Women's Views on News |
- Steps for ending child marriage
- Diary dates 1-7 July
- Sports round-up: 24-30 June
- Zero hours: a precarious existence
| Steps for ending child marriage Posted: 01 Jul 2013 08:15 AM PDT
What do May from Vietnam, Rangina from Afghanistan and Melka from Ethiopia – three girls from three very different countries – have in common? All of them were still children when they got married. Melka was 14 the day she came home from school to be told that she was getting married, that evening, to a much older man. Rangina was 13 when her father forced her to marry, in an exchange that gained him a new wife. She was bullied and beaten by her in-laws, but did eventually managed to escape. May was 12 when she was kidnapped on her way home from school. Her kidnapper’s parents brought alcohol and money to her brother’s house. Once her brother had accepted the price, May became her kidnapper’s wife. Unfortunately, these stories are repeated throughout the world. Every year, 14 million girls around the world will be married before they turn 18. One in seven girls in the developing world will be married before they are 15. Being married as children has a devastating impact on girls' lives: as many are taken out of school when they are married, they lose their chance at an education, reducing their chances of lifting themselves out of poverty. A lack of knowledge and power when it comes to negotiating sex and safe sexual practices leaves them vulnerable to contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexual diseases. Giving birth too young is both dangerous and traumatising. A girl giving birth before she is 15 is five times more likely to die giving birth than a woman in her twenties. Complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth are the number one killer of girls aged 15 – 19. All this without even mentioning the obvious – that these girls have their childhood taken away from them and are thrust in an adult world, exposed to higher risks of abuse and violence. Instead of being given the chance to be girls, they are forced to marry someone whom they did not choose and sometimes never knew at all. However, it isn't only the girls themselves who are affected. Child marriage has an impact on societies as a whole. The children of child brides are more likely to die young, as mortality rates of children whose mothers have at least seven years education is 58 per cent less than for those whose mothers had no education. In being taken out of school, it is not only girls who suffer but their families. Women are more likely than men to reinvest their income in their family, and every extra year of education is estimated to increase a girl’s potential future income by 15 to 25 per cent. Last week, children’s charity Plan UK, and the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) hosted a roundtable discussion, in the Canadian High Commission in London, on ending child marriage. The two organisations that have been working on the issue in partnership since 2010. They were joined by Girls Not Brides, Forward UK and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Also present was Mary, from Malawi, who talked to participants about what happened to her friend Alice when she was forced to marry at 15. Speaking at the event, the High Commissioner for Canada, Graham Campbell, said: “Our collective voices and actions can create a start to put this practice behind us. It’s time for the Commonwealth to take up this issue and demonstrate leadership.” The Commonwealth states made a commitment at their heads of government meeting in 2011 to put an end to child marriage. But they can do more. The Head of Plan UK Nazma Kabir, discussed how the Commonwealth states could also push the issue at the United Nations: for instance supporting a UN resolution to end child marriage by 2015. They could also ensure that the UN Secretariat puts the issue of child marriage at the heart of the development agenda. The key will be to transform their commitment into a plan of action. There are 54 states in the Commonwealth, and they could make a big difference to the lives of thousands of girls by working together on this issue. The momentum to end child marriage is building, as is awareness around the issue, and ending child marriage by 2030 has been proposed as a post Millenium Development goal. And not only at international organisation level. Citizens and organisations working together have been changing attitudes on the ground to child marriage. In Senegal, for instance, 427 communities pledged to abandon child marriage. Farheea from Pakistan told the audience what young people are doing to ending child marriage; for example raising awareness in their communities with parents, children and others. By working together, societies can create a culture where girls are not wives or mothers or dead before their time, but instead stay in education, learn skills and grow – in short, where girls can stay girls.  |
| Posted: 01 Jul 2013 04:37 AM PDT
