Women's Views on News |
- Ideas for gender equity and food security
- Shinty – the origin sport
- Do you know what is going on in Turkey?
- Letter calls for PM to ban ‘rape porn’
- The unspeakable crime: words to use
- Coalition failing to protect girls
| Ideas for gender equity and food security Posted: 07 Jun 2013 08:45 AM PDT
Women, particularly in developing countries, face numerous challenges, including sexual violence, limited access to health resources, barriers to education, and inadequate economic opportunities. Gender-based violence continues to threaten hundreds of millions of women in industrialised and developing countries alike – one in three women has been the victim of sexual abuse or violence at some point in her life. Women's economic opportunities are still more limited than those of men: the most recent United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Gender Chart indicates that women are still more likely than men to work for themselves or their families. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, 85 per cent of women are informally employed, versus 69 per cent of men. And girls – especially from low-income backgrounds – are statistically less likely to have access to secondary education than their male counterparts. These factors are responsible for women making up a disproportionate amount of the world's poor – some estimates are as high as 70 per cent. Despite these challenges, women are working with a wide variety of organisations to make strides in gender equity, both socially and economically. In March, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier de Schutter, released "Gender and the Right to Food," a special report on the state of gender equity and food security. De Schutter's report demanded that more work be done to eliminate discrimination against women at household and state levels alike. While the situation of women throughout the world is improving, there is still much progress to be made – progress that could finally help to achieve global food security. Last week the organization Women Deliver hosted their annual conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and international leaders in the women's movement discussed solutions to address these challenges which are facing women throughout the world. The world is now entering the final 1,000 days before the Millennium Development Goals – the global development goals that call for, among other things, the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowering women; and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases – expire in 2015. Addressing the ways in which world leaders, private sector actors, and other stakeholders can support and undertake both investment in women and protection and augmentation of their rights is of the utmost priority in order meet this deadline. Changing these trends will be a key to sustainable development for the future. Improving women's access to education, health, and economic resources will lead to better nutrition for not only women and children, but the whole world. Unfortunately, the cycle of women fighting for food security is often a self-perpetuating one. Especially in rural and agricultural sectors, women's lack of access to reproductive health services can lead to women having bigger families than desired. "Overcoming hunger is a game changer for a girl living in a developing country. “Fifty-three percent of children who drop out of primary school are female – mainly because they need to work to help feed their families. “Girls who stay in school are empowered to make positive decisions that affect their entire lives, such as waiting to have children and acquiring the skills they need to support to them," said Ellen Gustafson, co-founder of Food Tank, a food think tank. According to Women Deliver, if the international community spent an additional USD12 billion per year, women around the world would be able to receive sufficient family planning and maternal and newborn care. By reducing deaths of mothers and infants, such an investment would lead to USD15 billion in gained productivity. In addition to investing in health, investment in economic opportunities for women, particularly in the agriculture sector in developing countries, is crucial. Research from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows that if women had the same access to resources that men have, global malnutrition could be reduced by at least 12 percent. “Up to 80 per cent of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are women, but they don't have the same access to credit, land, and extension services. Studies show that by empowering women and providing them with these resources, yields increase and household nutrition is improved,” says Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank co-founder. In anticipation of the Women Deliver 2013 Conference, Food Tank shared five recommendations of ways to invest in women and girls through food and agriculture. 1. Supporting girls' access to education and success in school. The World Food Programme is currently collaborating with Groupon to provide school meals to girls in schools in 14 South Asian countries. Ensuring food security during the school day not only makes sure that girls are able to concentrate in class, but also takes pressure off of girls to work to be able to feed themselves and their families, instead of attending school. 2. Teaching women sustainable farming practices. Women Going Green, founded by Rose Karimi, is a five-year project in Kenya enabling women coffee farmers to adopt low-cost climate change adaptation strategies, such as using fruit trees to shade their coffee crops. These practices can help women not only feed their families, but also increase their incomes. Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is working to implement solar technology in developing countries to reduce poverty. A recent SELF initiative is the Solar Market Gardens project in the West African nation of Benin, which will enable groups of women farmers' cooperatives to grow more crops through solar-powered drip irrigation. 3. Giving women control of their health choices. The Jane Goodall Institute is helping to address some of the most serious health issues that women in sub-Saharan Africa face, such as HIV/AIDS and mother and infant mortality. It provides essential health services and equipment, along with educational programs to better inform women and their families on family planning methods and HIV/AIDs prevention education. 4. Addressing violence against women. Using data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the FAO's report on "Rural Women and the Millennium Goals" showed that rural women – who make up the vast majority of women in agriculture – were more likely to suffer incidences of abuse. Líderes Campesinas, a coalition of women farmers in California, is working to improve the public support system for female agricultural workers who have been victims of sexual assault and/or domestic abuse. 5. Providing credit to women in agriculture. The One Acre Fund is an organization devoted to helping smallholder farmers become self-reliant by providing families with high-quality seeds, soil nutrients, advice, and financing. They place a special focus on helping women, such as Lorna from Kenya, a single mother who through the fund's investments is now able to provide for her five children by growing maize. Additionally, Kuapa Kokoo, a cocoa farmers' cooperative in Ghana, established a Gender Programme to give women access to credit without requirement of any collateral. By directing research and funding where it's most needed, more progress can be made toward achieving true equality for women in all aspects of their lives. The Women Deliver 2013 Conference will be a significant step toward ensuring that women do not get left behind as we move toward a more equitable, sustainable, and productive planet. To view elements of the meetings, click here.  |
| Posted: 07 Jun 2013 07:00 AM PDT
In the beginning, so they say, shinty was linked to training warriors; this game involving a stick, a ball, a field, the sky, two goals and two teams of people was seen as the perfect way to develop the skills needed in battle. In 21st century society, shinty is the ideal activity through which to learn team work skills, and to develop the positive attitudes and behaviour that serve people well in their lives. Nowadays, each player has a caman, or curved stick, with which to strike the small leather ball. Players are allowed to play the ball in the air and to use both sides of the stick, which is wooden and slanted on both sides. The stick may also be used to block and to tackle, although a player may not come down on an opponent’s stick, a practice called hacking. Players may tackle using the body as long as it is shoulder to shoulder. In Scotland, shinty developed as a sport played by people within one community, sometimes competing against people from another community. Competitive matches used to take place on particular festival days, such as New Year's Day. At that time, there were no restrictions on how many people could be in each team and no written rules. The move to make shinty a more organised sport coincided with the emergence of the industrialised society and ‘increased mobility’ of the people of Scotland. Emigrants to Canada took their sport with them, and in the harsh winters played on ice – which led to the birth of ice hockey. Eminent shinty historian Dr Hugh Dan MacLennan has shown that Scots emigrating to the industrial cities of England set up shinty clubs that also incorporated football. Some of these clubs, such as Chelsea and Manchester United, went on to become some of the biggest football teams in the world. Women's shinty teams compete for several cups throughout the course of the season. The Valarie Fraser Cup is open to all registered women's teams. Prior to the 2012 season, predominately National Division 1 teams competed for this cup. However, there is a call for Second Division teams to enter, to increase the level of competition, as well as the number of teams and fixtures. The first round of the 2013 Valerie Fraser Cup will take place on 16 June. The Challenge Cup is open to all teams in the Second Division. Fixtures run throughout the season and the final is played on the same day as the Valerie Fraser Cup Final. The North vs South, a hard fought representative match featuring the best players from the women's game, is held every October in Oban. In women's shinty National Division 1 there are 10 players in each team, while Division 2 teams comprise eight players. In both divisions, one of the players is always the goalkeeper/ In women's shinty, as well as in some competitions for children and young people, the pitch dimensions are smaller than in senior men's shinty. The full Rules of Play for shinty are contained in the Women's Camanachd Association's byelaws. The game was derived from the same root as the Irish game of hurling but has developed different rules and features. In Wales the term for shinty is bando, not to be confused with bandy, a not dissimilar game played on ice. So there you go.  |
| Do you know what is going on in Turkey? Posted: 07 Jun 2013 06:00 AM PDT
