On Wednesday 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, Women Against the Far Right Birmingham & Black Country and West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign are coming together for a vigil in Birmingham city centre.
We want to take time to remember women and girls around the world whose lives have been lost to gender-based violence, and those who continue to live with its devastating impact. From domestic abuse and femicide here in the UK to the violence experienced by Palestinian women and girls, their stories deserve to be heard, their lives remembered and their experiences taken seriously.
We also need to recognise the ways racism and discrimination make women more vulnerable to certain forms of violence, create barriers to support and influence whose experiences are taken seriously. Too often, the suffering of women from racialised communities, including those living through conflict, is ignored or pushed aside.
For Palestinian women and girls, war brings immense suffering, including displacement, bereavement and the destruction of homes and essential services. These conditions also create additional dangers for women and girls. Here in the UK, violence against women and girls remains a serious and ongoing issue. While experiences may differ, every woman and girl deserves to live safely, freely and without fear.
Our vigil will be a space for remembrance, reflection and solidarity. We invite everyone joining us to bring LED candles, flowers to lay and photographs of women they wish to honour and remember.
Join us on Wednesday 25 November at 6 pm, outside Barclays Bank in Birmingham city centre.
We'd love you to join us. Whether you come to remember someone special, stand in solidarity with women and girls in Palestine, or show your support for everyone affected by gender-based violence, you'll be very welcome.
For updates on the vigil follow on Instagram @womenagainstthefarrightbrum