Women's Views on News |
- UK drone attacks: end the secrecy
- Events: 7 – 13 October
- Sports round-up: 30 September – 6 October
- Call for more women in the Panthéon
| UK drone attacks: end the secrecy Posted: 07 Oct 2013 08:15 AM PDT
Since June 2008, UK forces have carried out around 300 airstrikes in Afghanistan using armed unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones), controlled from thousands of miles away. Although there is some public information about US drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, there is almost no public information about drone strikes carried out by the UK in Afghanistan. Over the past three decades, thousands of women in Afghanistan have lost their husbands or other male relatives during the war. Since they are largely dependent on the men in their families, the women find it difficult to cope emotionally and financially with their losses. According to Deutsche Welle (DW) at the start of the year there were about 2.5 million widows living in Afghanistan, and up to 70,000 of them live in the capital, Kabul. These women account for almost 12 per cent of the entire Afghan population. Most are illiterate and relatively young. After their husbands’ deaths, the women are faced with rape, poverty and social condemnation. In a country where the future of a woman depends on her husband, widows are often powerless, as Wazhma Frogh, women’s rights campaigner and co-founder and executive director of the Research Institute for Women, Peace and Security, explained to DW. With the death of her husband a woman loses not only her identity, but also her place in society. She is also very vulnerable. And there are cases of women being sexually abused by their fathers and brothers-in-law. The Afghan government does provide for widows, Frogh explained, but when a police officer or a soldier dies in the line of duty, it is not his wife and children who receive monthly financial support payments, but his father. This clearly shows that not even the government recognises the widows’ standing in Afghan society, Frogh said. The chief physician of the hospital in the city of Ghazni, Mohammad Hemat, told DW that up to three women are hospitalised every week after attempting suicide. “For the most part, we are dealing with emotional stress and family issues that often push women over the edge,” he said. The drones used to target – and kill – insurgents in Afghanistan are remotely controlled from an air force base in the UK: RAF Waddington. And back in Britain, six peace activists will go on trial at Lincoln Magistrates Court today following an anti-drone war protest at RAF Waddington, which is in Lincolnshire, last June. Their protest had three aims; 1) to symbolically breach the secrecy and silence surrounding the British use of armed drones; 2) to bring information about the impact of airstrikes on Afghan civilians and 3) to symbolically begin conversion of the air base to peaceful purposes. They created a peace garden within the base, and displayed information on buildings, hangars and sign posts about the impact of airstrikes on Afghan civilians. Click here to see the posters. The action was timed to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the first UK drone strike and the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression. The six, Susan Clarkson, Chris Cole, Henrietta Cullinan, Keith Hebden, Martin Newell and Penny Walker, were originally charged with conspiracy and aggravated trespass, but these charges were dropped and replaced with a single charge of criminal damage to the perimeter fence. They were given bail on condition that they did not re-enter Lincolnshire except to attend court hearings. All six intend to plead 'not guilty', arguing that their actions were reasonable in the circumstances. The trial comes during the ‘Drones Week of Action‘, which is itself part of the International Keep Space for Peace Week. Many events are taking place around the country raising awareness of the growing use of armed drones. As Penny Walker explained on the Drone Wars UK website, “With drones, the huge distance between the people making the decision to kill and the people being killed can protect the killers from the reality of their deed. “While I was [in RAF Waddington] I wanted to communicate the reality of a drone strike on Afghan families and what it is like for them to live in fear.” Susan Clarkson, one of the six defendants, had visited Afghanistan in late 2012/early 2013 and met, as she wrote on her blog, many victims who "bear the scars of constant war". By coincidence, 7 October is also the 12th anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan. There are many serious questions about the growing use of drones: Does the geographic and psychological distance between the operator and target make attacks more likely? Does using unmanned systems mean attacks will happen more often? Does the supposed accuracy of drone sensors and cameras mean that commanders are more willing to undertake 'riskier' strikes (in terms of possible civilian casualties) than they would previously have undertaken? These questions, and many more, need to be debated openly and honestly, requiring careful analysis and judgement based on evidence. And with the use of armed drones set to increase, there is a need for a serious, public – and fully informed – debate on all these issues. Sign the petition calling on the UK government to end the secrecy surrounding the use of British drones in Afghanistan and to release all necessary information for a proper public debate. This should include the reasons for individual drone strikes and the number of people killed. These are some of the questions about the UK's use of armed drones which campaigners would like answered. Write to your local MP asking them to forward your letter to the Prime Minister for answers – and to let you have a copy of any response. Join the vigil at RAF Waddington on 12 October. For other Week of Action info, click here.  |