Conferences: 6 – 7 July - International Conference on Violence Against Women and Girls: "Where does feminism go from here?" – Manchester Metropolitan University by Campaign to End Rape (CER) This conference is aimed at activists; academics; activist lawyers; students; interested professionals; the Crown Prosecution Service and police officers. It particularly welcomes women working within women's services and everyone who wants to make a difference to women's lived experience of surviving violence. The conference will consist of facilitated discussions as well as more formal academic addresses. £230 full delegate rate, £40 subsidised for postgraduate students and voluntary sector workers. To book online click here. Entertainment: 3 July – Viv Groskop: I Laughed, I Cried – at the Watershed, Bristol 6.15pm – 7.15pm When is it too late to become the person you were meant to be? Viv Groskop is fed-up, recession-scarred and pushing 40. She always wanted to be a stand-up comedian. But surely that’s not advisable if you have three children, a mortgage and a husband who hates stand-up comedy? With no time to waste, she attempts the mother of all comedy marathons – 100 gigs in 100 nights. She laughs. Sometimes at her own jokes. Occasionally the audience laughs too. Often they don’t. And she cries. Tears of joy, of misery and of profound self-loathing. Tickets £7 (£6 concessions). This venue is fully accessible 7 July - Stand Up for Women – Garrick Theatre, Charring Cross Road London WC2 – 7.00pm Stand Up For Women is raising awareness and raising funds for women's organisations. Performers include Andi Osho, Lucy Porter and Josie Long.Tickets from £25 5 July – Bloody Ice Cream #4: A night of riot grrrl noise- The Grosvenor, 17 Sidney Road, London, SW9 0TP – 8.30pm-2.00am Includes performances by Yeah And She Has Red Lips Too, South London lassies Cat Bear Tree and PJ Harvey-esque Annette Berlin. Activism: Various dates and locations throughout July 2012 - Walk for Women One hundred years ago thousands of women walked from all across Britain, starting from as far away as Lands End and Newcastle, converging in Hyde Park, London on 26 July. They were demonstrating to the government how many women wanted the right to vote. There were 50,000 women assembled in Hyde Park on that day in 1913. 'Walk for Women' this July is an initiative to celebrate the actions of those women 100 years ago and the fight for women's suffrage. There are organised walks all around Britain during July and the list is growing every day. If your town or city does not appear on the list, get in touch for help organising something in your area. Workshops: 7 July – Making and Breaking Images of Irish Women – The Feminist Library, 5 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7XW – 3pm Archetypes of Irish women have been lodged in our brains, laid down in layers by politics, family and religion re-enforced by media, but does this all really chime with our life experience? The London Irish Women’s Network has created an opportunity to explore the good, the bad and the ugly, and to look at some of the de-constructing and re-constructing that has been undertaken. This will be a participative event including brief presentations from photographer Joanne O’Brien, and artist Sarah Strong. The Feminist Library has a women-only policy.  |
| Posted: 01 Jul 2013 02:30 AM PDT
Football: On Saturday 29 the FA announced that Doncaster Belles have lost their appeal to remain in the first division of the Women's Super League. The FA had decided that the Belles would play in the second division when the League expands next season. They have been in the top flight for 22 years, although they have twice finished second from them bottom since the WSL’s relaunch in 2011. Doncaster are currently consulting their solicitors to see if they should pursue further legal action. Tennis: Most of Britain’s women failed to make an impact during the first week of Wimbledon. All but Laura Robson, the British number one, succumbed in the first round. Monday 24 saw Elena Baltacha, Johanna Konta, Anne Keothavong and Samantha Murray fall to higher-ranked opponents, all in straight sets. Tuesday 25 didn’t start much better. Former British number one Heather Watson, who is still not fully fit after suffering from glandular fever, was unable to take a set from Madison Keys, losing 6-3 7-5 to the up-and-coming American. Tara Moore was able to win a set against the in-form Estonian Kaia Kanepi, but finally lost, 7-5 5-7 7-5. Then came the one bright spot: Laura Robson. She had a fantastic first round defeating 10th seed Maria Krilenko, 6-3 6-4. In the second round on Friday 28, she beat the unseeded Mariana Duque-Marino 6-4 6-1. Robson was again on court on Saturday 29, when she played Marina Erakovic from New Zealand. The Brit started badly, showing none of the form she displayed earlier in the week, and lost the first set 6-1. We feared the worst, but Robson rallied. She faced match points in the second set, but when Erakovic's serve faltered, Robson took advantage. From a break down in the second set, Robson won eight games in a row, winning the second set 7-5 along the way. The huge change in momentum took her to victory, 6-3 in the third. It was a great feat of resilience and she is rewarded with a fourth-round tie against Kaia Kanepi. She is the first British woman to qualify for the fourth round since Sam Smith in 1998. Hockey: England put in some stunning performances over the last week to reach the final of the World Hockey League in Chiswick. A 1-1 draw with Spain in their final group game was enough to take them into a quarter-final against Italy, which they won 3-2. Alex Danson scored twice to set up the win and bring them