Why Girls Resist:
A world that questions, and threatens, her existence
Why Girls Resist:
A world that questions, and threatens, her existence
To sit with this collection of stories is to sit with the violence that is universal and pervasive in girls’ lives in a lived and visceral way.
You cannot ignore that violence is everywhere, all the time, or unsee how it penetrates girls’ lives and bodies and souls in ways that are limitless and yet so very limiting of their humanity. It is hard not to be overwhelmed by the sheer scale, depth and utter inhumanity of the violence girls face.
This violence operates at the level of the personal – most often physical, sexual and psychological violence in the home; the structural and cultural level – such as the crushing weight of white supremacy, ableism, homophobia and transphobia, sexism and misogyny, and gendered poverty; and the institutional and collective levels – including what happens to girls living under repressive regimes, occupation, armed conflict and displacement. The violence girls face ranges from that which has a clear perpetrator and victim, to violence that shows up as unequal structural power, to the everyday violence she witnesses and experiences around her.
The constant violence in girls’ lives works on their minds, bodies and spirits. Whether it is the direct experience of violence or the omnipresent fear of violence that consciously or subconsciously limits girls choices and mobility, it is a fundamental marker of girls’ lives across space and time. Cultural narratives about control make it more appealing for families, parents and communities to close off options for girls, and more frightening for them to leave them open – distancing girls from the assets, networks and services they need to thrive. And ultimately, they affect the choices a girl can envisage for themselves: creating not just ambivalence but fatalism about lives of violence and oppression.
While we know the roots of oppression – from personal to structural to collective violence – are the same, experiences of them can be unique. We, perhaps imperfectly, attempt to categorise experiences of violence at the level of the interpersonal, cultural and structural and collective, knowing that many will experience all forms of violence, and often simultaneously.
In order to understand girls’ resistance – the strength, power and forces behind it – it is important to understand first the context of girls’ lives. It is against the backdrop of her mere existence being questioned, and often threatened, that she resists. Ultimately, violence is intrinsically linked to the spark, and site, of her resistance.
We invite you to explore the layers of violence girls face and the complex impact of all of this violence on individual and collective lives. The stories are deeply personal and the quotes in particular can be triggering to read, especially for survivors of violence. Please take care as you enter this section.
- Explore: Why Girls Resist