First, I have to warn you about the pictures in the attachment as they show violence towards women. I wanted to attach more, but frankly, I didn't think a woman should see those pictures, yet some women in Turkey suffered, lived and still lives those horrifying moments. I can send you dozens of pictures and videos as evidence. I am a Ph.D. student in the U.S. Do you know what is going on in Turkey? Occupygezi is a peaceful movement that has taken off in Istanbul to oppose its demolition as part of a redevelopment plan. A group of protestors have been under attack of police officers since Friday, May 31, 2013 with water cannons and tear gas in Istanbul (The New York Times, May 31, 2013). Occupygezi is a movement that is protecting green recreational parks of Turkey. It is held not only in Istanbul but also in so many cities. We, younger generation, are aware of these events through social media channels as the protestors who are injured and died in there are our friends. The media just started to show some facts about this resistance but not the whole truth. This is a movement against the frequent violation of human rights by authorities in Turkey. This letter is intended to inform the world that government police is using excessive force towards unarmed protestors, which is against "human rights" in all languages and in all countries. Media and police are not acting on behalf of nation. Government suppressed the democratic, modern people of Turkey and currently police forces are acting incredibly brutal against young, old women, men and children. The events in Turkey scream for the attention of foreign media as Turkish media is not acting honestly. Therefore, it is world's responsibility to spread the word, protect the innocent and to stand against this brutal police force. Turkey needs World's awareness. Although the prime minister and AKP claim there are a few wounded, at least 4 people are dead. This is the number we got from the social media, friends. He calls social media (Twitter etc.) a plague and gave the order to arrest people (25 of them arrested as of yesterday in Izmir), who are using twitter to help the protest. Their claim is those people are provoking other people. Also, dictator Prime Minister Erdogan, said he can send 1 million of his followers to the crowd but he is holding and calming them. This is a calling for civil war. First, he said women should gave birth to at least 3 babies, then he said no women can keep her last name (alone) if they get married, then he said the morning after pill can only be used with a prescription of a doctor (which will take more than 24 hours). He is chipping off women's rights little by little. Hundreds of thousands of women are assaulted in Turkey on a daily basis. Therefore, I call on European Women's Lobby to help us spread the word and to be the voice of the democratic people in Turkey. The demands of the protestors are extremely simple. 1. Gezi park should stay as a recreational area, none of the trees should be cut off. 2. The police forces, which killed and injured people, should pay for their actions in prisons. The chief of police and the governors should resign. 3. The use of gas bombs should be prohibited. As, we saw with so many examples it is lethal. 4. The protestors who are arrested should be released immediately with no charges. The people have the right to gather and protest (unarmed). 5. The right to protest should not be taken off from any human being. Finally, in my personal belief, for full democracy the election bridge in Turkey should be eliminated. Please help us disseminate what is going on in Turkey. In a man's world, women do not need another dictator! Sincerely, Sara Baskentli, Activist, Woman, Researcher and Human P.S. For more information go to #occupygezi #direngezi #bubirsivileylemdir or bbc.co.uk, nytimes, washingtonpost etc.  |
| Letter calls for PM to ban ‘rape porn’ Posted: 07 Jun 2013 05:35 AM PDT
Rape Crisis South London and 100 other rape crisis groups have written to the Prime Minister urging him to urgently close a loophole in the extreme pornography legislation in England and Wales which permits the possession of pornography depicting rape. Recent research found that of the top 50 accessible 'rape porn' sites found through a Google search, 78 per cent advertise content depicting simulated rape of under 18 year-olds (eg "schoolgirl rape"). Of the top ten Google search results for 'free porn', half the websites host free rape pornography. Sites include terms like 'brutal rape', 'real rape' and 'savage rape' in their web addresses. The letter to David Cameron refers to the recent convictions of Mark Bridger and Stuart Hazell, who had both used violent and misogynistic pornography as part of their murders of young girls. The letter also draws attention to the fact that the possession of rape pornography is already criminalised in Scotland where law-makers took its harm into account when legislating. Research conducted by Rape Crisis South London into freely available online 'rape porn' found descriptions including 'young schoolgirls abducted and cruelly raped. Hear her screams'; 'little schoolgirl raped by teacher'; 'tiny girl sleep rape'; and 'girl raped at gunpoint'. A disturbing further breakdown of the research is shown here at footnote 2. Rape Crisis South London campaigner Fiona Elvines, has conducted research into what is currently available online legally in England and Wales. She said: "The 2008 legislation on extreme pornography was brought in to address the way the internet had changed the distinctions between publishing, distributing and possessing some kinds of pornography. “It intended to protect the public from harm by criminalising the possession of pornography which depicts life-threatening injury, serious injury to anus/breasts/genitals, bestiality or necrophilia. "It is a serious omission not to have included images depicting rape and other non-consensual acts as they did in Scotland. “This is not about