the toughest semi-final opponents, world champions Argentina. On Saturday 29, England played out of their skins to stun the Argentines with a 4-2 win. Goals from Nic White, Hannah MacLeod and Susannah Townsend, plus an Argentine own goal, saw a triumphant England through to the final. Captain Kate Walsh was pleased but aware of the difficult task they would face in the final, against Australia. “It was a much improved display but we mustn’t get carried away. Australia have given us some hidings recently,” she told the BBC. As it turned out, Walsh was right to be cautious. Australia were in fantastic form for the final on Sunday 30, beating England convincingly 3-0. Athletics: The Birmingham Diamond League meet on Sunday 30 brought significant success for Britain’s women. Perri Shakes-Drayton and Eilidh Child kicked off proceedings by taking the top two spots in the 400m hurdles. Meghan Beesley was fourth. 18-year-old Jessica Judd ran a personal best 1:59.85 to win the 800m, just ahead of fellow Brit Marilyn Okoro. “I’m so happy,” she told the BBC. “Last year people didn’t know who I was. It was nice to get a cheer at the start line.” Olympic star Christine Ohuruogu took only her second ever Diamond League win in the 400m, with a dramatic late surge taking her past the in form Amantle Montsho of Botswana. But it’s not all good news. Jessica Ennis-Hill has again withdrawn from competition through injury. Ennis-Hill should have been competing in the European Cup Combined Events Super League in Estonia. However, a persistent ankle injury has kept her from competing in her first event this season. She is now focussing on getting fit for the World Championships which begin on 10 August in Moscow. Rugby union: England did themselves no favours when they surprisingly lost to Russia in their final group game of the Rugby World cup Sevens in Moscow last weekend. The loss meant they could no longer finish top of their group and secure themselves an easier quarter final. The first two group games went to plan with easy wins over France (15-0) and Japan (39-0), completed without conceding a score. However, in the final group game England lost to Russia 17-15, after leading 10-5 at half time. This meant they were handed a tough draw against New Zealand in the quarter-final. England will be disappointed as they have been preparing for this tournament for some time. They incurred some criticism over the winter when they were accused of fielding weakened sides in the Six Nations because they were preparing for the Sevens. England went down 24-7 to New Zealand in the quarter finals which meant they went into the Plate semi-final against Ireland winning convincingly 22-0. This took them to the Plate final against Australia. Unfortunately England missed out on the Plate title, losing 15-4 to the Aussies. Ireland's women made a good start to their tournament with a win against South Africa 12-5. They were, however, outclassed by their next opponents, Australia, losing 22-5. Their last group game was against China, which they won well 28-10. This put them into a quarter-final against the USA but they could not overcome the Americans and lost narrowly 14-5, before their semi-final loss to England put them out of the tournament.  |
| Zero hours: a precarious existence Posted: 01 Jul 2013 01:12 AM PDT
Last week the Resolution Foundation launched a report, A Matter of Time, charting the growth and spread of zero-hours contracts in Britain. These are contracts in which an employer does not guarantee the employee a fixed number of hours per week, but the employee is expected to be on call and receive payment only for hours actually worked. The government is currently reviewing the use of zero-hours contracts and Andy Sawford MP has introduced a Private Members' Bill calling for them to be banned. Zero-hours contracts offer no guaranteed hours or income. The employer does not have to offer any hours and, in theory, the employee does not have to accept them. Some argue that this allows more flexibility, but there is less certainty. The use of zero hours in the UK has grown in recent years. Introducing the report, Matthew Pennycook, senior research and policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said 140,000 workers were employed on these contracts in 2006, in 2012 there were over 200,000. This is likely to be an underestimation because zero hours are common in industries like home care, which, according to the Office for National Statistics, employs over 650,000 people, 84 per cent of whom are women. And their use is spreading. In the past zero-hours contracts were confined to low-paid and low-skilled work like home care and hospitality; they are now spreading to white collar jobs like further and higher education and administration. According to the research, workers on zero-hours contracts are more likely to have lower pay even if they are graduates in relatively skilled jobs, work fewer hours and to be looking for another job or for extra hours. The authors claim zero-hours contracts are used to reduce costs, and to avoid some elements of employment protection. Workers on zero-hours contracts tend to have worker, rather than employee, status allowing employers to avoid benefits like maternity pay. While some people may welcome the flexibility, being on a zero-hours contract has a negative side. One further education