Norwich School marked the international day for the elimination of violence against women on 25th November. Lead by Feminist Society pupils presented an assembly about the importance of the day and participated in a Reclaim the Night vigil on Friday evening.

The reclaim the night vigil was an extremely powerful event to attend. It was heartening to see pupils from across the school taking a stand against gender-based violence, and the number of attendees had more than doubled since last year.



The speeches and poetry read by pupils was inspirational, it is amazing to see the passion many students have for speaking out against injustice. The senior pupils were instrumental in allowing the event to run as smoothly as it did, and all involved should be immensely proud. – Amber Scott EDI officer.

Libby Cringle started off the evening with a speech about why this day is so important:

‘The threat of violence is so deeply embedded into a woman’s mind it controls her daily life. She will choose her clothes carefully to ensure they are not deemed provocative. She will minimise the chances of her being alone at night, not just walking home but also being alone on public transport or a taxi. In winter, she will stop going for runs when she gets home because the sun is setting earlier. And in summer she will take extra precautions to look after her friends at a festival in case her drink is spiked. ‘

‘Mahsa Amini was killed for not covering her hair. Sarah Everard was raped and murdered walking home. Sabina Nessa was murdered on a run. Although these are extreme cases, the figures still stand. One third of women will experience physical or sexual violence and 97% of women have been sexually harassed. ‘

‘The Feminist Society is holding this vigil to shed light on the violence all women experience or anticipate in the hope that one day our sisters, our girlfriends, our mothers and our daughters will be able to live in a world where she is safe.’

Amelia Braidwood also read a poem she had written, titled: I always imagined myself with superpowers.

I always imagined having superpowers,
Wings,
Mind control,
Magic,
And shapeshifting of course.

However wild,
However fun,
They all needed one key feature,
Something my subconscious demanded,
Something that would always be in the back of my mind,
I needed to be able to defend myself.

Not from my nemesis,
Not from creatures of darkness,
From real monsters.
The kind which you cross to the other side of the road to stay away from,
The kind that make us worry about our mothers and sisters and friends,
The reason I walk faster alone,
The reason I have contingency plans,
The reason I wonder how loud I can scream,

The reason i wanted superpowers deep down,
So I could show the boys who tormented me in the library to fear me,
So I could walk at whatever pace I liked,
So I knew I would be in school the next day,
So I knew my name would never be in the news just to be promptly forgotten like plenty of girls who deserved better.

This was followed by Upper Five pupil Grace Yeo’s poem 神话 (Myth):

In Chinese, the moon is

月亮 (yue liang)

two simple

elegant

words- no plosives.

The sound is like the imitation

of clouds rolling over the dark horizon,

月亮 (yue liang)

Perhaps the ancient crafter of words

had plucked

out the humming melody

of the long-gone

lullabies of 仙 (xian-celestial beings),

weaving it deftly into

the light

of

cold

memory.

Below you can also find the assembly presented to pupils last week:

Please note before we begin that this assembly contains stories and accounts of violence against women, including sexual assault, that some people may find triggering. Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to go and see Prima Facie in the west end. It was a one woman play about a successful lawyer specialising in sexual assault cases named Jess played by Killing Eve star Jodie Comer. She worked her way up through Cambridge law school to be the most sought-after barrister in town, until one day she gets sexually assaulted herself. The play shows the stark contrast in the traumatic experience of the victim and the legal processing of the case in court. We soon see that the bedrock of human rights, ‘innocent until proven guilty’ starts to undermine rather than uphold any real fairness when applied to cases of sexual assault. Jess has to call upon the system that she has dedicated her life to, and as she starts to lose faith and see that justice will once again not be served, she seizes the opportunity of a court room full of people she once worked alongside, and delivers an incredible monologue, shedding light on the reality of sexual assault cases having experienced both sides of the law. In the theatre the lights went up as she said one in three women are sexually assaulted. Look to your right, look to your left; ‘a woman’s experience of sexual assault does not fit the male-defined system of truth, so it cannot be truth, and therefore there cannot be justice.’ Until the courts understand that evidence surrounding sexual assault cases cannot be neatly parcelled up for a clean and easy conviction, the system will not be working in our favour.

The United Nations defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women.” This includes threats, coercion and the deprivation of liberty. But this violence isn’t confined to adulthood, it is something that can threaten girls throughout their lives – even in schools. 

