Women's Views on News |
- Stoolball: England Ladies news
- Still failing victims of domestic violence
- Are the days of gender-specific toys over?
- Volunteer media watch co-editor wanted
| Stoolball: England Ladies news Posted: 13 Sep 2013 07:52 AM PDT
And in Olympic year 2012, Stoolball England's first ever attempt to stage an England Ladies fixture proved such a success that this year the governing body is extending the opportunity for players to participate not only at Under 21 level but also as senior players over the age of 50. These matches will be played in the immaculate surroundings of Horsham Sports Club on Sunday, 22 September 2013. The Under 21 game will be starting at 11am and the senior ladies' over 50 game at 2.15pm. A week later, on 29 September, the full England Ladies team will take on a President's XI, starting at 11am, again at Horsham Cricket Club. Players in these matches will have been selected from ladies' clubs throughout Kent, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex, providing interest and high skill levels for all to enjoy. Family and members of the public will be most welcome at these matches. There is plenty of parking and admission is free. Stoolball is very similar to twenty20 cricket; fast, fun and exciting. Two teams compete to score the most runs. There are two wickets standing at shoulder height, about 14 yards apart. The bats are willow, with a round face and a long, sprung handle. The ball, small and hard, is bowled underarm from 10 yards towards one wicket. Just like cricket, the score is achieved by hitting the ball into the field and running between the two wickets. The ball can also be hit beyond a boundary line to score 4 or 6. Players can be bowled, caught or run-out, or even body-before-wicket. Games have limited overs and the winner is the side which scores the most runs. Stoolball is an ancient game that is over 500 years old and with a rich history, and is considered to be the ancestor of cricket, rounders and baseball. The modern game is a outcome of the ancient form which developed in Sussex sometime in the 18th century. The popularity of the game mushroomed around the end of World War one when charity games were played at Lord’s Cricket Ground and even Buckingham Palace gardens, raising money for injured soldiers. In the 1920s and 30s there were over 1000 teams nationwide, but the game contracted back into Sussex after everything came to a halt during World War two. Today, the national governing body, Stoolball England, is working very hard with a team of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to promote the game in schools and to the wider community. For the rules, click here.  |
| Still failing victims of domestic violence Posted: 13 Sep 2013 04:31 AM PDT
Despite an increase in the number of victims reporting domestic violence and abuse (DV), the police are referring fewer cases for prosecution than they were two years ago. Figures, revealed by a Freedom of Information request made by the Labour Party, show that in 2010-2011 there were 728,145 reports of DV made to the authorities. Only 101,242 of those cases were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for consideration of charge and prosecution. This staggeringly low figure, which amounts to only 14 per cent of all cases reported being referred to the CPS, is far from a shining example of the efficacy of the UK criminal justice system in tackling the problem of DV. Yet what the latest figures reveal is that in 2012-2013 reports made to police by victims of DV rose to 796,935, while the number of cases referred on to the CPS fell to 88,110. Just to be clear, despite a 10 per cent increase in the number of complaints of DV reported to the police over the last 12 months, 13,132 fewer cases were forwarded on to the CPS during that same time period – a drop of 13 per cent. This 13 per cent overall fall is not evenly spread around the country and shows sharper falls in Manchester (29 per cent) and Norwich (38 per cent), suggesting that the best determinant of whether your report results in a conviction is your postcode. Yvette Cooper, the shadow Home Secretary, described the figures as "shocking and disturbing" and attributed the decline to the government's "hollowing out" of the police service. "The Home Secretary has cut policing by 20 per cent and now we are seeing the consequences. She has failed to set out a strategy to make sure action on domestic violence isn't cut as a result." This accusation is backed-up by recent comments by Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, who said that officers in the area were only able to "actively pursue" about 40 per cent of reported crimes. Cooper has urged the Home Secretary, Theresa May, to demonstrate her commitment to tackling the issue, and said: "We need a step change in dealing with domestic abuse, with new national standards for police training, support for victims and action to pursue offenders, and we need to start addressing young people's attitudes to relationships, including zero-tolerance of abuse." DV is a multi-faceted problem which not only demands that adequate lines of communication are in place so that victims can report crimes, but that there are also effective strategies for protecting victims in the period before securing convictions against their perpetrators. These latest figures, then, only tell part of the story. For example, the Essex police force has consistently improved their referral rate of DV cases to the CPS since 2007, but nonetheless as recently as June a report published by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) found that Essex police was still putting victims at "significant risk" in the wake of the murders of Maria Stubbings, Christine and Shania Chambers, and Jeanette Goodwin. Three days after these latest statistics were released, the Home Secretary announced that she has commissioned HMIC to undertake a major review of the way police forces around the country are investigating DV complaints. But she has ruled out a public inquiry that would also examine the role of the CPS, social services and the NHS, on the grounds that it would take too long. Speaking to the BBC, May said: "There are still too many women up and down the country who suffer from domestic abuse. It's better to be using the tools we have at the moment to make these changes rather than introducing a long, lengthy public inquiry." DV charities have cautiously welcomed her announcement, but Sandra Horley, chief executive of DV charity Refuge, said: "Refuge strongly believes that a public inquiry is needed to establish what