2 Jumbo Jets

"Plane" from Flickr
CC-BY-2.0 by TimothyJ

            What would happen if 2 jumbo jets, full of pregnant women, crashed today? The world would panic. But what if that happened *every* day? It's unimaginable.

            And yet, the equivalent is the reality; some 800 pregnant women die every day. More distressing; 500 of those women are living and dying in crisis zones: war zones, refugee camps, sites of natural disasters.

            These are some of the startling facts I learned today in the sessions I attended, and in the discussions I had. It certainly played upon the reflection from yesterday that I live in a very privileged, very safe world.

            The UNFPA shared the launch of their "Safe Birth Even Here" campaign, addressing adolescent sexual and reproductive health in emergency response situations.

            The Anglican Women's Empowerment Agency hosting a seesion on cross-cultural transformation, based on learning how to truly listen to one another - that violence dehumanises, but the opportunity to tell one's own self-expressed story re-humanises survivors.

            Two of our group members shared their experience of working and praying for peace in Hiroshima, and the role that faith plays in that ongoing journey.

            We had a discussion from the Office of Government Relations from the Episcopal Church, where we heard stories encouraging ongoing education, advocacy, and plans to mitigate challenges, based on the passage of Proverbs 31.8-9 "Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy."

            A discussion from the Working Group on Girls shared the startling fact that in many cultures, there is no word for "girl;" that "woman boy" is how "girl child" translates; elsewise boys attend events intended for girls. I learned about 6-year old Indian widows in ashrams, and 10-year-olds sold to sexual slavery.

            By the time our regional caucus met this evening, my brain was full, and my heart was shocked.

            THIS is why the CSW is important. THIS is why we gather.

Because this is a chance for stories to come out; stories of successes in development and empowerment and resiliency and advocacy. Stories of girls becoming women, of opportunities and growth, of freedom from oppression and sisterhood and support. 

           This is why the church is here: to bear witness, to learn the stories, to provide some of the transformative process by being actively present in this space. 

           This is sacred ground. This is a place where we are encouraged to speak the prophetic voice that celebrates the image of God demonstrated by every human being in the world. This is the voice that may shake in fear but is strong in delivery, as it cries out for justice for all.