How wonderful to be part of this vibrant and vital International Women's Day march in London for something we all demand: the unconditional, non-negotiable end to violence against women.
As so well expressed by the speakers, such violence takes many forms: the direct violence of beatings, rape, mutilation; the fear of what may follow; governments denying equal status; withholding the right to an existence as an individual woman; war, poverty, trafficking, slavery, threats, injustices... and advertising. One speaker, “an ordinary woman”, stressed the relentless bombardment of how to be, who to be, what to wear, what to play with: pink Playboy Bunny logo clothes aimed at her four-year-old!
Women met up with old friends, made new friends. We Aberystwyth women, mostly from Cor Gobaith, met Bridgend Women's Aid and Swansea friends and sang Calon Lan for all the women back in Wales. We continued to raise our voices on the march to Trafalgar Square, singing and remembering always Bread and Roses:
As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead / Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread. / Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew. / Yes it is bread we fight for but we fight for roses too.