Elizabeth Arif-Fear

A child bride paralysed by fear, a man trapped in a life of slavery, a couple imprisoned for simply loving one another, a woman who refuses to bow to social pressure. For many, such nightmares are unimaginable, however, across the world, these struggles are all too real. What If It Were You? draws back the curtain on the men, women and children who suffer in silence, giving a voice to those whose rights, freedom and wellbeing are so often compromised. The hard-hitting realism of Arif-Fear's poetry uncovers the reality of child marriage, modern slavery, Female Genital Mutilation and many other forms of abuse, and presents such issues in a way which is direct and uncompromising.

From women struggling to break free from restrictive socio-cultural norms, to communities in conflict and under prohibitive rule, social cohesion and justice are often compromised in the name of religion, culture or for the purposes of money and politics. Arif-Fear uses her wealth of experience campaigning for human rights and a more just society to expose these global injustices through poetry based upon real people and real issues.

Shepheard Walwyn (Publishers)

What If It Were You?: A Collection of Human Rights Poetry

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