by Rebecca Barlow, NWI rapporteur, PhD Candidate at the Centre for Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies in Melbourne
The Nobel Women’s Initiative’s First International Conference opened on day one with over eighty scholars and activists introducing themselves. The diversity of voices in the room was nothing short of astounding, reflected only very partially in the channels on our foreign-language headsets: channel one for English, channel two for Arabic, channel three for Spanish and channel four for Farsi. The diversity of voices present generated an array of viewpoints and experiences. Sometimes these converged, and sometimes they diverged. Always, the many viewpoints in the room made for challenging and enriching debate and discussion.
Day one focused on contextualising the conference: why are we here and why are we talking about women in the Middle East specifically? These questions were addressed at the outset by Shirin Ebadi. Violence and human rights abuses affect women in all countries, in all regions of the globe. However, as Shirin pointed out, the modern Middle East is facing another problem: war. Women and children are the first losers of war. From this basis, the discussion at day one of the conference proceeded by addressing a range of interconnected issues: religious fundamentalisms, the occupation of Palestine, the agenda of Washington and the Bush administration, weapons proliferation – only to name a few.
At some points throughout the day, the systematic and endemic nature of these issues left the entire room in silence. But this silence was always momentary. The focus of the discussions consistently moved towards strategising for policy-oriented action, women’s agency, and appropriation of power in various institutions. Personally, it is this aspect of the conference that I find to be most inspiring, and highly motivating. Many women involved in the NWI conference are academics and intellectuals, but the conference at large represents a move beyond analysis alone towards dealing practically with human rights abuses and violence against women on the ground.
The women at the NWI conference are addressing some of the most difficult contemporary issues facing not only women, but the international community at large. These issues are being addressed in seriousness, but not solemnity. The overriding sense here is one of motivation, commitment, and an unwavering belief in possibilities for positive change. It is with this attitude that we end day one exhausted, yet looking forward to day two with an equal amount of anticipation.
