Scars Across Humanity Post 4

Over the next few days I’m offering quotations and brief excerpts from the beginning of each chapter, so you can think about whether it’s a book you might want to read. Today is from the introduction and first chapter

Introduction –

Nov 25 – UN Day for The Elimination of All forms of Violence Against Women. Story of the Mirabal sisters 

There is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures and communities: violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable.           United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

On 25 November 1960 in a sugarcane field in the Dominican Republic, three sisters were brutally assassinated. They had been tortured, strangled and clubbed to death. They were three of the four Mirabal sisters who had spent many years highlighting the corruption and injustice of Rafael Trujillo, the infamous Dominican dictator, .. . . . . . . .

Chapter One 

A global pandemic

One in three women may suffer from abuse and violence in her lifetime. This is an appalling human rights violation, yet it remains one of the invisible and under-recognized pandemics of our time.    Nicole Kidman

‘Reflecting on the vast crowd of Egyptians who gathered in Tahrir Square in 2011, Mark LeVine suggested: What made Tahrir truly revolutionary . . . was that in the Square you could see, feel, the possibility of a new Egypt, a different Egypt, an Egypt that could fulfill the dreams of the majority of its inhabitants. Young and old, rich and poor, Muslim and Copt, metalhead and Sufi, everyone radiated ‘silmiyya’ – peacefulness – even as they screamed at the top of their lungs . . .

Two years later, on the second anniversary, the mood of the crowd in Tahrir Square was very different. . . . .

Scars Across Humanity- post No. 3

Chapter Contents

Thanks for all your interest. As promised – some more information of what’s in the book.

The Introduction focuses on the justice-seeking Mirabal sisters, telling the story of their brutal assassination and the consequent significance of November 25.

The following nine chapters expose the problems of violence against women, through the life cycle of women globally and the stories of those caught up in them. I travel through selective abortion, female genital mutilation, child brides, honour killings, intimate-partner violence, trafficking and prostitution, rape, ending with sexual violence in war.  These are not fun chapters. Many of the stories I have found heart-breaking. And anger easily goes with grief. But it cannot be right to be cushioned from knowing about these atrocities; that way, nothing changes, and change in these areas is absolutely vital.  

The last four chapters look at attempted explanations and ways forward: critically investigating evolutionary psychology, sociobiology, functionalism, and patriarchy among other ideas. I’ll leave you to guess ahead of time which explanations lead to dead ends! The final two chapters probe religion. Writing as an outsider here to most religions was not easy. But reflecting as an insider to Christianity was probably even more soul-searching.

If you want to see the chapter headings in the book format, please click here on the contents page- 

Scars Chapter Page

 

The book is 276 pages long so it is a fairly big read. My next few posts will give the quotations which open each chapter. I hope they might just help to ease the prospective reader in gently!

 

 

 

 

Launch Dates  will be updated over the next few weeks. Launches will be in different formats depending on context.  So far, confirmed dates are:

October 23     Dedworth Festival 4pm and 7pm – organised by Revd Louise Brown (louise-brown7@sky.com)

November 10  Oxford, ‘Just Love ‘ – organised by Naomi Grant (naomi.grant@st-annes.ox.ac.uk)

November 18  Speaker’s Chambers,  House of Commons, Westminster  12.30  (Invitation only – requests received)

November 22  Parish Rooms Coton, Cambridge  7.30pm – call 07806615645

November 25   Eastbourne CRE – organised by SPCK  (gmannering@spck.org)

November 25  WATCH display at Church House, Westminster 12- 4.30pm

November 25  Church House Bookshop, Westminster London bookshop@chbookshop.co.uk

November 26   Sarum College Bookshop 6.30pm e:bookshop@sarum.ac.uk

Cancelled: Scars Across Humanity: An Illustrated Talk with Elaine Storkey

November 29   Trinity Churches, Shrewsbury – organiser Phil Cansdale

December 2     ‘Restored’  reception and AGM,  6-9pm. CAFOD 55 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7JB 

December 6   10.30  Golders Green Parish Church W Heath Dr, London NW11 7QG

 

My new book will be published on November 25th to coincide with the UN Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Violence  Against Women. I shall be giving the title and heading quote for each chapter every day for the next two weeks.

 

 

Here, meanwhile are some of the generous commendations:

‘Powerful and absorbing, Scars Across Humanity painstakingly documents the gross injustices facing women around the world. Some of the stories made headlines, many passed unnoticed and too many occurred much closer to home than we might realize. Elaine has done us a great service in not only describing what is happening, but also seeking to understand why it happens – and what needs to be done to tackle this worldwide problem. This is not an easy book to read, but it is a necessary book. I hope the stories she shares and facts she brings before us will encourage us all to pray – and to join in the work of bringing healing and an end to gender-based violence.’

Jackie Harris, Editor, Woman Alive

 

‘This is a courageous and a terrifying book. We all know that acts of violence against women are a problem, but never have we realized the scale of the problem is so huge. Where others would be cautious to speak out for fear of offending the sensibilities of other cultures, Elaine Storkey is clear and fearless, inspired by true compassion. Scrupulously researched and documented, illustrated with both statistics and personal stories, this is a book that changes perceptions and could play a substantive role in achieving change.’

Margaret Hebblethwaite Sante Fe, Paraguay

‘Elaine Storkey’s book is well researched and deeply moving. She captures most vividly for her readers the way in which patriarchy, religious and cultural traditions, complications in the law, lack of education (not always) and isolation can combine and lead to women being abused, being permanently disfigured or their untimely death. This violation of the human rights of girls and women is indeed a “deep scar” across humanity. The collusion that perpetuates the deepening of this scar will only cease when there is true respect given to girls and women in societies throughout our world. Reading this book can be the first step to breaking that collusion.’

The Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons

‘This is a timely book, emerging as the world awakes, too slowly, to the problem of violence against women and girls. Elaine Storkey examines this issue through her characteristic twin lenses of clarity of thought and kindness of heart, carefully building up a mosaic of facts, figures and testimonies of those who have suffered in many different settings. I challenge anyone to read this book and emerge unchanged.’

Baroness Maeve Sherlock, House of Lords