Women's Views on News |
- ‘Rape is Rape’ campaign launch
- Survivor’s campaign for safety in court
- Cells, books and ticking boxes
- Go and get tested
| ‘Rape is Rape’ campaign launch Posted: 14 Nov 2013 07:39 AM PST
I was delighted to attend the launch of a fantastic new campaign in Coventry last week: a joint initiative between Coventry City Council and the Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC) that will focus on the needs of survivors of rape and sexual abuse. The campaign, 'Rape is Rape in any language' consists of a powerful video (*trigger warning) and series of posters which will be used around Coventry. The campaign has also been supported by Coventry Bears league team, which features in the video. I wrote earlier this year last year about a dire anti-rape campaign being used by Warwickshire police, so it is wonderful to see Coventry leading the way with a really great example of how things should be done. The campaign unequivocally places the responsibility for rape with the perpetrators, and directly challenges several of the victim blaming myths that abound. Slogans on the posters include: "It's never the victim's fault. The only person responsible for rape or sexual abuse is the person who commits the crime" and "Just because I like to look good when I go out doesn't mean I'm asking to be raped". As well as driving home the message that sex without consent is rape. The launch was held at the UK's only shop-front theatre, Theatre Absolute, in Coventry's city centre. Coventry's – first female – Leader of the Council, Councillor Ann Lucas, who was present at the launch, said, "It is incredibly important that we raise awareness of what rape and sexual abuse really means, so that those who have been affected can come forward and receive the support they need." "I hope that the campaign and its incredibly powerful messages educate people on the scale of rape and sexual abuse, and what needs to be done to prevent it." In addition to the first showing of the new video, actors from the film read out case studies from several of the survivors CRASAC has worked with. It was incredibly moving hearing these, and really brought home the huge importance of the service which CRASAC offers, as well as the need to make sure that victims know where they can turn for help when they need it. I felt incredibly proud to be living in a city which is leading the way with its approach to tackling rape. When we are so often confronted by messages bound up in rape culture which propagate old myths – see Warwickshire, West Mercia, South Wales and Thames Valley’s police departments for a handful of such examples – it is such a significant step forward for our Council to be working with an organisation such as CRASAC, and boldly challenging those inaccurate beliefs. Alison Quigley, from Coventry City Council's Community Safety Partnership, who worked on the campaign with CRASAC, made it clear that this is just the start of a much larger campaign. In the future there are hopes to develop resources to accompany the DVD and the posters, and also to translate the video into some of the most common languages used in Coventry. Dianne Whitfield, CRASAC’s Chief Officer, said: "This is the first ever campaign in Coventry that focuses on the victims and survivors and their needs. “It is trying to talk directly to them as well as educate people who may not be aware of the dreadful trauma rape and sexual abuse causes. "In that sense it is quite ground-breaking. “I hope that people really get involved in the campaign, spreading the message that rape is rape in any language and is acceptable in none." The campaign can be followed on Twitter via the hashtag #rapeisrape CRASAC's helpline is open to women, men and children, their families and supporters on 02476 277777. Opening times: Monday-Friday 10-2pm and Monday and Thursday 6pm-8pm.  |
| Survivor’s campaign for safety in court Posted: 14 Nov 2013 07:30 AM PST
Eve’s Law is a campaign set up by Eve Thomas and One Voice Never Silenced to ask that victims of domestic abuse should not to be forced to reveal their address in court. Eve Thomas is a survivor of domestic abuse who earlier this year found herself in court for a civil offence. She is a survivor of domestic abuse, and she refused to disclose her address to the court when asked to do so. After all, her address was her safe place, her child’s safe place. Thomas was a known victim of domestic abuse whom the police considered to be at high risk of domestic homicide. The police had already marked her address with a domestic abuse marker and a vulnerable adult marker and still the court asked her to disclose where her and her children resided. Yet still the court felt it crucial that she stand up in court and read her address out loud. Thomas refused to do this. She felt it unnecessary, given that they already had this information. The court disagreed and held her in contempt of court, and felt so strongly about her refusal to disclose her safe place that a warrant for her arrest was issued. She handed herself in and appeared before his Honour Judge Platts at Manchester Civil Justice Centre, and provided the court with a full disclosure