making a distinction between real and simulated rape and child sexual abuse, with the latter being perfectly lawful to possess as long as it is 'fantasy' and actors are over 18. “Permitting the possession of depictions of sexual violence as entertainment glorifies, trivialises and normalises such abuse – at a time when government statistics estimate that 85,000 women and girls are raped each year." The letter to the Prime Minister also cites the recent report of the Children's Commissioner on young people's, especially boys', exposure to pornography and its links to harmful attitudes and behaviours. It asks David Cameron to consider reform in order that other government work on tackling violence against women and girls is not undermined. The Deputy Children's Commissioner, Sue Berelowitz, has signed the letter to the Prime Minister. EVAW Coalition Director Holly Dustin said: "The government has promised to take action to prevent sexual and other violence before it happens and has taken some positive steps. “However, if it is really serious about keeping its promise it must look at the cultural backdrop against which women and girls are abused. “'Rape porn' glorifies sexual violence and undermines the government's work. "It sends a contradictory message about the seriousness with which sexual violence is taken. “We support this important campaign and urge the Prime Minister to act urgently to close this loophole." Professor Clare McGlynn of Durham University, an expert in this area of law, said: "The extreme pornography legislation is in urgent need of reform. “The current law excludes the vast majority of pornographic images of rape. “This is not a simplistic argument about rape pornography causing rape. “It is undeniable that the proliferation and tolerance of such images and the messages they convey contributes to a cultural climate where sexual violence is condoned. "Closing this loophole would not be difficult. “Together with Erika Rackley at Durham University we have drafted changes to the law, and we believe that there would be huge public support for a swift change in the law. “We await the Prime Minister's response." Please sign the petition.  |
| The unspeakable crime: words to use Posted: 07 Jun 2013 05:05 AM PDT Th This BBC1 programme was made after following the staff and some service users at St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Manchester for a year. St Mary's SARC offers full support for victims of rape and sexual assault. It is wholly staffed by women, and supports victims from collection of forensic evidence right through to appearing in court (should the case proceed that far). In the UK, a rape happens every 6 minutes and there are 46 SARC's across the country. Many of the staff talked about the stigma attached to rape victims – more so than for other victims of crime. It is recommended that rape is spoken about more openly, but the stigma prevents this, and it takes a courageous victim (such as Juliet, one of the case studies in this programme) to be able to share their story. The narrator talked about St Mary's and the service users as people 'who say they have been raped'. The focus on the programme was about removing stigma; the BBC could have helped by changing this statement to 'people who have been raped'. This may be considered 'nit picking', but language matters. After all, we know only 3 per cent of rape allegations are considered 'maliciously false', as the programme provided this statistic (numbers, as well as a percentage, would have been more useful here). This figure is comparable for other crimes, and it was helpful that one of the police officers from the Greater Manchester Police specialist sexual crimes unit specifically commented that 'people do make false allegations of rape, as they do for many other crimes'. One of the aims of the SARC is to collect good quality evidence in order to support a (possible) prosecution. In rape and sexual assault, the victim is evidence and the police will 'record her version of events' at a police station. Again, language matters. 'The experience of the victim', 'record the details of the allegation' – both of these, although not perfect, replace the word 'version', which, in itself, suggests that there may be another, more 'correct' version. A comment made by staff at the SARC regarding 'stranger danger' for children was particularly helpful. She commented that 'stranger danger for children, is misguided'. Almost all sexual assaults in children are perpetrated by people they know, and this likelihood increases in younger children. The focus for children should be on being safe – listening to them, teaching them to recognise when they are not safe and giving them strategies to help them to be safe. The perception for adults is that stranger rape is most common, and it was helpful for the programme to provide statistics to refute this myth. It is estimated that 90 per cent of victims know their attacker. In over half of all rapes, the rapist is the partner or ex partner, of the victim. In 2012, Greater Manchester Police set up a serious sexual assault policing team, and one of their officers, DS Martin Ashurst, recognised the issue with reporting rape and sexual assault. His comment '(there have been) many cases where officers have been very quick to disbelieve a victim. We will believe all who come forward to make a report [to us]'. This is helpful, but needs to be mirrored across the whole of the UK. We need victims to be believed. The process of reporting, evidence gathering and proceeding to court is clearly traumatic. We know this from Juliet's experience, but also from other women who tell us this. The Independent Sexual Violence Advocates (ISVAs) support survivors through the whole