CAN YOU IMAGINE GETTING 40 LASHES for wearing pants in public? Just by driving my car, requesting to vote or leaving my house without reporting my whereabouts to men, I would have been accused of committing a crime in some countries. And I would have had to pay for it with imprisonment, forced resignation and other much worse forms of institutionalized violence. Just take a look at the image above to picture which kind of every-day behaviors might get you into trouble if you are a woman in some parts of the world.
Photo: Matchinternational.org
Depending on the Country, Today I Broke 8 Laws Just for Being a Woman. How Many Did You?
Sometimes we, women and men, give our liberties for granted. And more often than not, we easily express our support for equality in social media without considering paying our fine… “Pay your fine” is an innovative call to action: it’s a request to donate and contribute to organizations that are actually fostering better lives for women around the world. This is crucial because most grassroots women organizations are underfunded worldwide, says Jess Tomlin, executive director at MATCH International Women’s Fund, a Canadian non-profit supporting women grassroots initiatives in the Global South.
MATCH International Women’s Fund created a simple and eye-opening quiz, called “How many laws did you break today?.” The quiz aims to foster disruptive and difficult conversations about women rights. And it is working: more than 350,000 people (men and women) filled it out since it was published March 7. People described the impact of taking the quiz in terms of solidarity, anger and mainly gaining awareness (“I had no idea”). Do you want to know how many crimes you committed today? Take the quiz and see how you feel about paying your fine. 