In June 2020, a young woman named Soma Sara began sharing her experiences of rape culture on Instagram. In light of the overwhelming response from those that resonated with her story Soma founded Everyone’s Invited. Everyone’s Invited is an anonymous space for survivors to share their stories. Through the publication of submissions, Everyone’s invited has sparked a conversation about rape culture with millions of people. There are over 50 thousand submissions from sixth forms, colleges, universities and even primary schools.

Everyone’s Invited has provoked new guidelines from the Office for Students asking all universities to review their sexual misconduct and harassment policies by summer 2021, prompted the launch of NSPCC helpline for survivors of abuse in education, worked with the Department for Education, the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office, the Police, Ofsted, and met with Government Ministers.

Your fellow female peers and teachers will take actions every day to avoid any threat. On a night out she will carefully choose her clothes to ensure they’re not deemed provocative. She will minimise the chances of her being alone at night, not just walking home but being alone on public transport or a taxi. In winter, she will stop going for runs when she gets home because the sun is setting earlier. And in summer she will take extra precautions to look after her friends at a festival in case her drink is spiked. It is vital for boys and men to understand that although they may be kind and appear unthreatening, when a girl doesn’t know you – and particularly after dark – she may feel uncomfortable and vulnerable at your stare, or your few paces behind her or your touch. We must begin to teach this to boys – how embedded the threat of sexual violence is for women – so we can collectively begin to make a difference to how women perceive the threat, and make living a safer place for our friends, our sisters, our mothers and our daughters.

One of the main influences on our young people today is social media, which can be accessed whenever and wherever, with children in modern society now opening accounts at younger and younger ages. Individuals such as Andrew Tate are therefore available for all to experience. The content Tate projects is particularly concerning when viewed by young boys as it can shape their perception of women. His arguments are shamelessly misogynistic and harmful, having the potential to massively affect the behaviour of men and the treatment of women. Public pressure led to Tate being removed from sites such as Instagram, however, Elon Musk has allowed him back on Twitter following a 5-year ban. I have witnessed defence of Tate and his views, with comments such as ‘it’s just his opinion’, and ‘it’s funny, don’t take it too seriously’ so I thought I would share with you some of his ‘opinions’ which I find difficult to laugh at:

‘I’m not a rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free’.

‘If you put yourself in a position to be raped, you must bear some responsibility’.

‘Stop pretending normal male behaviour is rape’.

It is vital that awareness is spread about individuals such as Tate that have platforms as large as his to promote their views. It must be stressed that these ‘opinions’ whether free speech is employed or not, cannot be considered to be true or acceptable.

It is important to remember that in many parts of the world, women still lack fundamental human rights. If you have been keeping up with the news recently, you have probably seen the hundreds of protests spreading through Iran. 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed by the ‘morality police’ for her hijab that was deemed ‘improper’. Her death sparked nation-wide movements for women’s rights, but this is not the first time women in Iran have taken a stand against the government. In 1979, a law was passed that severely inhibited the freedoms of women, including strict dress codes, denying them of the right to divorce and only allowing them to go outside with a suitable male counterpart. On International Women’s Day of that year, women took to the streets just like today, risking their lives and facing severe crackdowns as a result. It is shocking to see how little has changed, but international media coverage and conversations are giving these women a voice they didn’t have over 40 years ago. It is our duty to stay informed of the situation, actively support Iranian women and spread the word. In the past week, a protester has been sentenced to death, and the majority government has signed a letter calling for protesters to be executed. With respect to the England versus Iran match on Monday, the primary discussion was about how it would be an “easy win” for England, not about the current political turmoil caused by the oppressive regime. In this country, we are much more fortunate, but we must remember that until all women are free, no women are free.

This week marks one year since Norwich School held a vigil for Sarah Everard. Her case sparked national outrage when she was kidnapped, raped and killed on the 3rd March 2021. I understand that it deeply effected many girls and young women around the country, and the fear is still felt today. The reality is that in 2021, the police recorded almost 1,500,000 domestic abuse related crimes in England and Wales. At Feminist Society, we pledge to hold this vigil every year until there is equality and safety for women in the world. You can join us tomorrow on the Upper Close to watch students and teachers stand together in solidarity for the victims of emotional or sexual assault, and the women like those of Iran who are still fighting for their fundamental human rights today. Before we go, please keep in mind that this assembly has dealt with very sensitive issues, so check up on your friends and be kind. It is with everyone’s support within a community that we can start creating change. Look to your left, look to your right; fear and injustice does not have to be our reality.