GEST Roundtable of Icelandic Organisations for Gender Equality
On Monday, the 20th of April, GRÓ GEST organized a roundtable of heads of organisations in Iceland, at the University of Iceland, that provide shelter and services for women, queer, non-binary, and trans people, children, and men. Drífa Snædal from Stígamot, Kristín Pálsdóttir from Rótin, Linda Dröfn Gunnarsdóttir from Kvennaathvarf, and Stella Samúelsdóttir from UN Women were generous in giving their time to meet with the GEST fellows for a two-hour discussion. Chaired by Giti Chandra, Research Associate Professor at GEST and the University of Iceland, the session was also attended by GRÓ GEST director, Irma Erlingsdóttir.
Presenting the work and range of services of their organisations, each speaker focused on issues of funding, information outreach and dissemination, and particular challenges faced. The ensuing discussion was stimulating and vigorous; GEST fellows engaged with the speakers over issues ranging from the essential “million dollar question” as Linda Dröfn called them – why don´t we see a decrease in gender-based violence, given all the work being done – to the more specific “why don´t victims have confidence in the police and judicial system” (because they were not built for such cases, as Drífa pointed out). Some dark humour brought unexpected laughter to the room when, in response to the question of how people working in these organisations protected their mental health, Kristín recounted how her team at Rótin had to comfort the overwhelmed counsellor who had come for a session with them! Questions included “where are the men” (in barbershop sessions organized by UN Women, Stella responded, even though the name remains specific to ´women´), what can be done about digital violence, how do we collaborate with other organisations, and what can be done to inspire donations.
GEST fellows contributed insights from their own regions and the dialogues produced fresh insights and co-produced knowledge in the best GEST tradition. The two hours were over far too quickly, but fellows were seen following up with the speakers afterwards, very much in keeping with our collaborative spirit. We remain grateful to these organisations and their heads for the time and energy they so graciously give to GEST fellows, and (as one fellow emphasized) for the work they continue to do for gender equality.
