Thursday, July 26, 2012

Women's Views on News

Women's Views on News

Portsmouth says no to Mike Tyson dinner

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 07:00 AM PDT

Shonagh Dillon
Chief Executive
Aurora New Dawn

Further to the WVoN story on Monday, I am delighted to announce that Portsmouth City Council and Portsmouth Guildhall have decided to cancel the Mike Tyson event.

This decision illustrates Portsmouth's commitment to end violence against women, which was recognised in 2010 when the city was awarded national White Ribbon status – the only city with this award on the south coast.

We have been overwhelmed by the support for the petition from residents of Portsmouth and beyond, and we are glad and grateful that Portsmouth City Council and the Guildhall decided to listen to their voices.

Talking with one another, listening to different viewpoints and ultimately, working in partnership on our shared priorities is one of the many things that makes Portsmouth great.

The work being carried out every day in our city to support the women, men and children experiencing violence and abuse is outstanding.

This work is undertaken not only by professionals in services like ours, but by an army of volunteers, activists and supporters working tirelessly across the city. Today Portsmouth City Council and the Guildhall made sure the voices of survivors were heard.

This is an inspiring occasion and I am very proud of my city. Unfortunately, we cannot take long to celebrate as the Mike Tyson VIP dinner event has now been moved to Fareham Town Football Club. Our victory in Portsmouth represents a sad day for the citizens of Fareham.

Regardless of where the promoters aim to launch this event, our objection to it remains clear. The glorification of violence against women cannot be tolerated because an individual also happens to excel at sport.

We know there is much work to be done in the UK in this area, as well as across the world.

Just a few months ago, we were proud to support the many campaigns outraged at the naming and vilification of a rape victim on social media following the conviction of Ched Evans.

These cases highlight the significant role that sporting fans, as well as professionals, have in taking a stand against rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence against women.

There is no small irony in the fact that this event was cancelled today. Today is the final day of the National White Ribbon Relay: a campaign created and co-ordinated here in Portsmouth, which over the last month has seen towns and cities all over the country raising awareness of the links between violence against women and major sporting events like the Olympic Games.

As the White Ribbon Relay baton is carried through Weymouth today, we celebrate the communities across the country who taken a stand to end violence against women.

At the same time, Fareham Town Football Club is announcing that it will host a VIP dinner with a convicted rapist who continues to glorify that same violence. Local football clubs are at the heart of our local communities.

Amongst the many great projects run by clubs like Fareham's across the country are soccer schools for children and young people. What message are we sending our communities and our children when we offer up a role model like Mike Tyson?

Today is a proud day for Portsmouth, and we would like to thank Portsmouth City Council, Portsmouth Guildhall and every single person who put their signature to our petition.

Aurora New Dawn will be proud to carry the torch of our campaign onward to Fareham. We look forward to seeing you there.

Victims of domestic violence still “suffering in silence”

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 05:05 AM PDT

Alice Rogers
WVoN co-editor 

The Crown Prosecution Service in Britain this week reported its highest conviction rate for domestic violence, but says that most victims are still "suffering in silence".

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, revealed in a speech in London on Monday that only ten percent of victims of sexual assault report their crimes to the police, mainly because they don't trust the justice system to help them.

Starmer said that a woman on average was assaulted 30 times before going to the police.

However figures have improved. In cases of domestic violence referred to prosecutors, the conviction rate has increased from 69% in 2007-08 to 73% in 2011-12.

Likewise the conviction rate for rape charged by prosecutors has risen nearly 5% in the past five years.

The CPS launched its Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy in 2008, which focused on domestic violence, forced marriage, domestic violence and female genital mutilation.

“A lot has changed in recent years. We now have prosecutors who specialise in these types of crimes, we have introduced training and guidance and we have improved the way we engage with communities" Starmer claimed. He also highlighted better training and use of specialist prosecutors.

However these statistics don't necessarily show the full picture.

The charity Refuge welcomed the news, but said it represented only “the tip of the iceberg“.

Sandra Horley, its chief executive, said: "In London alone there were almost 52,000 domestic violence offences recorded in one year, so the 66,860 cases successfully prosecuted nationally barely scratch the surface.

"We are concerned that the British Crime Survey tells us that there are an estimated 1.2 million women who experience domestic abuse each year in the UK.

"Some of these cases may not be reported to the police for a number of reasons… This leaves a huge number of domestic abuse cases that never reach the police and therefore the courts.

"For those who do report domestic violence the police response is often woefully inadequate."

Sally Ride, first American woman in space, dies aged 61

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 04:00 AM PDT

Liz Draper
WVoN co-editor

Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, has died at the age of 61.

According to her company, Sally Ride Science, she passed away on Monday following a 17 month fight with pancreatic cancer.

Ride made history as a member of the crew on the Challenger space shuttle's second mission in June 1983.