lecturer told the researchers: "Many of my colleagues who are raising families have got into serious debt through zero-hours contracts because they cannot be sure what they will get in each month. "Those who have avoided serious debt have done so through living with parents, drawing on savings, having redundancy pay from previous jobs to fall back on." With such fluctuating hours it can be difficult for workers to prove how many hours they work, making it difficult for them to claim tax credits. Workers who refuse hours may find themselves penalised. A home care worker said: "When I started out my current job I did nine weeks without a single day off and I was regularly working anything up to 55-60 hours per week. “Since putting my foot down and refusing to work every other weekend, I still work 12 days on and two off, [but] my hours have dried up." All this uncertainty affects the quality of service. Another care worker said: "I have no faith or commitment to the company since they put us on zero hours. "All the girls whose contracts changed feel the same. And it definitely has an impact on the care we provide…. Now everyone is worried about looking for other jobs and that rubs off on patients." Professor Jill Rubery, head of the people management and organisation division at Manchester Business School, surveyed 52 home care providers. Nearly 70 per cent of the employers she surveyed only offered zero-hour contracts. Guaranteed hours were only available to those transferred from local authorities or car drivers. Only 13 per cent offered all staff guaranteed hours. Over 80 per cent of the employers surveyed offered no pay for travel time; many workers have to pay travel costs; if a client is temporarily hospitalised the worker would lose the hours, and therefore the income; and 88 per cent of the employers did not pay for breaks between clients. "Any absences of care staff, or new clients leads to the constant renegotiation of who was going to cover, so even when a worker was on an unpaid break they would be constantly rung up and asked to work, so even when you are on an unpaid break you would be constantly reminded of being at work. "The result is working days that are extremely long. “Many start at seven in the morning and finish work after ten at night with multiple breaks in between. Six and seven-day working is common. If they provided more care than was commissioned that was at the cost of their own time," she said. Rubery believes that budgets cuts mean risk is shifting from local authorities to care providers and on to the workers, resulting in high staff turnover and difficulties with staff recruitment, which can lead to poor performance. "It is quite sobering that the sector that has the sharpest employment practices in the country is one that is taking care of our most vulnerable people," said Sarah O'Connor from the Financial Times, who chaired the report’s launch event. Heather Wakefield, head of Unison Local Government said zero-hours contracts were being promoted as a way of saving costs in local government, and were likely to spread to the NHS following the introduction of the 'any qualified provider' regime. "If you look at local government most of the jobs are part time. These are jobs that were constructed with the growth of the welfare state after the Second World War to be part time. That little, local part-time job mainly for women," she said. She said some workers were asked to provide their own uniforms, mobile phones and cars. Some even had to pay for the badge of the multi-national care company to be sewn onto their uniforms. Matthew Oakley, head of economics and social policy at Policy Exchange, argued that zero-hours contracts should not be regarded as universally bad: having a job was better than not having one; some people may like the flexibility that zero-hours contracts offer and they may offer a stepping stone into work. Banning them could lead to an increase in other precarious forms of employment such as agency work, which offer even less employment protection. But Professor Guy Standing, author of The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class, said the official unemployment rates underestimated the 'labour slack' rate, times when workers are effectively out of work, but officially employed. He called for the introduction of a basic income for all, and for employers to pay a standby bonus during leaner times. Those employing workers on zero-hours should pay a higher bonus. He said that, in the short term, anyone who quits a zero-hours contract should not be penalised when applying for unemployment benefits and unemployed people should be able to refuse an offer of a zero-hours job, without risking losing their benefits. In the long term people need a degree of security and a collective voice. "These forms of highly exploitative labour are very unfairly distributed,” he said. "It is vital for us to reconceptualise what we mean by work. Every feminist, and I hope we are all feminists, should be shouting from the rooftop. All these politicians when they talk about work are only talking about paid work. "A lot of these people on highly insecure contracts have to do a lot of work that does not get counted as work and does not get remunerated as work. This is a form of indirect exploitation," he said.  |
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