WUNRN
Sitting Under the Tree - Symbolism:
Safe Spaces for Young Women
"The Tree
of Life," by Gustav Klimt
Hendrica Okondo, from Kenya, is the Global
Manager for SRHR and HIV and a focal point for Africa . Here,
she reflects on the importance of having access to safe spaces and talks about
her path to empowerment.
Often young
women in rural
This
significance was once announced to me by fellow tribesmen in my animal anatomy
class. While we were meant to be dissecting a fish, the men questioned the
value of educating women, basing their arguments on their perception that
educated women disrespected their husbands, brought shame on their communities,
and could not kill a snake. “Ha ha,” laughed the women at this
nonsense, reminding the men that this was an independent Kenya in the 20th
century and you don’t need a stick to kill a snake! A snake can be charmed into
the lab, defanged, emptied of its poison, and taken to the
Some men were
furious and swore not to marry us. Others laughed and said that we had taken
their words literally, and soon after that I became an activist. This alarmed
my mother, for she believed that no man would marry me. She was wrong however,
for later I would meet a man from my village that was willing to let me kill
the snake of disempowerment. This was a man who, like my father before him,
trusted me with the clan stick and allowed me to sit under the tree.
The symbolism
of this story returns to me when I visit African YWCAs. The space under the
tree can be safe or unsafe depending on who else is there. YWCAs in 28 African
countries strive to make safe spaces by providing accurate information on
sexual and reproductive health and rights and HIV - subjects that are often
forbidden to young women by culture and religion.
In the
patriarchal communities that these women live in, systematic discrimination and
exclusion from the decision making processes are a way of life. Young women are
often denied rights and their mobility is restricted. While parents, religious
leaders and the community at large mean well, this discrimination stems from
the normalisation of patriarchal structures that define women and girls as
inferior and are derived from stereotypes of subservient social roles, like the
requirement to greet all men, no matter their age, on your knees.
In many
cultures women are ignored, controlled and silenced as a form of consolidating
male authority over them. This denial of young women’s right to
self-empowerment is a gross violation of their human rights. We have a duty and
an obligation to provide young women with safe spaces to exercise their power,
their need for knowledge and to protect the integrity of their bodies.
The YWCA
provides skills and training opportunities for leadership that enable women to
set the agenda at the family, community, national and global levels. Young
women need that space under the tree, both physically and metaphorically. It is
a place for dialogue and for exploration of the different forms of empowerment
and self determination. Young women have healthy expectations. They don't
want to die while giving birth, they don't want to be violated; if born
positive they want to live positive, they want to have access to quality
education and to participate and overcome occupational segregation. Young women
want safe spaces that enable them to exercise their rights to make informed
decisions no matter what the context.
I am happy to
work for the YWCA because we strive to make the space under the tree safe for
young women to access information and services that will help them understand
their sexuality and reduce unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted
infections. But, we also need to educate young men to respect women's self
determination and to share responsibility with women in matters of sexuality
and health.
Extracted from
December 2010 Common Concern, Issue 145