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Biography
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Joahna G. Goyagoy
Philippines
I grew up in a society dominated by patriarchy where women are seen second class in the society. I was made believe that I should act according to the ‘standards’ where decisions are mainly coming from men in various aspects (father, brother, tribal leaders). My mind was also made to accept the abuses suffered by women if they are being hit by their husbands/ partners; that the men have the right to do such heinous acts. I was believed that there should only be two genders in the society and that the lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and queers are outcasts. I also went through my daily life confined with the idea that the women in prostitution don’t deserve any right; that they deserve inhumane treatments because they chose to be where they are. Further, being an indigenous person, I was seen as uncivilized.
All of this discriminations and stereotypes I’ve been through propelled me to fight alongside with organizations who uphold and promote women’s and indigenous people’s rights.
My major works revolve around youth awareness and empowerment on gender issues, sexuality, and prostitution. The educational campaigns I do include organizing and facilitating forum, seminars, exhibits, photography, writing, and echo camps.
In these echo camps, we educate young men about how they can become the very tool to eradicate prostitution and pornography, knowing that at the root of women’s sexual exploitation is the traditional idea of manhood which assumes privilege and superiority over women. We want to challenge other men to stop buying and using women, to desist from accumulating sexual privileges and power over others. For the young women, we educate and empower them to be aware of their rights as well as help in further educational campaigns against human trafficking and other forms of women’s rights violations.
Currently, I am a member of the national council of the Youth and Students Advancing Gender Equality (YSAGE-Philippines). Our work echoes nationally but I particularly work with young men and women in the Northern Philippines, representing the Indigenous groups, where we aim to establish regional chapters. We campaign for structural changes that will address the root causes of sexual exploitation -- gender, racial, ethnic, economic, and political inequalities. We also work in solidarity with victims-survivors of sexual exploitation and other like-minded organizations.
The fight against gender inequality is a vast work but it is worth fighting for. And what propels me to keep going through this arduous fight is knowing that more and more youth are becoming aware of the real issues and are active allies at the same time. There will always be bumpy roads for sure and this is where we recognize the major contributions from support groups especially on carrying out more projects and programs. |
