We could change our world - one voice at a time
Faith Daniels reflects on the 16 Days of Activism campaign.
It has been difficult and very emotional to read the stories of so many women who've suffered abuse. As we near the end of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, I took a look at each and every one of those stories again, published here on our website.
It's heartbreaking stuff. But the women who have shared their stories all have something in common - their sheer bravery.
They told their stories of survival. It's not easy to open yourself up like that, some of the most intimate details of your life written down for all to see. So I want to salute all of these women. Thank you for standing up and speaking out. But to you reading this, remember that the campaign cannot just be for 16 days, this must be our preoccupation for 365 days a year.
These women have encouraged many, including myself, to speak my truth- to delve deep within myself and admit and then deal with the harm committed against me as a woman. Just because I didn't have the physical scars, doesn't mean that I didn't wear them.
It was just easier for me to go about my daily life, because my scars were hidden deep within. I have carried the scars of emotional abuse for almost three years. Recently I decided to let it go. And here's how I did it - I called out my abuser. I asked him to get help, and I listed the things he has done to me. It was liberating.
Needless to say, the message wasn't well received. It set off a torrent of verbal abuse but it was the breakthrough that I needed. It meant so much to me to be able to tell the person who had hurt me for so long in the most hideous of ways, that I'm still standing, and that in order for him to move on with his life, he needs to seek help.
It was important for me to let him know that what he has done, is not okay, can never be ok. I might not have gotten an apology but hearing myself speak my truth to power was much more important.
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I hope that the stories of the women speaking out have touched you somehow - enough to act, to get involved, or to assist someone crying out. Let's not stop because a campaign has ended. Let's make ours a healthier society. Let's get rid of abuse. Let's not pretend that it isn't happening and let's not suffer in silence.
We owe it to ourselves.