The Origins of Voix

Voix serves as a forum to contemplate and confront the issue of violence against women and girls. At Voix, we aim to recognise the complexities of human thought and feelings and the uneasiness in finding the words to express one’s condition and circumstances. 

In returning to the prominent figures in the Arts and Humanities, we aim to investigate whether we are capable of expressing our inner thoughts and emotions beyond generic or collective statements, which often lead us to feel as if we're merely echoing other people's voices. We also examine whether it is possible for us to identify what our genuine thoughts and feelings are, especially during and after experiencing traumatic events.
The concern for this project is whether we can mean what we say. In the 1960s the philosopher Stanley Cavell published an essay and a book with the title Must We Mean What We Say? He was grappling with the question of whether and how we can find ways to say what we mean and to mean what we say. Reversing the phrase in this way gets us into the muddle that is there when we try to sort our thoughts and feelings out, especially in circumstances of distress or trauma. Various voices press us to reactions – voices the mass media either hector us or provide a bland running soundtrack to our lives, and voices from social media can offer us a comfort zone or sometimes needling us and get insidiously under our skin. Are the thoughts they give us our thoughts? Can we avoid the provocation and the echo-chamber?

Key Questions 

• What are the factors contributing to the significant increase in VGWG, and how can effective measures be taken to address this issue?
• What are the possible explanations for the silence of victims, or their being silenced, and how can this phenomenon be comprehended?
• What are the specific types of educational approaches required to tackle VGWG effectively?
• What contributions do philosophy, literature, and the humanities have in responding to these problems?

Voix aims to promote a range of theoretical perspectives and global voices to support reforms creatively and critically, including Goal 5 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. At Voix, we aim to provide easy access to the knowledge and understanding of sexual violence. The website offers a compilation of peer-reviewed articles, lectures, and podcasts bringing together the voices of victims of such acts, policymakers, practitioners, and others. The ultimate objective is to cultivate a platform for dialogue that enables understanding and a response to the aggression inflicted upon women and girls.