Why Thursdays in Black?

This morning sitting in the chapel in Church House in Uppsala where a number of people were wearing black, and pinned to their clothing as a badge reading “Thursdays in Black…  Towards a world without rape and violence.”  When I posted the photo on my facebook page I immediately got a comment back from a friend asking “Why Thursdays in Black”?

In the 1970’s a group of women in Argentina started meeting and wearing black on Thursdays in an attempt to highlight the disappearances and violence which was prevalent at the time. The practice spread to Bosnia and by the 1980’s the World Council of Churches and international human rights campaign to raise awareness of rape and violence against women. More recently it was launched in South Africa during 2012 as part of the 16 days of activism against gender based violence.

Gender based violence is however not something which just happens in Africa. In the exhaustive study conducted by the European Union agency for fundamental Human Rights, in which 42000 women were interviewed, it was found that across Europe one third of all the women interviewed has experienced physical or sexual violence. Even more alarming is that half of the abuse had been perpetrated by someone known to these women and further only 14% of these abuses had ever been reported. The figure of one third of women in Europe having experienced physical or sexual violence is alarming, but the figures for Scandinavia are far above the European average. In this part of the world Denmark recorded more than half of all women, Finland 47% and Sweden 46%.

Any form of gender based violence, and form of violence is indefensible in today’s society. Quite correctly we have spoken out against the abusive legislation introduced in Nigeria, Uganda and Russia relating to the LGBTI community, but violations of human rights of women have not enjoyed as high a profile. The Anti-Pornography Bill in Uganda, which made women responsible for the abuse they suffer from men, raised very little opposition. The new legislation currently being introduced in Iraq which will lower the age of marriage for girls to AGE NINE has drawn no condemnation from countries and no threats for sanctions.  All of these abuses need to be challenged, and the first step is to say we are in solidarity with the oppressed, with the abused, with the voiceless. Take the challenge and support Thursdays in Black. Wear your black not just for women and men in Africa and Asia and Latin America who are the victims of abuse, but also for the millions of women and men in Sweden who have being at the receiving end of abuse. Visit www.thursdaysinblack.com to sign up and order a badge, or ask at the Policy Unity in Kyrkokansliet and we will give you a badge and a book mark. Step one will be raising the awareness, step two will be addressing these challenges with constructive solutions.