process. This is a new role, set up in response to the number of survivors who withdrew from the prosecution process. The ISVA discussed the difficulty of the prosecution process – as did the police. The evidence, if present, decides if a charge proceeds or not. 7000 rape cases were reviewed by the Crime Prosecution Service (CPS) – less than half went to trial. Lots of the staff involved in the process acknowledged the difficulty of gathering evidence when the assault has happened in a home, with only 2 people present. The staff are clearly used to discussing this issue – as all of us who discuss rape, are. Discussions of false allegations are a distraction to the number of rapes that we know take place, and where the perpetrator, for many different reasons, is not punished. It is disingenuous (at best) to focus on false allegations when we know that less than half of all rape reports go to trial. Catherine White, clinical director of St Mary's, stated clearly her stance on victim blaming. She commented that Juliet 'shouldn't blame herself for being out on New Years Eve; the alcohol is not the rapist, the rapist is the rapist – and being aware that alcohol makes you vulnerable to a lot of things, it does not mean the victim should blame themselves'. It is wonderful to see such a clear stance – and the acknowledgement that although victims should not blame themselves, 'people will, that's the problem – it should be the other way around'. There was much discussion in the programme about the comparison between acquisitive crime (burglary, in this case) and rape. It is disappointing that again, we are reduced to comparing a vagina to an unlocked front door. Women are not possessions, they are not items to be stolen, and these comparisons are not helpful, in our view. It would be more helpful if the CPS talked about women being considered property, or considered under the ownership of a perpetrator, rather than comparing a vagina to an unlocked front door. From discussions with the CPS in the programme, it is clear that victim blaming is a major issue. The prosecutor discussed having to get the idea of who is to blame over to a jury '12 people, with their own myths and stereotypes about any sort of crime – it is not an easy process'. Again, comments such as 'walking home late at night, in the dark, wearing a short skirt does not entitle anyone to assume you are consenting' made clear that the fault for rape and sexual assault lies with the perpetrator. We appreciated the discussion around consent – the law is clear. Sex without consent is rape, and you cannot consent if you are drunk. In Juliet's case, she was clearly intoxicated and it seemed to us that one of the reasons that the case was able to proceed to court was because Juliet could not have consented in law. In Manchester, there are rape specialist lawyers for the CPS, but again, discussion around 'evidence' was key. A woman discussing her experience is not necessarily evidence in itself – if forensic or other evidence isn't present, the case is unlikely to reach court. One of the important comments from the CPS was that assumptions about how victims behave should not be made. This feeds into the need for a 'credible' or 'reliable' victim, in order for rape cases to proceed to court. One of the key issues around consent during the CPS discussions was that of 'previously given' consent – Kellie shared her story about being raped when she was working 'as a prostitute' – sex workers, substance misuses and others are supported by St Mary's but the issue of witness credibility remains. Kellie stated herself that she didn't think she'd be taken seriously, and 'it felt good to be believed'. She talked about her experience of rape as one which made her feel 'worthless' and that he made her feel like she was 'nothing'. Victim blaming of ourselves is significant – it contributes to stigma and in Kellie's case, made her blame herself for the lifestyle she led at the time. It wasn't Kellie's 'lifestyle' that raped her. It was a rapist. St Mary's SARC is open to those who don't wish to report their rape to the police, and the service remains fully accessible for these victims. Timely forensic evidence is collected and stored and the option remains open for the victim to make a formal complaint to the police at a later date. Catherine White was clear about how important this service was – helpfully, she noted that 'we all think we know what we would do, but life is rarely that simple'. It is crucial that we remove the thoughts of the 'right' sort of rape victim and how they behave. The focus should be on the rapist, not on someone who has been raped. The disappointment we have with the programme came following discussions with a police officer when talking about male victims of rape. 13 per cent of recorded rape victims are male. DS Ashurst said: 'For males, a rape is considered the ultimate violation'. We assume that the reason for the officer making this statement was because questions of sexuality arise when discussing the rape of men, by other men. This is misleading. Rape is not a 'sex crime'. It is a crime of power, and control – penetration digitally or by a penis in cases of rape is not about sexual arousal, it is about gaining, and maintaining, control over the victim. The programme could have made this clear. Comments that men are affected by 'bravado and embarrassment' in relation to rape are unhelpful. Women are affected by these too, and it makes an assumption that rape for women is more 'manageable' compared to men because our vagina's are expected to be penetrated by a penis. Juliet courageously shared her whole experience with the programme, including the court process. She was clearly worried that a 'not guilty' verdict might suggest that the rape didn't happen. The CPS was clear – a not guilty verdict does not mean the rape didn't happen. It means that the jury could not get to a state of 'beyond all reasonable doubt' in relation to the case. 38 per cent of trials end with a 'not guilty' verdict. Overall, we are thankful that St Mary's took part in this programme, thankful to Kellie and Juliet for sharing their experiences and hope that the programme went some way to combating the stigma around rape and sexual assault. We will leave you with Juliet's words. 'A rape survivor becomes extraordinary, because you survived it.' This review is by Everyday Victim Blaming, a new organisation, set up to tackle the victim blaming associated with violence against women and children.  |
