We have come to the end of the 16 Days of Activism and it’s time to look back on what happened over the past two weeks (and a bit!)

A lot of important issues were addressed and I must admit that some light has been shed on so many gender based challenges that occur in our society today. It has been a roller coaster of emotions as people have been speaking up about their experiences (which can be a really tough thing to do).

CONVERSATIONS

A number of conversations were sparked up on social media this past week and it was quite alarming to know that a lot of people still need to be thoroughly educated.

So many people have a nonchalant attitude towards these sensitive issues. I came across a tweet where a user suggested that a woman deserves to be beaten up if she provokes her man. REALLY BRUH?!

I also had a discussion with a man who believes that women should never have a voice and must always play second fiddle to men because giving a woman ‘unnecessary freedom’ would make her wild. Best believe that is the last conversation I’m ever going to have with him.

I’m not sure why some men have strong opinions about what we should do with our bodies, why they think women were created to always please them by default, or why we should always bend so much until we eventually snap.

It has gotten to a point where some men feel attacked when women speak up and fight for what they deserve. As Ijeoma Umebinyuo rightly stated, “Nobody warned you that the women whose feet you cut from running would give birth to daughters with wings.”

CAMPAIGNS

There were so many campaigns during this period. It’s amazing to see that a lot of campaigns all over the world did their own bit to raise awareness and educate us all. I particularly noticed that the Department for International Development (DFID) and World Health Organization (WHO) tirelessly discussed some of the issues at length.

And yes, we at MTV Shuga dished out several informative articles, stories and videos on all our social media pages! Shugafans talked about the change they really want to see and you can check this out on our Twitter and Instagram pages, by following the hashtags,

Follow the Hashtags #16DaysOfActivism and #16Days2017 on twitter.

LESSONS

More and more people are joining this campaign to fight against gender based violence but there is still so much to be done. Gender based violence is a global issue and we all have faced some of these experiences at some point in our lives. Speaking up would go a long way in achieving a notable change.

Silence only benefits the perpetrator: “An untold story never heals, and an untold story does not help or protect anyone but the perpetrator.”

Social media has helped a great deal in educating people as a lot of users made remarks about having no knowledge on the 16 Days of Activism and its events before now. A movement has started on the internet and this is a great step in raising awareness.

We need men to stand up against gender based violence and join hands with women to support this cause.
16 Days of Activism may have come to an end but our work as individuals is not done until we become the change that we desire to see.