Young perspectives Youth Awareness Project on gender based violence in Mullaitivu
The Youth Awareness Project (YAP) conducted a two day workshop on Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Puthukudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu, was an enriching learning experience not only for the participants, but for the organisers as well. We went to Mullaitivu with the intention of not only educating the youth of the area on Gender Based Violence, but also, to gauge the mindsets of the youth in question, and see where they stood in relation to this issue.
Observing and analysing their reactions and responses to our workshop was illuminating, as it provided us with valuable insights into the varied mindsets of those in our audience. This in turn indicated to us the degree of change needed in the area, and better equipped us to take further action regarding Mullaitivu in the future.
The first day consisted of a variety of creative activities, ranging from drawing and essay writing, to the performing arts. The extraordinary Act Four Forum theatre group were the main attraction of the day, as they used interactive theatre as a means of creating awareness about abuse, and engaging youth in brainstorming. The group comprised actors and actresses who were originally from areas such as Mullaitivu, Jaffna, and Vavuniya, and were therefore familiar with specific factors that contributed to GBV.This enabled them to relate to the audience on a highly personal level, by acting out scenarios that at least some of the children in the audience must have been intimately familiar with.
The narrator began by addressing the audience and giving them some background knowledge on GBV. He said that he knew that because of the humourous way teledramas depict domestic violence, they may have grown up thinking it was not a serious issue. However, he emphasised that this mindset was wrong.It was clear that his words held a lot of weight and experience behind them when the first act began, and some of the boys laughed when one of the female characters faced violence at the hands of her husband. The girls, in comparison, were deathly quiet and took the issue very seriously. This revealed a lot about the difference in the mindsets of boys and girls in the area. After the play was performed the first time, the audience was told that it would be performed again, only this time, if they saw a pivotal scene that if altered could prevent the tragic ending, they were to intervene. Whoever volunteered to intervene would then take the place of one of the characters, and act their role out differently, with the intention of changing the tragic ending. At the start it was the girls, and not the boys who were brave enough to stand up to the perpetrator figure and try to put an end to the exploitation of the female protagonist. It was inspiring to see some of the young girls being strong and assertive as they spoke out against violence. Seeing how passionate and confident they were in the manner in which they expressed themselves was truly inspirational and rewarding. Later on, some of the boys volunteered as well. All in all, it was great to see the students stand up and speak out against GBV.
After the interactive drama of the workshop ended, the students were instructed to depict their thoughts and feelings towards what they had seen and heard, in the form of essays and drawings. They spoke of how they understood the importance of education, and safeguarding themselves. We intend to publish these invaluable responses once we compile a collection of them.The day ended with the students painting on huge sheets of canvas. What was most rewarding was getting to know some of those individuals and working with them during our brief time there.
The second day of our workshop focused on sports. The aim of the sports day was to promote the idea of gender equality by having teams with equal numbers of boys and girls. We played sports such as Cricket, Kabbadi, Football and Volleyball. The students seemed to really enjoy themselves, and from that perspective, it was quite a success. It was nice to see both girls and boys working together and competing against each other, in a spirit of friendship.
Our time in Mullaitivu although brief, was filled with experiences and insights that will better enable us to plan workshops as we move forward.
The following is an account by a young member of the Youth Awareness Project.