As well as being the first American woman to go into orbit, at 32 she was also the youngest person to do so at the time.

She participated in a second flight a year later, and was scheduled for a third before the Challenger disaster in 1986 killed all seven crew members and caused the mission to be put on hold.

Ride, a Los Angeles native, graduated from Stanford University in 1973 with bachelor's degrees in English and physics. She went on to gain Masters and doctorate degrees, also at Stanford, before joining the NASA astronaut corps in 1978.

1978 was the first year NASA allowed engineers and scientists to join the corps; previously, all astronauts had been military test pilots. Ride was one of 35 people, including six women, selected from a field of 8000.

Ride also served on the commissions investigating the 1986 Challenger disaster, and the fatal space shuttle Columbia incident in 2003.

After leaving NASA in 1987, Ride worked for the Stanford University Security Research Institute, and then joined the physics department at the University of California San-Diego as a professor and director of the California Space Institute.

She was also a science writer and advocate for science education. She published five books for children, and set up Sally Ride Science in 2001 to encourage children to pursue their interest in science. The company produces classroom materials and programs for elementary and middle schools.

In a statement, American President Barack Obama praised Ride's achievements and advocacy, calling her a "national hero and powerful role model" who "inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars".

Outrage in France as female minister heckled in National Assembly

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 02:30 AM PDT

Shanna McGoldrick
WVoN co-editor

There was outrage in France this week after a video emerged showing female housing minister Cécile Duflot being subjected to jeers and wolf-whistles from male politicians as she took to the podium at the Asemblée Nationale.

Duflot was not wearing her usual low-key style of clothes (she was criticised for wearing jeans to her first cabinet meeting) but instead had donned a floral dress for the political address on July 17.

As she took centre stage to deliver a speech about a new Parisian metropolitan plan, she could barely be heard over the excitable whoops and leers of her male counterparts – to the extent that speaker Claude Bartolone was obliged to remind everyone to calm down.

To her credit, Duflot didn't miss a beat. "Ladies and gentlemen," she began. "Especially the gentlemen, it seems…"

In a misguided attempt to justify the situation, UMP minister and one of the hecklers Patrick Balkany later denied behaving in a sexist manner, telling French newspaper Le Figaro that he was merely 'admiring' Duflot's appearance.

He then went on to insinuate that Duflot's outfit was a ploy to distract the opposition from what she was saying.

So, sidestepping the implication that a significant portion of the French parliament has the self-control and attention span of an excitable adolescent, what is it that made some of the most powerful men in Europe believe such misogyny was acceptable?

When François Hollande was sworn in as President of the Republic in May of this year, he appointed equal numbers of male and female ministers to his cabinet.

However, the percentage of women politicians in the Asemblée National is only 27%, albeit up from 19%.

Since the explosion of the 'DSK affair', women ministers have become steadily more vocal about the level of sexism they have to put up with in national politics.

For her part, Duflot has remained remarkably sanguine about the whole affair, refusing to rise to the bait.

"There are a lot of men who do politics who aren't like that; there are a lot of men who don't do politics who aren't like that," she said in a radio interview. "I'd rather think about feminist men."

Fake tan may lead to increased risk of infertility

Posted: 25 Jul 2012 01:00 AM PDT

Liz Draper
WVoN co-editor

Experts have warned that the cocktail of chemicals in cosmetic products such as fake tan may contribute to a variety of health problems.

These range from skin irritation to obesity, diabetes, cancer and infertility. Pregnant women who apply fake tan products could also face a higher risk of birth defects in their babies.

According to Elizabeth Salter-Green of UK charity Chem trust, "many of the chemicals in fake tan are toxic to reproduction and can harm a foetus."

The active ingredient in tanning products is dihydroxyacetone, which reacts with amino acids to turn the skin brown. When inhaled and absorbed into the bloodstream, it may alter DNA or cause tumours.

According to scientists, other dangerous ingredients can include carcinogens such as formaldehyde and nitrosamines.

The tanning industry has strongly refuted the findings, insisting that there are laws in place to ensure cosmetic products are safe for use.

Dr Chris Flower, director general of the Cosmetics, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA), said "It's an exasperating, stupid story that's taken on a life of its own. Are there any risks to yourself, your fertility, your offspring? No, absolutely not."

Under EU law cosmetic products must be thoroughly assessed before they can be released onto the market. According to Dr Flower, this assessment means that products are safe for use at levels far exceeding the recommended amount.

However, Jacqueline McGlade, executive director of the European Environment Agency, has warned that “it would be prudent to take a precautionary approach to many of these chemicals until their effects are more fully understood.”

A report released in March by Chem Trust concluded that the chemicals accumulated in the body from food and everyday consumer products are likely to contribute to modern epidemics such as obesity and diabetes.