Jacob Richardson, left, and Raphael Parker are cycling across Southeast Asia to raise awareness for women's rights.
Why is it that two men have decided to take their campaign to encourage equal rights for women to an area where they are regularly taken advantage of?
On their Tour for Equality website, Jacob and Raphael say that “sexual and legal abuse of women can't end until men begin to play an active role in bringing about its solution.”
And why on bicycles?
Raphael says he rode his bicycle from Brooklyn, N.Y., to Palm Beach, Fla., last year to register voters and discovered that showing up somewhere on a bicycle loaded with touring gear elicits “unparalleled curiosity.”
“A skilled activist simply leverages this curiosity. After converting curiosity to respect, he is able to deliver a credible, progressive message.”
The pair, former high school friends from Cincinnati, have already completed a cross-country bike tour of the US (there's a route map on the website). The bicycling route in Southeast Asia takes them through China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
They've been recording their meetings and observations in a blog, Tour for Equality. It's interesting to read, because in one paragraph they talk about their gear getting wet in the rain and in the next, for instance, what's being done to stop Vietnamese women from being taken to other Asian countries for prostitution.
Jacob and Raphael have reported some rough experiences on the trip, such as being robbed, and suffering occasional mechanical breakdowns. But they seem to revel in riding through the beautiful countryside and meeting with people interested in their cause.
The Tour of Equality commemorates the 10th anniversary of the UN Conference on the Status of Women. Their partners include The Foundation for Women and The Center for the Protection of Children's Rights.
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