Women's Views on News |
- Barrier free tourism, disabled women and travel
- Events: 2 December – 8 December
- Sports round-up: 25 November – 1 December
- Is online porn for 4 year-olds too much?
| Barrier free tourism, disabled women and travel Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:37 AM PST
As part of my work, I was lucky enough to catch 'The Future of Tourism is Barrier Free' presentation hosted by the German Tourist Board at the London World Travel Market in November. I listened to a great presentation on the ‘Barrier Free’ destinations in Germany and a business case reason for accessible tourism due to the growing market of the numbers of older travellers, 'disabled by age' – a much overlooked audience. However, the event raised some questions for me as a disabled female traveller. While I am lucky in that I have travelled widely, having lived in four countries in three continents with as many languages and cultures, it didn't take me long to realise that most people who work in the ‘accessible’ travel field are men. This means that they seldom take the consideration the extra barriers that disabled women have as travellers. As with the non-disabled, I travel not just for holidays, but for business trips. And so, as well as checking for accessibility and safety, I need to find out if hotels are mainly for business travellers. On one trip, I remember staying in an accessible hotel near a conference centre in Dublin, but the area was somewhat dodgy and the restaurant/bar area was full of non-residents there for the pool table, some of whom were obviously high. If it is mainly for business travellers, will it be full of men in business suits which might prove to be intimidating for a woman dining alone? Also, how will the staff treat you? I have had experiences where the staff have been patronising towards me, and wondering why I do not have a carer with me. As well as accessibility, how safe is the area around the hotel? During a recent trip to Geneva, I realised that it might not be a good idea to wander about the streets on my own so I managed to persuade a friend to come as a personal assistant with me. In addition, on the same trip, to which I added on a few days for sightseeing, I was not able to stay with the other members of the group because they had booked in at a non-accessible hotel. Then there is toileting: the physiological differences between men and women make it easier for men on the toileting issue. This struck me hard when I went with a man friend to Texas. All he needed was a blanket, and his personal assistant took his bottle for him to the toilet, but I did not have that choice. This difference impacts on my choice of travel destinations and I am reluctant to take a flight which lasts more than 5 hours. ‘Barrier free’ travel is an aspiration for us all. It is good that the travel industry is starting to take note and that many of us do not want to be herded into special tours. Having inclusive public transport would be a start – I would like to take the Eurostar and wander across Europe with a rail pass as other, non-disabled, people do. I went away from the World Trade Market thinking that we need to build awareness of the role of universal design – and it can inform accessible public transport. Hopefully the recent Connect Culture’s Moving On: Accessible Transport – past, present and the future - event will highlight some of the continuing barriers for disabled people and suggest some solutions. Accessible public transport is so important to independent living, but the tricky part is how to signal that gender matters too and any solutions we put into place need to factor this in. Eleanor Lisney, who is on the Disability News Service list as no. 68 of the most influential disabled in Britain, is also the founder and coordinator of Sisters of Frida, a disabled women’s cooperative, and Connect Culture, a disabled led community group for access and inclusion. She is also a co-founder of Disabled People Against Cuts. Based in Coventry, she was a torch bearer for Coventry Olympics 2012 and is a member of Coventry Women Voices. A version of this post was originally posted on Connect Culture.  |
| Events: 2 December – 8 December Posted: 02 Dec 2013 04:01 AM PST