| Posted: 07 Oct 2013 04:08 AM PDT
Bristol: 11 October: When Racism and Sexism Collide at Unit BG4, The Galleries, 25 Union Galley, Broadmead, Bristol, from 6pm. As part of the End Racism This Generation campaign, the evening will feature short films and discussion exploring how stereotypes applying to race and gender collide to negatively impact our lives, and how we can work together to end this. The event will include a panel of inspirational women who dedicate their work to overcoming these odds, including co-founder of Daughters of Eve, Nimco Ali, writer Reni Eddo Eodge, Jude Smith Rachele from diversity consultancy Abundant Sun and Lia Latchford from Imkaan, a UK-based black feminist organisation dedicated to addressing violence against women and girls. Cardiff: 11 October: A Woman Walks into a Bar at The Gate Arts and Community Centre, Keppoch Street, Roath, Cardiff, from 6.30pm. Join Welsh Women's Aid for a night of fun and feminist banter in this comedy fundraising event. Woman Walks into a Bar celebrates all that is female funniness and showcases some of the most upcoming and popular female stand-up comedians around. Line up includes: Kate Smurthwaite, Helen Arney, Nadia Kamil, and Joe Wells. Tickets £18. Edinburgh: 12 October: Reclaim the Night at Teviot Row House, 13 Bristo Square, Edinburgh, from 1pm. Reclaim the Night is an inclusive, community-led event aimed at raising awareness of the harm done by street harassment, as well as broader issues of abuse and sexual violence. Every day, across Edinburgh, people are faced with sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, and ableist harassment, abuse and violence. From cat-calling to groping, the use of slurs to violent attacks, people are afraid to be in the spaces which belong to all of us, and all too often, after these experiences, rather than being supported, people are isolated and blamed for what has happened to them. Reclaim the Night stands in solidarity with all those who have experienced abuse, whether on our streets or in our homes, to say we will not tolerate this behavior, and to reclaim our public and private spaces, because – day or night – we all have the right to live our lives freely and fully, without fear of harassment and violence. The schedule for the day: 1pm-4pm: Workshops; 5pm: Activism Fair and placard making; 6pm: March assembly in Bristo Square; 6:30pm: March begins; 7:45pm: Speeches; 8pm-Late: Live music, DJs and dancing Glasgow: 10 October: This Is Who We Are: Firebrand Women: The Suffragettes at Glasgow Women's Library, 23 Landressy Street, Glasgow, from 5.30-7pm. Go along to Glasgow Women's Library to find out about the local women who campaigned for women's suffrage. Women who marched, smashed windows, set fire to post boxes and were force fed in prison for the cause. You'll be introduced to Flora 'The General' Drummond, Helen Crawford and Jessie Stephen, and to some of the intriguing items in the collection – jewellry, banners, drawings, and postcards that tell fascination stories about the Suffragettes. Free. Every Thursday until 17 October: Read, Relax, Recharge at Glasgow Women's Library, 23 Landressy Street, Glasgow, from 12-2pm Are you a book lover? Or maybe you want to get back into reading again after a long break and don't know where to start? This friendly read-aloud group, led by Magi Gibson and Librarian Wendy Kirk, offers the perfect chance to relax and recharge for a couple of hours. Bring along your lunch and explore stories and poems by a range of amazing women writers from around the world, all washed down with lots of tea and friendly chat. A small donation of £2 (or whatever you can afford) is requested, to cover the costs of running the group, but free places are also available. Click here if interested or more information. Leeds: 12 October: Cake My Day II: Cupcake competition at Heart Centre, Bennett Road, Headingley, Leeds, from 1pm. Following the huge success of Leeds Roller Dolls last cupcake contest, 'Cake My Day' is back for round two and will be even bigger and better, with added craft stalls to browse in between chomping on tasty cupcakes. For those wanting to compete in the cupcake contest; entry costs £2 and you need to provide 5 cakes for tasting and up to 10 more for sale. To register, please email. All proceeds from this event will go to Leeds Roller Girls. London: 8 October: Girls & Boys: Not Just Beer and Bingo! A Social History of Working Men's Clubs at the Bishopsgate Institute, London, from 7.30pm. Part of the ‘Girls & Boys’ series. This talk opens the doors on that bastion of the British entertainment scene, the working men's clubs. Explore their development in the mid-19th century to their current period of decline. Why were they set up? What went on in them? And how did women come to find their own place in them? Drawing on personal accounts and experiences of those attending the clubs, this talk highlights the major roles they played and what made them such a central part of working class leisure. Tickets £9/ £7. Until 11 October: Blue Stockings by Jessica