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Education City pledges to stop domestic violence

WCM-Q students Karen John, Heta Ladumor, Ameena Shafiq and Pratyaksha Sinha at the Stand Up, Speak Out event.
WCM-Q students Karen John, Heta Ladumor, Ameena Shafiq and Pratyaksha Sinha at the Stand Up, Speak Out event.

Students from WCM-Q pledged to oppose domestic violence in all its forms at the latest Stand Up, Speak Out event at Education City.

Held on the Green Spine the event was a chance to raise awareness about domestic violence, show solidarity with those who are affected by it, and teach people how to react if they witness domestic violence. The organizing colleges were WCM-Q, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Northwestern University in Qatar, and Georgetown University – School of Foreign Service in Qatar.

Donna Gala, student health and wellness coordinator at WCM-Q, said it was important that young people are aware of the problem and know how to take a stand against it.

She said: “Domestic violence can affect anyone, of any race, nationality or gender, and our students and those from other campuses on Education City came together to show that it will not be tolerated. No-one should be subject to violence, and certainly not in the sanctity of their home.”

Hundreds of students, faculty members and staff took part in the event, that included a pledge wall and information about what you should do if you are a bystander to violence or any other kind of harassment. WCM-Q students Afnan AlBahri, Gowrii Ganesan and Angela Dandan also launched the new college organization You Are Not Alone, which will offer peer-to-peer support for personal issues of all kinds.

In addition, the Qatar-based NGO Queens Without Scars was at the event and represented by its founder Yezenia Navarro, a Mexican expat and runner-up in the 2014 Mrs Universe contest. The NGO was formed after Mrs Navarro herself suffered abuse, and campaigns against domestic violence across the world.

Later in the evening, visitors watched a screening of the film The People’s Girls, a documentary about the growing problem of the sexual harassment of women in Egypt.