No-one Should Be Oppressed: Writing About Our Lives and Struggles

This book captures the experiences and reflections of over twenty female workers in the sex trade, farming, and home-based care sectors, and seeks to give insight into the daily struggles and triumphs of these women.
The book emerged out of the work of Oxfam's Women’s Rights Advancement Programme (OWRAP) in South Africa, which was launched in 2009. The programme's goal was "to contribute to the capacity of organisations to bring about social, institutional and systemic transformation towards a society that is free from GVB [gender-based violence] and that promotes women’s right to participation in decision-making and leadership. The objectives supporting this goal are: to strengthen partner organisations ability to engage in joint advocacy and networking; and to promote joint learning and sharing between partners." These objectives were carried out through two cluster projects - one of which was the Organising Marginalised and Vulnerable Women Workers cluster.
This cluster focused on developing a deeper understanding of the practical and strategic needs and challenges of organising women workers in the sex trade, farming, and home-based care sectors. Oxfam’s partners in this cluster included Justice and Women (JAW), Sex Worker Education and Awareness Taskforce (SWEAT), and Women on Farms Project (WFP).
One compontent of this work involved strengthening organising, building the 'power within', and promoting joint learning among women workers. Between March 2012 and February 2014 three to five women workers from the three organisations came together in a series of gatherings where they shared their life stories and organisational experiences.
This book is a result of these meetings, and "captures the emotional and inspirational journey of sharing and learning at these gatherings. The reflections and writings by these home based care workers, farm workers and sex workers take us into their very hearts. We feel their pain and joy as they speak of their personal challenges, their understandings of the powers over them, and their strategies to confront power."
It is hoped that the book will "in some small way spread the inspiration felt in these gatherings so that other women may be touched by these words and build solidarity across divides, to confront patriarchy, dominance and oppression in all its various manifestations."
The book is organised into four sections:

• About our lives - where women speak of their personal challenges and their analysis of power in their lives;
• How we organise - which considers their strategies to confront this power;
• Learning from each other - reflects on the lessons and solidarity that emerged from the process; and
• A Healing Space: captures the emotional and inspirational experience of the participants.