Espoo for all: Don't let anyone slow you down - Minna Canth set an example in the 19th century, and now it's your turn

"The woman question is not only a woman question but a question of humanity." - Minna Canth. 

Minna Canth (1844–1897) was a Finnish writer and social influencer whose life's work has played a key role in developing equality in Finland. Promoting the position of women and defending the most vulnerable in society was a crucial part of her work as a journalist and author. In 19th-century Finland, it was reprehensible to write about the misery or poverty of life. Still, Canth dared to express his thoughts on social issues and talk about equality while others were silent. 

But the message of human rights and equality still weighs. Thousands of women sought refuge for themselves and their children during wars. Thousands are fleeing countries where the position of women and children is weak. Although the different genders face the same horrors in war, their effects are gendered. Armed conflicts disproportionately affect women. Sexual violence is still on the weapons menu in warfare, and women and girls who have been forced to flee are vulnerable to human trafficking. According to Jaana Hirsikangas, Executive Director of UN Women Finland, armed conflicts lower women's life expectancy more than men's. 

It is not enough for us to address issues of equality and justice only locally; we must promote them all at a global level. Many Finns have become active by participating in and donating to charities, intervening in cyberbullying, and disseminating disinformation. We strive to make Espoo, Finland, Europe, and the world safer and more socio-culturally sustainable with small actions. In that case, our chances of helping the victims of crises and wars will be more significant. We will be able to provide shelter for those in need in our peaceful cities. 

Today, each of us can be equally courageous in the spirit of Minna Canth and contribute to social issues. If you don't know what to do, you can start by exploring the UN Sustainable Development Goals: 

• 1. No poverty, 
• 4. Quality education, 
• 5. Gender equality, 
• 8. Decent work and economic growth and 
• 10. Reduced inequalities. 
  
   

You can read how Espoo has promoted these goals. After all, every SDG also considers equality and the perspective of human rights because we are a group of very different individuals who should have equal opportunities for a good life. 

• Address inappropriate online and social media posts. Report to moderators or platform maintainers if you notice harassment, contempt, or hate speech. 
• Share and like posts and articles that talk about equality issues. The more reactions a post gets, the more pairs of eyes will see it! 
• Feel free to express your opinion on equality issues and engage in dialogue in your networks. 
• Donate to charity or donate your own time and expertise to a non-profit organisation. 
• Attend events and read blogs and literature on equality issues. 

• In your work community, ask where you can find the equality plan and how it is implemented. 
• Ask how to deal with cases of discrimination and harassment. Where can one report them? 
• Suggest to your work community to use a gender-neutral language that values ​​all employees, for example, spouse or parent. 
• Examine whether the written language or text is easy to read and understand, and it doesn't exclude anyone.
• Examine the images you use in communication. Do the images include a wide variety of people? When choosing an image, consider the overall image and what kind of norms the image represents. 
• Suggest that theme days would be discussed in the work community, e.g. Women's Day, Children's Rights Day, Men's Day, International Day Against Trans- and Homophobia, Human Rights Day 
• Discuss equality topics in your work community: What they mean to your team and begin the dialogue. 

The Espoo Equality Committee challenges Espoo residents and city employees to present good examples of the promotion and achievement of equality actions and goals on social media, internal channels, or events. Use photos, words, videos, or other means to highlight your message, such as adding a single slide related to this topic to your PowerPoint presentation. Minna Canth didn't stay quiet when it was forbidden by law. What is your excuse? 

Tereza Dickson and Iiris Mikkilä 

Writers are members of Equality committee 

Espoo for all -blog