Neo-liberalism has been in the driving seat for almost forty years.
The young women’s frustration with being abused, being unable to speak up, and seeing no consequences for male behaviour was clear from the signs, which read: “Our bodies are not your conversation starters”, “My assaulter got a second chance”, and “No more excuses, dismantle rape culture.”
Maori incarceration statistics go from awful to appalling when the rate of Mana Wāhine in New Zealand’s prisons is considered. Currently at 68%, it is the highest per capita incarceration rate of indigenous women in the world.
Guardian Media GroupOn reflection, I’m happy that I drove the 120 kilometre round trip in last Thursday’s filthy weather, to hear Speak Up For Women present their arguments against controversial proposals for sex self-identification (Sex Self ID) in the Births, Deaths, Marriages & Relationships Registration (BDMRR) Bill at Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre.
When we adults engage with young children, we often marvel at their inborn drive to make sense of themselves and world around them.
We may forgive McConnell’s youthful hubris but his apparent ignorance of history and of contemporary realities is harder to excuse.