MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
Yes, tomorrow is Thanksgiving for Americans. However, tomorrow is also the United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
“Orange the World: End Violence Against Women Now!”
That’s the theme for this year’s global day of awareness.
“Let’s all go downstairs to write our messages on the board,” my Spanish teacher told us. “We are going to build a wall and say ‘Stop!’”
She went on to explain to us that November 25 was the day designated by the United Nations to end violence against women.
A New Topic
This was a new theme, a new topic, for the other women in my Spanish class at the local community center. All of them were female immigrants—nine Moroccan, 1 Nigerian, and 1 Portuguese.
“Thank you for addressing this difficult topic with us,” I said to my Spanish teacher as we walked downstairs to the foyer of the center. “This subject is very dear to my heart. I write and speak publicly about human trafficking.”
I went on to explain to her that I work in government-run safe houses with women and children who are rescued victims of human trafficking.
“We must fight to stop this horror!” I said.
She nodded, with tears in her eyes.
A Message of Color
Each one of us took a colored piece of paper and wrote our messages in Spanish. It didn’t matter if the grammar and spelling were correct. What mattered was the heart behind the words.
I wrote . . .
“Con mi voz, con mi lengua, voy contar tus historias al mundo para detener la violencia y para protegeros.”
That’s why I wrote the book, Our Journey to El Dorado. I am committed, determined to use my voice, my tongue, and my words to tell the stories of these women. May Habiba’s story— representing all the other women and girls around the world—bring an awareness and be one link in stopping the violence and exploitation of women.
On the little piece of paper, my words in Spanish were limited. My message was brief.
But, my compassion was overflowing. My heart was torn wide open.
With tears, I took the glue stick that my teacher handed me, and I pasted my purple paper next to the other colors.
One of the messages said, “Basta Ya!”
“What does this mean?” I asked my teacher.
“Stop!” she explained.
“Si, basta ya!” I said loudly. “We must fight together to end this!”
When we all gathered back in the classroom, my teacher asked me to explain to the class what human trafficking was.
I did my best to explain it in my limited Spanish. I explained to my classmates about my work and the sex traffic between their country, Morocco, and Spain. I told them that November 20 was the “International World Children’s Day” and that November 25 was the day for the women.
They understood some of what I shared, but it wasn’t easy to explain in a language that was not my mother tongue.
“On Thursday, would you give a 3-5 minute presentation to the women in our class on human trafficking? Many of them don’t understand what this means,” my teacher asked me.
I felt an excitement and a nervousness rise up in the pit of my stomach.
Every possible doubt filled my mind. “Could I explain this difficult topic in Spanish? Would these Moroccan women receive the message and understand when I explained the horrors of what is happening to their own people, their own sisters, their fellow countrymen?”
I nodded my head and agreed to take on the assignment. It was an honor. It was a risk. It would take courage and boldness and a supernatural gift of language to break down the cultural and linguistic barriers between us.
Two days later, my teacher called me to the front of the room and handed me the whiteboard marker set. I took it in my hand with fear and trembling.
I held up my children’s book, Mommy, What’s a Safe House? and began turning the pages, walking through the story, the words and pictures that so clearly illustrated the topic . . . for children and for adults.
I wrote words up on the board like “la trata des personas,” “los trabajos fuerzados, la explotación sexuale, las comerciales sexuales, la prostitución, una casa refugida, une forma de esclavitud moderna.”
I explained. I taught. I illustrated.
I got to the part of the book, Mommy, What’s a Safe House?, when I took the price tag sticker off of my son’s new water bottle and placed it on his back. Motioning to my teacher, I asked her to come to the front of the classroom.
I had prepared a plastic bottle of a water with a bright fluorescent orange price sticker on the bottom. It read, “25 centimos.”
Sticking it on my teacher’s shoulder, I read the words, “People think they can buy a human being like they buy a water bottle in a store.”
“People are not for sale! People were created by God to be free and to be treated with value, honor, and respect. They cannot be bought and sold like a water bottle in a grocery store!”
Then, I took a black white board marker and drew a giant X across the words that I had written on the board.
“Basta Ya!” I yelled over and over again, as I traced back and forth over the black X. The women chanted with me. I then took the bright orange price tag off of my teacher’s shoulder and ripped it up. Throwing it in the trash, the women applauded loudly!
Yes, together we can raise awareness and fight to eliminate the violence of women in this world.
Join us!
“This year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women launches 16 days of activism to be concluded on the 10th of December 2020—the day that commemorates the International Human Rights Day.
Nearly 1 in 3 women have been abused in their lifetime. In times of crises, the numbers rise, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent humanitarian crises, conflicts and climate disasters.While pervasive, gender-based violence is not inevitable. It can and must be prevented. Stopping this violence starts with believing survivors, adopting comprehensive and inclusive approaches that tackle the root causes, transform harmful social norms, and empower women and girls.
To raise awareness, this year’s theme is “ Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now! “. Orange is our color to represent a brighter future free of violence against women and girls. Be part of the orange movement!
This campaign, led by the UN Secretary-General and UN Women since 2008, aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls around the world, calling for global action to increase awareness, promote advocacy and create opportunities for discussion on challenges and solutions.”
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women | United Nations
My 8-year-old’s favorite color is orange. He’s on board already. What about you? What about me? Let’s all “Orange the World!” for the next 16 days and “Basta ya“!
Support our work among exploited women and children in Spain. Buy a copy of Our Journey to El Dorado and Mommy, What’s a Safe House?
Here’s the link to my website where you can find all of my books.
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
What can you do tomorrow to acknowledge the International Day for the Elimination of Violence of Women and make a difference in someone’s life?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
