In 1789, the French Revolution opened a door. Behind it, a new society could be glimpsed – one where women could be the equals of men and where everyone had the same liberties, rights, opportunities and responsibilities. But the door was then firmly closed. “The rights of man” turned out to only apply to men. Women were told to stay at home.
The ink had barely dried on the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen before women discovered they had been betrayed, and grasped their pens and swords in protest. With raised voices, women demanded to know why the promises of the French Revolution had been broken. And they would continue to do so throughout the 19th Century.

What about today?

What would society be like if men and women had built it together? A democracy is made up of different and opposite visions, ideas and opinions, based on everyone’s desire to be treated with respect and to shape their own lives. A democracy has room for differences of opinion, but can we disagree without hatred, threats and violence?

In W.A.R.S. we want your help in thinking about what is at risk, now and in the future, if everyone cannot take part in the political debate on equal terms.