Promoting gender equality through sports
Nisaa FM: - When Malak Hasan saw the green bicycle in the shop window during her time studying overseas in Wales, she bought it right there on the spot. “By the end of the year, I was cycling 20 to 30 miles,” Malak says. She had come to Wales from a Palestinian village, where sports facilities for women were non-existent and even water and electricity were privileges.
A lack of resources and facilities prevent Palestinian women from having full access to sports. In addition women in Palestine have limited participation in key sectors with only 13% positions in national parliament and 62% of women under 25 years old unemployed. “We have a semblance of equality in Palestine, but the limited participation of women means this equality does not translate over to reality,” Malak says. “When you’re not represented by the system or in the institutions, your voice will not be heard. I believe sport is just as important as art, music, economics and policy.”
Wales transformed Malak: now a dedicated sports woman
After finishing her degree from Swansea University, Malak returned to her country a changed woman. One day, she took her first steps into the boxing gym. Boxing is not what many in her community would expect for a woman. But in this tough environment, Malak found a place to challenge ideas about gender norms.
“When I first walked into the gym, I was the only girl,” Malak says. “The coaches asked me, 'Why do you want to do this?’ I asked them if they asked boys the same question.’ After that, they just let me box.”
In the gym, Malak met an 11-year-old girl. As she watch her hit the punching bag and work on drills in the corner, she saw the change that women like her can make for girls across Palestine.
There is a lack of female Palestinian role models. The runner Woroud Sawalha (photo right), who Malak tried
to interview after she participated in the 2012 London Olympics, was largely forgotten after she did not win a medal.
“For our society, the story of Woroud shows the struggle all women face,” Malak says.
“You either win or you’re forgotten. But, girls need role models.”
Role model and advocate for gender equality
Now, Malak herself is a role model. She is contacted by girls who have heard about her cycling on weekends
in a headscarf, or running through drills with the boys at the boxing gym. She ran for and was elected as the youngest and first female general secretary of the Palestinian Boxing Federation. She is also a founding member of Cycling Palestine—an NGO devoted to promoting bicycling.
“People always say women are weak, emotional, and incapable of making decisions,” Malak says, “but I’m showing you through sports that these stereotypes are not true. For me, sport is a symbol in society of whether women are oppressed or free.”
Already a prominent voice for gender equality, Malak regularly appears on radio and television shows. She is currently working on a documentary series, “Palestine by Bike”, documenting the stories of everyday Palestinians, with the hope that awareness and education will help to break down stereotypes and inequalities.
Source: www.globalsportsmentoring.org