Swale, at Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, London, SE1, from 2pm and 7.30pm. It is 1896 at Girton College, Cambridge, and Elizabeth Welsh is preparing for battle. Girton is the first college in Britain to admit women. The girls risk their reputations for their education. They study ferociously and match their male peers grade for grade. Yet, when the men graduate, the girls leave empty handed, with nothing but the stigma of being a 'blue stocking' – and unnatural, educated woman – to their names. They are unqualified and unmarriageable. Principal Elizabeth Welsh is determined to win the girls the right to graduate, whatever the cost Can they persuade the University? Not if the average fellow or undergraduate can prevent it. Meanwhile, Cambridge offers far more than merely educational opportunities to the Girton Girls. The battle for the vote, it seems, is the least of Elizabeth's worries. Blue Stockings follows Welsh and the Girton Girls over this tumultuous year in their fight to change the history of education. 13 October: Gathering Strength: Conversations with Afghan Women at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R, from 11am. Peggy Kelsey is a professional photographer who was inspired to begin the Afghan Women's Project after meeting with a delegation of Afghan women who passed through Austin, Texas in 2002. She travelled to Afghanistan the following year and created a photo-documentary chronicling the narrative histories of forty women. In the spring of 2010, she revisited the country to meet additional women and gain new insights. Tickets £5 in advance/free to members. Norwich: 10 + 11 October: International Day of the Girl Norwich at Café Bar Marzano in The Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich. Norwich will be celebrating the UN's "International Day of the Girl" with this 2-day event of 'Café Conversations' on topics including: 'Representations of Girlhood in Fantasy and Literature', 'HBO's Girls: Voices of a Generation', and ''Keep Her in the Game: Girls and Sport' All the discussions will be free to attend and hot drinks will be provided. Oxford: 11 October: AspireFly 3 at Oxfork, 39 Magdalen Road, Oxford from 7.15pm. Inspiring, entertaining and empowering, the third AspireFly event promises more spoken word and lyrical delights. Hosted by Tina Sederholm, of the Edinburgh Fringe ***** show, featuring spoken word performances by Laila Sumpton and Tiffany Anderson, and live music from The Antipoet. All profits will go to Oxford International Women's Festival. Tickets £6/£5. 12 October: Francesca Martinez and Jen Brister at the Pegasus Theatre, Magdalen Road, Oxford, from 8pm. Pegasus patron and star of 'The Jonathan Ross Show' and Radio 4's 'The News Quiz', returns to Pegasus for one night only. Francesca's award-winning comedy show is for anyone who's ever struggled to fit in, felt different or wondered what the **** normal means? Apart from a cycle on a washing machine of course. Star of Radio 4's 'Loose Ends' and BBC6 Music, Jen has toured internationally, including sell-out runs at the Edinburgh and Melbourne Festivals. Fresh from a sold-out London West-End run, Jen's show is full of hilarious stories, spot-on impersonations and larger-than-life characters. Tickets £12/£8/£6. York: 7 October: FemFilm October Screening at 1331, 13 Grape Lane, York, from 7.30pm. The October Screening for FemFilm York is 'Boys Don't Cry', a film based on a true story and the distinguished feature debut of director Kimberly Peirce. Free.  |
| Sports round-up: 30 September – 6 October Posted: 07 Oct 2013 03:00 AM PDT
Football: The last domestic silverware went to Arsenal this week as they beat Lincoln Ladies 2-0 in the final of the Continental Cup at Barnet's home, The Hive, on 4 October. Lincoln were always the underdogs, but as the game went on they must have thought it was their night, as Arsenal spurned a number of chances. In the end it was two late goals, the first from Ellen White and a screamer from Kim Little, that gave the Gunners the victory. This meant Arsenal secured the FA and Continental Cup double. It was an emotional night for Lincoln all round, as this was their last game in their Lincoln Ladies incarnation. After 18 years they are about to relocate to Nottingham to become Notts County Ladies in time for next season. The move has sparked great controversy. None of the current players, including England captain Casey Stoney, are guaranteed contracts at the new club. It was Lincoln's first and last major cup final and it was clear they wanted to bow out on a high. It was not to be, and we wait to see just what will become of Notts County Ladies next season as they fight for a new identity. Gymnastics: Britain's women made three finals at the World Artistic Gymnastics championships in Antwerp this week. Ruby Harrold and Rebecca Tunney both qualified for the all-round final and Harrold and Beckie Downie went through to the uneven bars final. In the all-round final, both Harrold and Tunney suffered from falls from the beam. It was hard to recover from this with Harrold finishing 17th out of the 24 qualifiers with 53.199 and Tunney 19th with 52.865. The winner was USA's Simone Biles, who scored 60.216. Tunney was clearly disappointed with her result. “It’s my first World Championship and the first of the Olympic cycle so I’ll pick myself up and work hard in the gym,” she said. “It’s an amazing experience to be part of the British team at a World Championships and I’m looking forward to supporting the rest of the team in the finals over the weekend.” In the uneven