One of the strongest motivating factors for me in becoming a media and communications professional is to bring to the masses information on some of the world’s most pressing and confronting issues faced on a global scale today. There are sadly a lot of injustices in the world and, as Australians, we generally have the privilege of not quite understanding or fully knowing what that means.
But one universal problem felt throughout the world that has always caught my attention and concern is the continued global struggle of girls and women to achieve true gender equity and to be treated with the same regard as their fellow boys and men. It is because a large portion of this topic still remains taboo or “too uncomfortable” to consider or touch, we remain in the dark as a society in terms of the limitless struggles women face. Our unwillingness to fully educate ourselves is a matter of ‘ignorance is bliss’ and, quite frankly, an attitude that requires adjusting.
I will attest to falling into this trap myself: of wanting to ignore a brutal reality because of how sick and disgusted it made me personally feel. Only a week ago I was watching a 2015 documentary, “India’s Daughter” (directed by Lesley Udwin), based on the abhorrent 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23 year old student. The content was confronting, in particular being the way in which the murders justified their actions and how this mirrored dangerous and incredibly out-dated attitudes still entrenched into India (and the world) society-wide. Several times I went to turn the program off and to switch to one of Netflix’s softer and more comedic offerings. But I persisted and finished the film. Essentially, it is only in educating ourselves that we can strive to address and break down rigid and backwards beliefs and practices that, had we not watched that given program, we would potentially know absolutely nothing about.
So, if there was going to be good time to reflect on what drives me to pursue educating and enlightening through the media, I thought that today would be it. Happy International Women’s Day.