Dundee: 5 December: Reclaim the Night Rally and March meeting at City Square, Dundee, from 6pm. Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre Dundee and Angus (WRASAC) will be holding the 'Reclaim The Night' Rally and March aligned with Dundee's programme for the 16 Days of Action Campaign to end Violence Against Women. 'Reclaim The Night' is a movement seeking an end to all forms of sexual violence and sexual exploitation, and the marching is raise awareness of the issues sexual violence and to promote the creation of a safer environment for women to be able to walk safely in the street after dark. The March will be followed by a reception at the Bonar Hall (Dundee University) with speakers and music. Please come and coin us in 'Reclaiming the Night'. Wrap up warm! Everyone more than welcome to bring instruments etc. to make some noise. Edinburgh: 2 December: Feminisms in Scotland: Our Journey at Teviot Lecture Theatre, Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, from 6pm-8pm. Feminism is a huge umbrella term, and one size doesn't fit all. So what does feminism mean to individuals? How can we learn from each other? What does it mean to work in solidarity? And how do we be a movement that moves? In this evening panel discussion, co-hosted with EUSA, we'll hear from feminist activists sharing their experiences of feminism and campaigning. There will be a Q&A session for attendees to explore issues raised. Speakers include Lily Greenan, manager of Scottish Women's Aid; Ash Kuloo, Learning and Development Co-ordinator, Scottish Women's Aid; Nadia Medhi, Vice President Student Association; Sam Rankin, Equality Network; and Talat Yaqoob, feminist activist. Tickets: free. 3 December: Side By Side: A walk for equality: assemble Edinburgh Castle 12 noon to head off at 12:30. A fundraising event. Self-identified women and men to walk together in a three-legged walk from Edinburgh Castle to Dynamic Earth. Scottish Women's Aid is hosting this event in collaboration with Amina Muslim Women's Resource Centre, Hollaback! Edinburgh, White Ribbon Scotland and Zero Tolerance. An opportunity to raise awareness of how men can get involved and support the work of women; by working together, supporters can raise funds for a variety of violence against women organisations. To support the work of Scottish Women's Aid please download a sponsorship form. Glasgow: 5 December: "Imams for Change: Challenging Violence against Women": Short Film Premiere at Govanhill Baths Community Trust, 99 Calder Street, Glasgow, from 6.45pm-8.30pm. Hear from Imam Habib Rauf, from Glasgow’s Central Mosque, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Ahmed, and Imam Hafiz Muhammad, from Edinburgh’s Iqra Academy as they speak out to challenge violence against women, as part of the latest film from Amina MWRC's You Can Change This campaign. The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion and other activities which the audience is invited to participate in. Until 10 December: Glasgow Women's Aid at 40: Past, Present, Future Exhibition at Glasgow Women's Library, 23 Landressy Street, Glasgow; open from 10am-4.30pm. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Glasgow Women's Aid (GWA). Join the Glasgow Women's Library during the 16 Days of Activism to Eliminate Violence Against Women for an exhibition that charts the development of the organisation to where it is today. From the groundbreaking work of the women who founded GWA , the growth of refuge provision and service development and acknowledging the amazing strength of the women, children and young people that GWA has supported over the 40 years. Entry is free. London: 2 December: What did and does radical feminism have to say? Celebrating 30 years of Trouble and Strife at Room GC1-08, The Graduate Centre, London Metropolitan University, 166-220 Holloway Road, London N7, from 6pm-8.30pm. This event marks the launch of the online archive of Trouble & Strife, a pioneering radical feminist journal. A panel of speakers, including founding and current collective members, will consider the contributions of radical feminism to feminist thought and activism – past and present. The event is also an opportunity to reflect on T&S's distinctive take on radical feminism, evident not only in its articles but it's unique use of cartoons and artwork. Chair: Professor Liz Kelly, director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) and Roddick Chair of Violence Against Women at London Metropolitan University. Invited speakers include: Lynn Alderson, Deborah Cameron, Beatrix Campbell, Cath Jackson and Purna Sen. Tickets are free. 5 December: Griselda Pollock: Trauma and Art in the Virtual Feminist Museum at Whitechapel Gallery, London E1, from 7pm-8.30pm. The eminent feminist art historian talks to fellow writers and lecturers Jacqueline Rose and Adrian Rifkin about the inscription of trauma in aesthetic practices. This event launches After-affect/ After-image: Trauma and Aesthetic Transformation in the Virtual Feminist Museum by Griselda Pollock. Tickets £8/£6. 