is going wrong and why so many abused women are still losing their lives." Horley stressed that it is not just the police who need to overhaul the way they handle complaints of DV, but "all state agencies need to improve the way they respond to women and children who are living with fear and violence at home." "A public inquiry would also be independent and transparent and would hear from other parties including victims, [and] families of women who have been killed by a current or former partner." DV is a complex issue which cuts through ethnicity, age and socio-economic background and, as such, a serious commitment to ending the problem demands the engagement of all state agencies. This should include charitable organisations, the victims and their families in an open and transparent public inquiry so that gaps can more clearly be revealed and targeted measures put in place. The timing of the Home Secretary's announcement combined with the limited focus of the review itself are a long way from demonstrating this kind of serious commitment to ending the violence. Indeed, the cynical among you would be forgiven for writing both off as disingenuous spin tactics aimed at silencing the headlines these latest figures have produced. Figures which at the very least are worrying, and at the very worst are life-threatening. Don't the victims of DV deserve more than this, Theresa May? Refuge and the family of Maria Stubbings, are calling on the government to open a public inquiry to investigate why victims of DV are still not getting the protection they deserve from the police and other state agencies. To sign their petition, click here.  |
| Are the days of gender-specific toys over? Posted: 13 Sep 2013 01:09 AM PDT
When was the last time you saw an advertisement featuring a girl playing with an engineering kit? Or a boy playing with a doll? The concept that certain toys are for boys and others for girls is set to change, as an increasing number of retailers pledge to stop marketing toys by gender. Toys R Us is the latest retailer to add itself to this list, announcing last week that it will remove gender references from its UK stores. Their Christmas catalogue will also reflect this new approach and feature boys and girls playing with the same toys. The announcement followed a meeting between Toys R Us and 'Let Toys Be Toys', a campaign that calls on retailers to stop marketing toys as suitable for one particular gender. Allocating toys to certain genders not only inhibits the creativity of children, but also impacts their later lives. It contributes to an environment where certain topics, and eventually jobs, are divided by gender. Boys become scientists while girls are 'bad at maths'. With guns and science kits aggression and inquisitiveness are painted as boy qualities, while girls and their dolls are nurturing and domesticated. This may be laying a lot at the door of toys and their impact on children's lives, but it is about more than toys. This is about sending messages, day in day out, to children about what girls should do and what boys should do and about gender roles in society. How can we be surprised that there are few women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) professions, when children are taught from an early age that engineering is for boys? Because when building kits are for boys, and dolls are for girls, that's exactly what we are saying to children. Interestingly, the marketing of toys by gender has been increasing even while the very gender divisions they promote have been fading away. Is this a reaction to the erosion of traditional roles? A last-ditch attempt to maintain strict separation of gender roles? Or is it more a result of growing consumption and of marketing companies getting cleverer? But it would seem that the rise of gendered toys has reached its peak. Parents and consumers are reacting against this marketing tactic and as they harness social media and the internet to spread their message, retailers are responding. Last April, Disney released boys and girls’ Avenger shirts. The boys’ one said 'be a hero' while the girls’ one said ' I need a hero'. Following a mass of complaints and unfavourable media coverage, Disney pulled the line. The Let Toys Be Toys campaign is going from strength to strength; T K Maxx is following in the footsteps of Boots, Tesco and Next. If you want to support their campaign, you can ‘like’ Let Toys Be Toys on Facebook, follow them on Twitter or sign their petition. You could also have a go at this.  |
| Volunteer media watch co-editor wanted Posted: 13 Aug 2013 11:34 AM PDT
This new section will act as a watchdog on media representation of women in the UK. It will feature photos and videos with short comments, and will be visual and interactive, grabbing people’s attention when they haven’t got time to read a full article. Populated on an ad-hoc basis, it will highlight ‘the best’ and ‘the worst’ of media representations of women as a regular weekly feature on the WVoN site. We are looking for a co-editor to gather and write content for ‘Media Spotlight’. This opportunity would be ideal for a media junky who frequently finds themselves outraged by the treatment of women in the media. Responsibilities: Source good and bad examples of media representation of women from TV, film, digital media, music, adverts, newspapers, magazines, etc and write accompanying comments. Upload video, pictures and content onto the site. Write and respond to reader comments. Help select the best and worst for the weekly feature and write copy for this feature. Work with other writers to arrange interviews, attend screenings and events and produce longer feature articles where necessary. Skills and experience required: Ability to write well researched, incisive, witty media comment. IT and digital communication skills including using content management and social media software. Knowledge of using video, scanning and photo software. Excellent knowledge of relevant media platforms to source good and bad representations of women. Excellent desk top research skills. As this position will require you to work from home, you’ll need internet access. Time commitment: We ask that the Co-Editor has seven hours a week to dedicate to ‘Media Spotlight’. This can be flexible but they will need to be available to publish the weekly feature of the best and worst from the section. Other members of WVoN will also work on the media watch section. Interested? If you’d like to apply for this position, please email Heather Kennedy: volunteerswvon@gmail.com  |
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