and statement of truth, listing police logs, reference numbers, copies of restraining orders imposed by the court against her abuser, and details of her abuser’s convictions for assault and breach of restraining order. And still the court was prepared to send her to prison for refusing to disclose her address verbally, and currently, that is what UK legislation allows: a period of custody for withholding details of a – safe – address. Thomas was spared imprisonment in when a friend came forward and paid the outstanding debt she owed, the reason she was in court in the first place. But disappointed in the system and its unwillingness to protect and support victims of domestic abuse, Eve Thomas joined forces with prominent human rights and criminal barrister David Malone and they have formed One Voice Never Silenced. On 1 September 2013, they embarked on a national campaign requesting a meeting with the Ministry of Justice to discuss the implementation of ‘Eve’s Law’. Under what they propose as ‘Eve’s Law’ if a victim of domestic abuse can substantiate their claims of abuse, the court would provide the victim with the protection of not having to disclose their address or any details which would place them at further risk of abuse from their abuser. “All personal and safety information of the victim and any children would automatically be protected,” says Thomas on the One Voice Never Silenced campaign page on her website. “All court documentation stamped [or] marked with "Eve’s Law" would be immediately recognised by all "trained" court and criminal justice sector workers, therefore protecting the victim’s personal details. “From the moment a victim reports a crime of domestic abuse they [would] have an "Eve’s Law" marker attached to them and their home thus alerting police officers, solicitors, court staff etc. “Special care is automatically taken to ensure the security of the victim’s details. This would work in the same way as a Domestic Violence [or] Vulnerable Adult Marker and would follow the victim even if they changed address. “The addresses of refuges [should] also have an "Eve’s Law" marker attached to them thus alerting courts and criminal justice sector workers of the need to protect.” states the website. With two women in the UK victims of domestic homicide every week, killed by their partner or ex-partner, surely it is time the courts put the safety of domestic abuse victims first. You can support the campaign by signing the petition asking for a meeting with the Ministry of Justice to discuss ‘Eve’s Law’ here . Follow @evethomas #OneVoice Never Silenced  |
| Cells, books and ticking boxes Posted: 14 Nov 2013 05:48 AM PST
When economist Vicky Pryce admitted taking speeding points meant for her former husband, the ex-Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, she found herself convicted of perverting the course of justice. And after a very public trial she was sentenced to serve two months in prison after her defence – that she was coerced by her husband Chris Huhne to take his speeding points – failed. She was sent to East Sutton Park, an open prison near Maidstone. There, she kept a diary in which she recorded her very challenging experiences and her strong views on how the prison system works, especially with regard to how it treats women. And she then wrote a book, called Prisonomics, about her experience of being incarcerated and the subsequent two months on tag at her home in London. She is also the author of ‘Greekonomics: The euro crisis and why politicians don’t get it’, and co-edited Green Business, Green Value and Sustainability. She was sent to Holloway Prison briefly before being transferred to East Sutton Park and said she came across a lot of women there who had "taken the rap for what others had done" and that she felt prison was not the best place for them. Talking to the Mail on Sunday, she said: "What really did it was talking to the women in Holloway and realising they were there mostly because of some thing their husbands, brothers, fathers, had done. "What I thought was that these women were very vulnerable when they had committed whatever it was they had committed and in some cases taking the rap for what others had done." During her time at Holloway Prison Pryce said she was surprised by the comradeship of fellow inmates, who offered her shampoo and extra blankets during her four days there. She said there was bullying, but she was lucky enough to escape it. In Prisonomics she explains how she had to adapt to prison life. One example of this was being told to have a hepatitis B injection by a nurse, and she wrote: "I at first refused as I don't much like needles but she explained it was for my protection in case an inmate were to bite me. There are a lot of drug addicts in prison who may be carrying the virus from infected needles. "After her explanation, I did not hesitate for an instant." Pryce was sentenced to eight months in prison in March for accepting speeding points on behalf of her husband Chris Huhne, the now disgraced former Liberal Democrat cabinet leader who left her and her five children in 2010 'for another woman', ending their 26 year marriage, after his affair was