7 December: TEDxCoventGardenWomen 2013 at Grand Connaught Rooms, 61-65 Great Queen Street, London WC2B, from 10am. TEDxCoventGardenWomen is a conference-type event that aims to shed light on women's work and lives, present and future. This high-energy day-long event will feature shared ideas and engaging presentations by men and women from London and elsewhere. TEDxCoventGardenWomen is part of the global TEDWomen event that will be happening in San Francisco around this time. More than 200 TEDx events around the world will take part, sharing talks from San Francisco and presenting local speakers around the theme “Invented Here”. The result: A truly global conversation – from San Francisco to London to Seoul – celebrating inventors and designers; thinkers and makers; local problem solvers and global leaders. Previous TEDWomen events have attracted thousands of people and featured powerful ideas. In 2010, Sheryl Sandberg gave the talk that led to her ground-breaking book “Lean In”. Tickets: £30. 7 December: Secularism and Feminism at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R, from 2pm – 6pm. Throughout the world, religion is the primary defence used in sustaining misogynistic laws and norms and in perpetuating the control and subservience of women. From the Vatican’s attacks on reproductive rights and autonomy, to the use of Islam in the Middle East and North Africa to justify the most appalling oppression and violence, it is clear that secularism is vital in the fight for women’s empowerment and equality. In the UK, the advancement of secular thought has pushed back much religious misogyny and created safe spaces for women and protected our rights; but is the importance of secularism in the fight for women’s rights fully appreciated? This event will be chaired by Anne Marie Waters, and speakers will include Pragna Patel, Southall Black Sisters; Nahla Mahmood, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain; Helen Palmer, Central London Humanists; Helen Nicholls, Lawyers Secular Society; Yasmin Rehman The Muslim Institute. It will be followed by an evening of comedy as Terry Sanderson presents his film compilation show “Women in Comedy”. Tickets for the conference itself are free but its £5 for those who also wish to attend the evening event. Registration is essential. Please email to reserve your place, or contact the office. 7 December: The Pornification of Our Culture: Liberation or Miseducation? at the Bishopsgate Institute, London, from 2.30pm. Pornography is now an integral part of the European way of life. Is this liberating or damaging to society? What effect does this have on young people? Is there a link between pornography and sexual abuse or exploitation? What role does the media have on our views of sexuality? Are news stories about the sexual abuse of women (or men) presenting or producing social norms? Discuss your views among those of cultural theorists such as Jackson Katz and others. Dr Terry Murray is a philosopher and film maker. She holds a PhD in Philosophy of Religion and is a regular contributor to Philosophy Now magazine. Her philosophical interests include feminist and political philosophy. Free admission and no advance booking required; please note places are limited. Until 6 December: Restored's exhibition of members' photos at The Salvation Army International HQ, 101 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V. 'Restored' is an international Christian alliance which aims to transform relationships and end violence against women. The alliance believes that Christian churches have huge potential to help prevent violence, but that they need to change their own attitudes and practices. This exhibition features photos from members and represent work undertaken to transform relationships and end violence against women. Entry is free. Until 9 December: Body Wars at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London. Body Wars is a contemporary art exhibition that deals with the raw subject of anorexia and obesity. The exhibition suggests that the media's enormous influence, as well as that from the fashion, health, beauty and cosmetic industries, may be having devastating effects on men, women and children. Using different art mediums such as paint, drawing, sculpture, photography and film sourced from international artists, the viewer will be challenged in an educational and visual way to address the issues and to question whether these industries are major factors in contributing to the paranoia and neurosis of those suffering these diseases. Newcastle upon Tyne: Until 21 December: Inspirational Women North East at Hatton Gallery, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon Tyne. A portrait exhibition featuring the work of photographers Bryony Bainbridge and Kami Dodds, celebrating the achievements of women who have played a vital role in the North.  |
