The Fifth World Centre pilot in Rwanda is based around the idea of a World Centre being a group of people, rather than a physical place of bricks and mortar. The pilot is going to take the form of a Stop The Violence conference, which WAGGGS is campaigning on, through the 145 Member Organisations of which it is made up.
In case you're not sure, WAGGGS stands for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (not Wives And Girlfriends, Vanessa). It is the largest voluntary organisation for girls and young women in the world and has 10 million members.
Any members of any Guide or Girl Scout reading this - take note, you are 1 in 10 million. Imagine that. Imagine the power that an organisation of 10 million, actively campaigning in their home countries, can have. This is why we are going to Rwanda, to bring together delegations from these countries to look at what they are doing to Stop The Violence against women and girls, to look at the issues around this, to learn about what we can do as individuals and organisations, and to prepare projects to bring back to our home countries and Member Organisations. Watch this video, and prepared to be shocked by the statistics.
Earlier today - well, yesterday now, I gave a presentation to a group of Guiding and Scouting Young Leaders from Norway, who are in London on a leadership programme. My remit was to tell them about WAGGGS, Girlguiding, and specifically the advocacy work which Girlguiding is doing. I read them these statistics:
Violence against girls and women is one of the most widespread violations of human rights around the world:
- UN Women estimates that up to six out of ten girls and women globally will be subject to violence or abuse in their lifetime
- Domestic violence is the single biggest cause of injury and death to girls and women aged between 15 and 44 worldwide
- 60 million girls are sexually assaulted at or on their way to school each year
- Women and girls constitute 80 per cent of the estimated 800,000 people trafficked annually, with the majority trafficked for sexual exploitation
- Over three million girls a year still suffer the trauma and long-term consequences of female genital mutilation
- More than 60 million girls worldwide are child brides, married before the age of 18
- In post-conflict and disaster situations girls and women are at high risk of violence and sexual assault
One fact which always sticks in my mind, from the work I have been involved with through my work with Maternity Action, is this - 'in a conflict situation, it is more dangerous to be a woman, than to be a soldier'.
On that sobering note, I will say goodnight as I am embarking on quite a journey tomorrow, starting in Plumstead, where I live, and ending in Kigali on Sunday afternoon, via Doha in Qatar. I will be documenting what happens at the conference, along with my own musings and thoughts, so do tell anyone who might be interested.
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