bars final, Harrold finished 7th with a points total of 14.333 and Downie 8th on 13.800. The event was won by Huang of China with a score of 15.400. Tennis: After her first round defeat in Japan, British number one Laura Robson fared only one round better in China this week. Disappointingly, she succumbed without too much of a fight to Angelique Kerber, 6-1 6-2. Athletics: At the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow on 6 October, three Scots finished in the first four of the women's race. Susan Partridge, 33, won the title in a time of 1:10:40. Second was Freya Ross in a time of 1:11:51. Kenya's Pauline Wanjiku came in third while Steph Twell finished fourth. In an interview with BBC Sport, Partridge said, “I’m delighted to have won the race. Scotland should be proud of its distance runners.” The race was started by Olympic gold medallist, rower Kath Grainger. Speed Skating: It was a disappointing Short Track World Cup for Britain's women speed skaters. They failed to qualify from the 3000m heats. This was despite breaking the British record by almost two seconds. In the individual events, Elise Christie finished fifth in the 1000m but failed to make the 1500m final.  |
| Call for more women in the Panthéon Posted: 07 Oct 2013 01:09 AM PDT
Earlier this year British feminists launched a campaign to include a woman on banknotes because, 'An all-male line-up on our banknotes sends out the damaging message that no woman has done anything important enough to appear.' A similar campaign is currently being played out across the channel, as French feminists fight for the inclusion of women not on currency, but in the Panthéon. The Panthéon in Paris has, since the French Revolution, been the resting place for the 'great and the good' of France who have contributed to the nation’s history. In the Panthéon lie, among others, the philosopher Voltaire and resistance hero Jean Moulin. Currently, who goes in the Panthéon is decided by Presidential decree, provided the family of the deceased approve. President Hollande has announced that two new figures will be joining the others in the Panthéon in October. The Panthéon bears the inscription, 'to the great men a grateful nation'. To the great men indeed, as for the 71 men in the Panthéon there are only two women: the scientist Marie-Curie and Sophie Bertholet. Sophie Bertholet is only buried there by dint of her being married to the scientist and politician Marcellin Bertholet. What does this say about women's role in France's history? Or about women's role in France today? For the head of Osez Le Feminisme (‘Dare to be a Feminist’) 'the lack of women in the Pantheon reflects the lack of recognition of women in today’s society, whether in politics or the boardroom or in the pension system'. Forty feminist associations have joined forces to campaign for the next entrants to the Panthéon to be women. The Collective for Women in the Panthéon has launched a petition calling on President Hollande to choose women for the Panthéon. They also promote the campaign and highlight possible female historical figures through their Facebook page. And in August, the collective staged a demonstration outside the Panthéon. The campaign has generated mainly positive media attention in France, but there has been some criticism. Criticism similar to that levied at the banknote campaign in the UK – namely that this is a 'trivial' point for women's rights in the country. Yet, like the banknote campaign, what might seem trivial actually reflects some very important issues. How a nation chooses to remember and commemorate its past reflects its current values. If no woman contributed to the creation of France, what role can women expect to play in the France of today? A fairer criticism of the Panthéon campaign would be that, unlike banknotes, which exchange hands every day, the Panthéon is a highly politicised forum which reflects a certain view of France and its history. While it seems unlikely Jane Austen or Mary Seacole would object to being on a banknote, several women might object to being in the Panthéon, symbol of a certain interpretation of France. One cannot easily imagine Simone de Beauvoir wanting to rest there. Indeed, the Panthéon is not seen as an honour by all. In 2009, President Sarkozy wanted Albert Camus to join the Panthéon, a suggestion which was rejected by Camus' son. Nevertheless, this campaign has generated a welcome debate on the women in France's history. Much like the banknote campaign prompted articles and polls on which woman we would put on the currency, the Panthéon campaign has placed women in the spotlight and raised awareness of their role in France's history. Whole articles are dedicated to backing specific historical women for a place in the Panthéon. For instance, a group of artists have joined forces to campaign for writer Georges Sand to be included. Some of the women being highlighted were already famous, such as revolutionary Olympe de Gouge. However, less well-known figures – such as Martha Desrumaux – have been stepping out of the shadows thanks to this debate. Before the decision has even been taken, women in history are being treated as protagonists rather than bit-part players. On 8 October, the President of the Centre for National Monuments will present Hollande with the shortlist of nominees. From there, Hollande will pick the two figures to enter the Panthéon and we will find out whether a place is being made for women in France's collective memory.  |
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