exposed. Her book Prisonomics aims to be a compelling analysis of the cost to the economy, as well as the human cost, of keeping women in prison. In it, Pryce uses her personal experiences and professional understanding to look at how prison works, and should work, from an economist’s perspective. Royalties are being donated to Working Chance, a charity set up changes lives and change society by finding women ex-offenders work. Pryce has become a patron of Working Chance. "Working Chance,” she explained, “is a unique organisation providing an exceptional service to women ex-offenders who are one of the most isolated and disadvantaged groups in the UK today. “The impact of their work reaches far beyond the women they work with – to the women's children, communities and, ultimately, to the benefit of society as a whole." By the way: have you ever noticed the tick box on job application forms asking 'Do you have any unspent criminal convictions? Yes or no'? A business-led charity called Business in the Community is running a campaign called Ban the Box, calling on all UK employers to remove the tick box asking whether a candidate has unspent convictions from application forms. Employment, this groups says, plays a major part in reducing levels of re-offending. Taxpayers, communities and employers alike will benefit from giving people with criminal convictions a fair opportunity to compete for employment. They want UK employers to give people a second chance by considering skills and abilities first. Click here to find out more about how and why businesses should take this action, what is meant by unspent convictions, and why they are not suggesting changes for roles such as doctors or teachers where full criminal records checks are required. To sign the petition asking UK employers to Ban the Box and change their recruitment process, click here.  |
| Posted: 14 Nov 2013 01:09 AM PST
Of the more than 1,000 people questioned in a new survey in Scotland recently, 54 per cent were unable to correctly identify all of the ways HIV is and is not transmitted from a list of possible routes. According to the online survey, one in 10 (11 per cent) wrongly believe it can be passed by kissing, 3 per cent think it can be spread by sharing a glass an 2 per cent that it is spread by touching a public toilet seat. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) were unaware that someone with the disease can live for more than 20 years, while 15 per cent mistakenly thought someone with HIV cannot have a baby who is HIV negative. The positive side is that the study found that 87 per cent of the respondents had sympathy for those with the disease. But nonetheless 3 out of 4 Scots (73 per cent) thought more needed to be done to tackle stigma and prejudice against people living with HIV in Scotland. Stigma which can include everything from being rejected by friends, family or partners to being physically assaulted. The charity Waverley Care commissioned YouGov to carry out the survey as part of its 'Always Hear' campaign. It runs a website that aims to give you a better understanding of what it's like for people living with HIV, using – very moving – real-life stories. The findings were released as part of a campaign, backed by HIV activist singer Annie Lennox, aiming to tackle the stigma around HIV in Scotland, where HIV affects almost 6,000 people. Lennox said: “Stigma is one of the biggest challenges facing the diagnosis and treatment of HIV in Scotland and around the world today. “HIV treatment has improved dramatically over the last 20 years, but discrimination of the condition still means that people are scared to get tested. “HIV stigma fuels people’s fear to test, which in turn leads to new infections as people don’t know whether they have HIV or not.” Grant Sugden, Waverley Care’s chief executive, said, "It’s vital that more time and effort is spent educating the public so that we can hear the truth about HIV, eradicate the fear and ultimately put an end to the stigma that surrounds the condition.” According to National AIDS Trust (NAT), figures for the whole of the UK show that of those receiving HIV care in 2011, 36,355 were exposed through sex between a man and a woman, 31,825 were exposed through sex between men, 1,636 were exposed from injecting drug use, 1,488 were exposed from mother-to-child transmission and 533 were exposed from blood/receiving blood products And according to the Terence Higgins Trust, nearly half (47 per cent) of people diagnosed with HIV in 2011 were diagnosed late, after they should have begun treatment. Condoms, HIV testing, antiretroviral medication and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) mean the UK does already have the tools needed to actually reach an end point of the HIV/AIDS epidemic – but getting there in practice is a huge challenge. David Furnish, chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, told the London Evening Standard that from 22 – 29 November, when it is National HIV Testing Week, "We need a big national push to get ourselves and our friends tested — without stigma, without shame and without stalling."  |
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