, relevant or useful.
Isolating the Barriers...1
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It sparked ideas for both of us
immediately. As we read over the proposal for the project we were about to
begin, we found ourselves talking excitedly though we had only just met. While
we had both worked extensively on violence issues in our personal and public
lives, neither of us had ever applied what we knew about the effects of
violence to education. Once we began to think and read about these connections,
we realized that violence had affected our own learning, and the learning of
women we know, in profound ways. In this article, we will share just some of
those original sparks, as well as those subsequent, in the hopes they will
ignite the interest and passion of those who understand violence from
experience, or those who want to understand for any reason.
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Neither of us
had ever
applied what
we knew about
the effects of
violence to
education. |
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Over the course of this past summer, we worked together to
produce a series of booklets and fact sheets to raise awareness about violence
as a barrier to women's education. As we began the project, we also began to
deal with the numerous feelings it triggered for both of us. Among other
things, we felt overwhelmed, angry, sad, frustrated and lucky-lucky because we
had an opportunity to make change in an area which has been, and still is, very
important to both of us.
Upon realizing the connection between our learning and our
experiences of violence, we began to share our stories with each other. As we
spoke, the scope of those experiences became broader and clearer. We began to
place daily occurrences that we witnessed or experienced, in high school and
university, into the larger context of violence as a barrier to women's
education. The connections seemed endless.
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La violence : un obstacle à
notre éducation
par Lisa Bryn Rundle et Nicole
Ysabet-Scott
L'été dernier nous avons
préparé de concert une série de brochures et de feuilles
de données pour sensibiliser davantage les gens an problème que
pose la violence en tant qu'obstacle a l'éducation des femmes. Ce projet
nous a permis de tracer des liens entre notre apprentissage et notre
expérience de la violence. De plus, nous avons échangé des
histoires à ce propos. Nous avons inclus certaines de ces histoires dans
cet article.
Nous avons d'abord décidé de définir
largement le terme «violence» Nous y englobons les abus
psychologiques, sexuels, financiers et rituels, ainsi que la discrimination se
fondant sur des attitudes sexistes, racistes, hétérosexistes,
ainsi que sur celles relevant de l'âgisme et du système de classe.
Nous espérons ainsi qu'en élargissant la définition de la
violence, des femmes qui n'avaient pas précédemment
envisagé leur vécu, ou celui d'une femme qu'elles connaissent,
comme violent pourront désormais la faire d'une manière saine ci
utile. La série comprend deux brochures (une pour les apprenantes et une
pour les éducatrices) et trois feuilles de données sur les
thèmes suivants : dépistage de la violence,
sécurité dans les écoles et façon de réagir
lorsqu'une femme divulgue un acte de violence.
Nous estimons que nous avons eu beaucoup de chance de
porter à terme ce projet et d'avoir eu la possibilité de
contribuer à certains changements dans un secteur qui nous tient
à coeur. |
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