Raising awareness on gender-based violence

Gender-based violence is the harmful act of directing violence towards individuals based on their gender. Many people around the world experience such violence. To promote 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which takes place from November 25th to December 10th every year, King Library Council (KLC) collaborated with King Equity Council (KEqC) to create a reel on Instagram featuring books about gender-based violence. This reel was posted on December 3rd, 2020. 

One of the books featured in the reel was The Color Purple by Alice Walker. The book follows a young, poor girl named Celie who regularly undergoes the horrific act of being raped by her father. And so, she writes letters to her god to seek relief from the traumas she’s faced.  The experiences of rape are not universal or limited to one gender, but this book presents one of the many perspectives that is just as important to read about and learn from. 

Another book that was featured in this reel is called I am Vidya by Living Smile Vidya. This book is an autobiography about Vidya’s journey as a transgender woman in Tamil Nadu, India. This book was initially written in Tamil and was then translated into seven languages, such as English, Malayalam, Marathi, and Kannada. Told in the first person, it depicts her experiences with gender-based violence.

More books are featured on the Instagram Reel of King Library Council’s page. These books were recommended by Falak Dawood, a grade 9 student. “I chose these books specifically because although I have never read any of these books, I’ve heard that they are very popular and many of them are written by award-winning authors,” she explains.

Gender-based violence is a really significant topic that people should be educated on. Unfortunately, countless people around the world are subject to such despicable behaviour, spreading awareness is key in preventing gender-based violence. You can check these books out at the R.H. King Library or your own library branch to educate yourself. For more books about gender-based violence, you can check out the Instagram reel on KLC’s page and more of their other book recommendations.