Amplifying our Her'Story for IWD2020

The Fiji Women's Rights Movement together with allies from the feminist movement including DIVA for Equality, the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre and FemLINKpacific organised The World Stops Concert in Suva, Fiji's capital. \"The concert is in solidarity with the Women\"s Global Strike, which calls women from every corner of the world to stop or slow down their formal or care work and come together to demand women's human rights. The global event commemorates International Women's Day, which is celebrated on March 8th.\" I had the opportunity to contribute to the her'story of the organising and movement for rights and equality at the concert: \"As we gather together in solidarity with sisters and brothers of all diversities across the globe I'd like to reflect on several influences in our collective journey in our movement: We draw on the strength of our Girmit'Mas in our own families and communities who also organised to protest the violence and injustice for their indenture; We draw on the strength of our early women's movement, and their actions of active non-violence....including the Fiji YWCA that mobilised an anti nuclear movement that brought together allies from faith communities and trade unions for a nuclear free independent Pacific We draw on the commitment of women who came together, 20 years ago this May, through the Blue Ribbon Peace Vigil at a time when many were afraid and silenced; together we engaged with traditional, faith and military leaders in collaboration with the trade union movement and private sector allies through Women's Action for Democracy and Peace.... ...we walked up the driveway of the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral to our vigil when a permit was denied for a peace walk ...members of the Catholic Women's League walked into parliament to pray for the release of hostages .... we jammed for peace with musicians at the Holiday Inn after the end of the 56 day hostage crisis in 2000 ... we have sat in silent protest in parliament when we felt the speeches were racist and inciteful Today I am also reminded of the vision of the late Peni Moore and the Women's Action for Change and the teleplay \"Strike While the Iron's Hot\" which demonstrated how the world stops when women stop - just for one day. Women did not stop. We have persisted. We are making waves. Rising up. But in this significant year of anniversaries of commitments to women's rights and gender equality - we still need to shift the power in our homes, communities and official meeting spaces to reflect the multitude contributions - to often unpaid, unrecognised, under-resourced and under-represented. We won't stop in our call for equality development and peace ...But it is time to redesign the table for all women, in all spaces and places.\"