It is interesting that lately there have been many movies on the women's lib movement such as Brazen Hussies which is what men called them to shut them up for demanding their rights
I remember in the 70s hearing about the movement and we saw the hippies and thought it was all about burning their bras and having hairy legs but in fact as shown in the Doc if those woman had not done that protesting
Women today would still not be allowed to drink at bars would still be segregated in another room, or own land without husbands permission or even have a lease. There would be no single parent pension, no child support, there would be no childcare...if women did not fight for these things...let alone the vote and being able to go to university...women woke up one day and decided they deserved a better life and that they should have the right to equality with men and not be controlled by a man married or unmarried...they had to fight so that women could leave abusive relationships and strike out on their own if necessary and have something to live on...single mothers would have nothing today, or divorced women if the women back then did not stand up...they were put down for it and arrested for it...but they knew it was important and could not go backwards...
there is always a price to pay, but they were willing to pay it...losing friends, gaining enemies...
In Misbehaviour the standing up to the beauty pageant objectivication of women was more than that it was standing up to make women more valued...again if they did not stand up nothing would have changed...they were willing to pay the price they wanted a better life for girls and women's futures...they learned to be critical thinkers and not just take what was dished out to them by a man's society...they were oppressed, and women often are still today will to take abuse or control because they think they have to...
We today as parents of children and adult children with disabilities want a better future for our children we want them to live free of abuse or fear, free of assaults and to have justice for those who have had to actually endure such things...we must not let providers bully and oppress us, the parents, exploiting our funding...exploiting our children for their riches...WE must fight back and speak up.
The new movie "let him go..." is about a grandmother's desire to save her grandson from abuse and suffering...played so well by Diane Lane, she is willing to do what it takes to save her grandson and daughter in law from a terrible situation. She is mother bear she must fight for her grandson it is a primal drive in all parents particularly mothers and it is love we have for our children...it is deep...her husband backs her and yet it is a terrifying situation (and a very violent movie) for them to achieve that change that saving...the main point is that she will not let go she will not give up fighting for her grandson she was tenacious, she held on...in the face of extreme opposition and lies.
What parents would not do the same...? We tell women to leave abusive partners yet parents put up abuse by providers who bully and emotionally manipulate parents of disability children to rely on them. They need to stand up to them and make them accountable for everything they do.
Parents are limited in resources where we can go for respite and care accommodation when needed and trapped by that and NDIS funding cuts. Yet in face of this WE must not let the bullies win including NDIS.
Our children are the most vulnerable of society we have to stand for them we have to make a statement to society...
When I went with our group as Voice for the Vulnerable to protest in Sydney...I found that people wanted to know what it was all about and what was happening in disabilities they did not know about the lack of justice they did not know about the inequality and the need for cameras...some asked me about politicians to help us...Why arent they lobbying for you they asked? NOt interested is why I answered, however as parents we must make a public stand we cannot just take the bullying of providers we must make them accountable
The respite worker girl who was with my son when he came home injured and was moved elsewhere but not punished and not penalized, it is so wrong that the police would not question her, and they get away with that. I just found out recently that she also has spent a month in the mental unit at hospital. I am not against people with disorders but why was she working with my son? Why is she still working in that organization with vulnerable people? This should not be. An unstable person who cannot take stress should not be working with disability kids who have complex needs and are stressful to say the least. We must make providers accountable for how they treat our children young or adult. We must not let disabolity providers get away with anything.
WE do not have to take it we have to stand up and fight and change laws so that our children can get protection even as adults because at present there are no prosecutions for serious incidents of harm occurring especially without CCTV cameras as evidence.
Back in the 1960s there was footage of women libbers protesting taken by ASIO what a threat! Why would the government spy on such a harmless act...it takes courage to stand up. Sigrid Thornton's (Australian actress) mother led a protest in Brisbane and chained herself to a bar at the Regatta pub and took Sigrid with her at aged 12 years old with banners on a protest...she knew it was necessary to break through the complacency of society and the way women were treated.
IN light of what happened to Ann Marie Smith and Merna Aprem's death, we cannot look away and neither should society be allowed to look away - these dear vulnerable ones should not have died...and if we allow society to look away, if we remain silent, more harm and deaths will continue and more crimes against our children. Silence allows evil to win. We must not remain silent in our suffering or the suffering of others...
Sue templeman MP here in the Blue mts recent speech I put on If James could speak page was almost in tears herself about the ndis making parents afraid...she said that many mothers cry everyday because of the stress NDIS has placed them under losing funding...scared for the future
I know that stress well and the stress of just having a child with a disability and wondering how you will ever cope...
I had help from Sue a couple of years ago when James lost half his funding and I had to fight to get it back. I also asked her to help with cameras and changing the laws but the office turned away saying you have to organize that - parents have to do it ...yet she says in her speech that parents are being pushed over the edge by the ndis cutting funds from them..and that is true I said a similar thing to the police inspector when arguing with him about my sons injury and that he needed to question the girl worker...
We are living on the edge I said, everyday we worry about what will happen to our children and we worry about their futures and then if they get hurt and nobody helps us we are pushed over the edge...your lack of support is pushing us over the edge...! It was strange to hear Sue Templeman MP say it herself after I have been saying it.. but the truth is we are living on the edge as parents of vulnerable children and adults and we need to help each other, support each other and talk about it to each other...and added to that we need to stand with each other and fight for our children...fight for change we cannot let our vulnerable ones keep being hurt, it might be someone else's child and then it might be yours next...we cant just stand alone...we have to stand together We must not allow providers to keep being unaccountable and unpunished for what they let happen to our children and their incessant cover-ups and lies to protect their precious money...of course they dont want cameras then they would be caught out! we must shine light on what is happening in disabilities to the world...so that the public know what is really happening. Parents are trapped between needing services for their children and putting up with abuse and exploitation of that child wherever they go...no wonder they cry everyday...we have to help each other none of us can make it on our own...
Our vulnerable children are worth standing up for...get angry and use it and stand up now is the time... We need to make the laws give more protection to disability children and adults and we need the CCTV cameras for evidence to prosecute and deterr those who would think they can hurt our children and get away with it.
change.org/disabilitycameras
all the best
Anndrea x