ABOUT NEITHER A WHORE NOR OPPRESSED (VHEK)
VHEK was formed as a non-profit association in 2005 and is a branch of the international organization, Ni Putes Ni Soumises, which was formed in Paris in 2003. VHEK is a politically and religiously independent feminist and anti-racist grassroot movement. The cornerstone of the association is democracy.
THE ASSOCIATION’S OVERALL OBJECTIVE IS TO:
• Promote democracy and human rights
• Work for equality and the equal value of all people
• Prevent and counteract oppression of women and all forms of violence against women
• Fight against discrimination, segregation and exclusion
• Both sexes must live in harmony
People should respect both themselves and their fellow human beings.
Our target group includes everyone who shares our values, from women and men to children and young people. We turn especially to teenage girls and young women living in economically and socially disadvantaged suburbs and living under patriarchal oppression.
VHEK acts for the civil society, assembled and toward individuals. We work locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
OUR VISION
A FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Living in a democracy is the fundamental right for all people. In a democracy, all citizens should enjoy the same freedoms and rights regardless of gender, class, ethnic background, sexual orientation, religion and/or disability.
Our organization, VHEK, fights all forms of discrimination, such as oppression of women, homophobia, racism, xenophobia and anti-semitism. VHEK refuses to accept a society that, from a culturally relativistic point of view, contributes to upholding patriarchal values and religious fundamentalism.
Our belief is that people’s freedom to create their own lives is only possible in a society where all people, despite the fact that we may have different experiences and various backgrounds, can live together. We believe that, despite differences, we can all create a safe and free society together for both the individual and the collective that the Swedish society constitutes.
A FIGHT AGAINST SEGREGATION AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS
VHEK is a strong opponent of segregation in all forms, based on gender, ethnicity and/or faith, that attempt to create differences between different groups in society.
Our organization recognizes the oppression of honor as an expression of outdated patriarchal social conditions, which must be fought actively for women to achieve the same status in society as men. The oppression of honor is an obstacle in the fight for equality.
VHEK fights for the protective convention of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to also cover the children and young people who grow up in our suburbs. Our organization also fights for the conditions of women in these segregated suburbs – not only in political declarations but also in everyday life – to apply to the same extent as for the women of the country in general.
VHEK’s work is to increase people’s insight into and understanding of the principles of democracy and increase their ability to apply them. Thus, they can influence their lives and freely shape their future.
VHEK’S DAILY WORK
VHEK wants to generate debate and discussion. We seek to create opinion at conferences, seminars, workshops in schools and in the media. For example, VHEK publishes debate articles, is present in elementary schools, high schools, and arranges seminars at various levels in the suburbs. VHEK also collaborates and arranges seminars with other women’s organizations in different parts of the country, for example on Fadime’s Day and the International Women’s Day in Almedalen, and in the Swedish Parliament through the Broad Feminist Platform.
In our work, we use our method book ”The Respect Guide” and the surveys ”1100” and ”1200” on the oppression of honor in Stockholm and Gothenburg.
On the Internet, we publish our magazine ”Förortsfeministen”, which focuses in particular on disseminating information about how the oppression of honor works when it comes to women’s situation. Förortsfeministen addresses issues, such as forced marriage and child marriage, female genital mutilation, etc.
VHEK works actively with all the above-mentioned concerns in its contacts and in collaboration with women’s and youth organizations. Furthermore, VHEK collaborates with the Swedish authorities such as the police, social administration, secondary schools, libraries, pensioners’ associations, and more organizations of various kinds.
In the school system, we hold workshops and lectures for school staff and students. We do this with a special focus on the suburbs of big cities, but also in other places where the need exists, e.g. for Swedish immigrants (SFI). We work everywhere in the struggle for the liberation of women, for equality and against oppression in the name of honor. For these goals, VHEK also works within the Broad Feminist Platform, which includes a large number of women’s organizations.
As an example of our activities, we have for the third time, arranged a course on oppression in the name of honor at Viskadalen High School.
PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL FIGHT FOR GENDER EQUALITY
Forced marriage and child marriage and/or genital mutilation are not limited to one specific country or the suburbs. These issues are global. They are part of a larger and more comprehensive international feminist struggle for women’s rights and equality. VHEK also has a number of international contacts and takes part in women’s harsh experiences in conflict-areas in other parts of the world. What we strive for in the long run is international cooperation to achieve a feminist unity.
THE RESPECT GUIDE (2020)
Revised Edition – Researchers estimate that about 240,000 young people in Sweden suffer from honor-related limitations in their everyday lives. Society has a responsibility not to disappoint these young people.
The Respect Guide was first published in French in 2003 by our origin organization, the suburban feminist organization Ni Putes, Ni Soumises (Neither a Whore nor Oppressed) with the support of the French Ministry of Education to spread in French suburban areas. We published the first Swedish version as early as 2007. The third and revised edition of our method book The Respect Guide has now been published, thanks to the financial support from the National Agency for Education and the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society Affairs (MUCF).
The Respect Guide is aimed directly toward young people and informs them about their rights. It is based on young people’s own experiences and questions.
The Respect Guide gives the reader their own tools for working against honor norms of sexual harassment and for an equal and inclusive society. This work begins with respecting oneself and respecting others. It is about respecting the laws, but also about becoming aware of how the laws protect our common rights, not to mention the rights of young girls.
The new Swedish edition has been linguistically edited and updated by the sociologist Klas Gustavsson and has a new preface written by Amineh Kakabaveh, chairman of VHEK.
In the preface, Kakabaveh writes:
”The girls and women affected by the honor-related violence and oppression were missing in the #metoo appeal. For those who grow up with norms of honor, the culture of silence is more difficult to break and often you can’t feel support from family or the external environment. The purpose of The Respect Guide is precisely to make more people aware and dare to talk about what is difficult.”
The Respect Guide is a necessary tool for everyone. Especially for people who come into contact with young people that live under the oppression of honor in their profession.
YOU CAN ORDER THE RESPECT GUIDE HERE
Amineh Kakabaveh, Chairman Neither a Whore nor Oppressed
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076-082 19 35