| Coalition failing to protect girls Posted: 07 Jun 2013 01:02 AM PDT
'Deeds or Words', a report published by the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), analysed the government’s performance in ten key areas. It concluded that 'government work is at best patchy and [its] education policy is a key barrier to improving this'. The report also found that despite concerns about sexual offending by boys and young men, there is no obligation for schools to teach young people about sexual consent and respectful relationships. That a multi-million pound Home Office campaign aimed at preventing abuse amongst teens – 'thisisABUSE' – was sidelined by the Department for Education. Meaning that many schools were not aware that students may be seeking help after seeing the campaign online and on TV. That while the government has announced a programme of work to prevent violence against women and girls overseas, there is no equivalent programme of work in the UK. That there is little political leadership on these issues in the Department for Education or the Department for Culture Media and Sport. That the Department for Education's expert group on violence against women and girls has been disbanded. That abuse of women and girls is mostly absent from policy development on press regulation, social media and technology. The report acknowledged that the government's strategy 'Call to end violence against women and girls' marked a 'critical shift' away from previous more reactive responses in its focus on preventing violence and challenging attitudes. It is within this context of primary prevention that government work within the last three years has been analysed. The government failed to score at all in priority 2: 'ensure delivery of a whole school approach to prevent violence against women and girls across the primary and secondary education system'. Prevention work in schools and work to address harmful behaviour was deemed to be 'disappointing…patchy and inconsistent' helping to create a 'context of impunity'. The omission of any work in schools is telling in light of a government strategy on violence against women and girls which espouses the necessity of 'intervening early where possible to prevent it'. There is no doubt that pressures and influences on young people are increasing. These include the ubiquity and accessibility of pornography, the advent of 'sexting' and other activities around sexual behaviour, and violence and the denigration of women, often cultivated by and perpetuated through social media. The resultant attitudinal response to violence against women and girls (VAWG) needs to be addressed, challenged and framed within an educational and social context. And schools are perhaps uniquely placed to deliver prevention work, given that schooltime is a time when behaviours are formed, attitudes are fostered and pressures on young people increase. A YouGov poll commissioned by EVAW and published alongside their report reflects pubic support for sex and relationships education (SRE) to be taught in schools. The poll revealed that 86 per cent of UK adults think that SRE 'which addresses sexual consent and respectful relationships' should be compulsory in secondary schools. The resistance to SRE in some corners, often framed around the argument that young people are not yet ready to learn about such issues, is belied by the statistics: 1 in 3 teenage girls has experienced sexual violence from their boyfriend and 1 in 3 16-18 year-olds had experienced 'groping' or other unwanted sexual touching at school. 'Deeds or Words' is not the first time EVAW has asserted that it is vital that SRE is taught as a preventative measure and can be seen as the second stage of an ongoing campaign which began in autumn 2012 with 'Schools Safe 4 Girls'. The recent cases in Rochdale and Oxford have disturbingly and starkly highlighted the extent to which young girls are at risk of violence and exploitation. And it showed us something more than that; it showed us the extent to which these young girls were let down by those around them, those with a duty to protect. Such a prevailing societal acceptance of VAWG, and an inability or unwillingness to view violence through the lens of gender discrimination and sexist institutional structures, are attitudes that need to be changed. The EVAW report suggests the need for 'sufficient ongoing training' on VAWG for teachers and other professionals and a long term, properly invested and evidenced-based awareness campaign, along the lines of the drink driving campaign Think! As EVAW co-chair Professor Liz Kelly said, “It is time for our government to make good on [its] promises and to ensure that violence against women and girls is no longer tolerated in our society". You can join the campaign. You can, for example, write to the Prime Minister and ask him to implement a robust Programme of Work to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls.  |
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