| Sports round-up: 25 November – 1 December Posted: 02 Dec 2013 03:00 AM PST Curling: Scotland's curlers lost to Sweden in the final of the European Championship in Norway on 30 November. Eve Muirhead's team were clear favourites after having won all nine of their round-robin games, including beating the Swedes 6-5. Margaretha Sigfridsson's Sweden team, however, had different ideas in the final and won 10-5. Athletics: The participation of British 400m hurdler Perri Shakes-Drayton in both the 2014 European Championships and Commonwealth Games is in doubt, due to injury. She tore her posterior cruciate ligament and cartilage at the World Championships in August. It was operated on a week after the Championships but it is unfortunately a serious injury. She told the BBC, “You do have days when you doubt whether you’ll be back but some athletes have done it in the past. I will be back, and I just have to keep saying that to myself. “I’ve come a long way because I was in a brace. And now you still see me hobbling along, but it’s nice getting my independence back as I’ve got rid of the crutches. “When I start running, then we can see whether it’s going to take a season [to recover].” It's awards season! In addition to the usual categories, Gillian Coultard, the first England woman to reach 100 caps, was awarded a gold cap, as was Alex Scott, England's current vice-captain, who also reached the 100-cap milestone this year. The Special Achievement Award went to Dawn Barnard for her contribution to the game since 1986. Barnard formed Chelmsford City Ladies and ran both the Essex County Girls' and Women's Leagues. In 2011 she was awarded the FA's Outstanding Contribution to Grassroots Football and she received an MBE this year for services to football. The other winners on the night were: Top Goalscorer (Premier League Northern Division) – Jodie Michalska (Sheffield) Sunday Times and Sky Sports Sportswoman of the Year Awards The shortlists have been announced: Sportswoman of the Year 2013: Charlotte Dujardin, Becky James, Heather Knight, Christine Ohuruogu, Shelley Rudman and Young Sportswoman of the Year 2013: Dina Asher-Smith, Charley Hull, Becky James and Katarina Johnson-Thompson. Team of the Year 2013: England Cricket team, England Netball team, Europe’s Solheim Cup team, and Team Pursuit Cycling squad. Disability Sportswoman of the Year 2013: Hannah Cockroft, Sophie Hahn, Amy Marren and Eleanor Simmonds The awards ceremony will take place on 5 December and will be shown live on Sky Sports. The shortlist contains two women. The full shortlist is: Ben Ainslie (Sailing), Ian Bell (cricket), Hannah Cockcroft (Disability athletics), Mo Farah (athletics), Chris Froome (cycling), Leigh Halfpenny (rugby union), A P McCoy (horse racing), Andy Murray (tennis), Christine Ohuruogu (athletics) and Justin Rose (golf). Not surprisingly Andy Murray is nailed on to win, but the other two places are definitely up for grabs.  |
| Is online porn for 4 year-olds too much? Posted: 02 Dec 2013 01:09 AM PST
One education consultant in Lincolnshire uses the same sex education presentation for 4 year-olds as she uses for 11 year-olds. Raising the question of whether parents should be allowing schools to make the decision that our children are ready for education in matters such as online pornography… In the county just next door to mine, children as young as four are being taught sex education. Do I have an issue with that? To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. As a mother of a 2 year-old boy and a 6 year-old girl I know I’m qualified to have an opinion and it has certainly got me thinking about how I would feel if my children came home from school to tell me their lessons had included discussions on online pornography. Sex education, knowledge and understanding for children is vital – I don’t think there are many parents out there that would disagree with me. And thanks to the internet and social media, we live in a world where the risks presented to children are far greater than ever before, and children are consequently extremely vulnerable to all sorts of terrible things. Education is certainly key to protecting them, in helping them to form healthy relationships and in raising a generation that thinks differently and can change society in the future… but at what age does teaching sex education negate the benefits and just become too much knowledge at too young an age, increasing the actual risks children may face? Earlier this year, OFSTED reported that insufficient quality age appropriate sex and relationships education is increasing children’s vulnerability to sexual exploitation and inappropriate sexual behaviour. Lynette Smith is a sex education teacher commissioned to train teachers in the subject in North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, and Castledyke Primary School in Barton, in Lincolnshire, has adopted her robust approach to building children’s resilience to any explicit material they may stumble across online. The school’s head teacher Rosie Pugh, firmly believes education needs to start at a young age. Lynette Smith uses hand-drawn illustrations and a cheery disposition to ask children for a ‘thumbs up’ or a ‘thumbs down’ to different scenarios – and she uses the same presentation for children aged 4 as she does for children aged 11. Take, for example, ‘What kind of photographs are OK?’ At Castledyke Primary School smiling at the camera with all your clothes on got a ‘thumbs up’; showing your bottom to the camera a ‘thumbs down’. Now, I’d be happy with this kind of education for my 6 year-old. It’s talking about genuine risks that she may encounter and informing her that being asked to do this kind of behaviour is not acceptable. Another card depicts an older boy apparently showing a younger child an unsuitable image he has downloaded on to a smartphone. And another depicts the view from behind a sofa where two adults are watching a porn film. Is my child ready to learn about sex? For my child, at six, I’d say ‘no’. It opens up so many questions that I’m not entirely sure she is ready to face or able to understand. We’ve vaguely discussed where babies come from when I was pregnant with her younger brother. She was nearly four at the time. We didn’t lie, but switched the conversation to science and how children grow from love and cells. This worked for us, but so many people will answer this question very differently. That’s really my point: parents should be the one to decide when a child is ready for this kind of conversation and how best to adapt it to them. We know our children best and we know how best to angle a topic to their level of knowledge and understanding. What concerns me is that the use of these cards with children as young as four, would result in one too many questions, both at school and at home. But then can there ever be ‘one too many questions?’ That’s a difficult one. These lessons are ultimately about pornography and how the issues connected to it can increase your child’s vulnerability. I feel strongly that the risk of children being vulnerable to child abuse has increased to the point where we need to ensure our children are as protected as possible, but I have an issue with their ‘lost innocence’. Children aren’t children for very long and don’t we have a duty to also protect their innocence? At four, just going in to school is a massive leap for children. Many have left ‘mummy’s side’ for a prolonged period, for the first time. They have to learn to follow routine and structure and learn to listen, concentrate and be independent. Big challenges for young children. Are they really ready to also confront such issues and scenarios as those presented on the sex education cards Lynette Smith uses? Should they really be faced with the same hand-drawn cards and scenarios that 10 and 11 years-olds are taught with? As one teaching union is reported as saying: ‘innocence is precious’. I remember when I was 9 hearing on the news about the Cleveland child sex abuse cases and asking my parents lots of questions about what had happened to the victims. I also remember having many, many sleepless nights and anxious days as a result of what I learned – and my parents didn’t even go into significant detail or show me any images. Russell Hobby, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said recently: "You don't want to start [sex education] too young". There are other methods and parents do have to take some responsibility. Or perhaps it is the parents who are naive. Perhaps it is their education that needs to be addressed. Perhaps showing parents the class conducted by Lynette Smith, or something similar, when children first start school would be a good start to ensuring parents are aware of the dangers their children face today, and allow them the opportunity of broaching the topics with their children in a manner they consider appropriate. The NSPCC for example, has the Underwear Rule campaign. It’s a campaign aimed at parents and carers to enable them have simple conversations with their children to help keep them safe from child abuse. I have had this conversation with my daughter. The situation arose where it felt necessary to do so. But I was with her, she wasn’t at school, so it was my judgement as her mother that she was ready and able to understand. It felt like the perfect time to use the ‘let’s talk pants‘ conversation. In September 2013 David Cameron is reported as having said: ‘Children can be warned about the dangers of on-line pornography without an overhaul of sex education.’ For once, I think I’m inclined to agree with him. It’s about balance. It’s about schools and parents working together to educate our children about what a healthy relationship is. It’s about schools and parents working together to protect our children and to reduce the risks they face.  |
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