Women's Views on News |
| Posted: 18 Dec 2013 08:23 AM PST
By Rebecca Brand. I was so pleased when I heard about the launch of Rewind&Reframe. Finally a campaign to unite the myriad voices that have spoken out – sporadically but in ever-increasing numbers – about the hyper-sexualisation of pop music and the impact this might be having on younger audiences. What I particularly like about the campaign is its clear message of empowerment. Rather than merely identifying a problem and complaining about it, Rewind&Reframe aims to help facilitate individuals to take positive action, to have a voice and use it. For the past 6 months, I myself have been part of a project with the same ethos. In an audacious and provocative protest against the world's flagrant attempts to sexualise and commodify childhood, the award-winning performance artist Bryony Kimmings and her 9-year-old niece Taylor decided to take on the global tween machine at its own game. They invented Catherine Bennett (or 'CB' to her fans) – a dinosaur-loving, bike-riding, tuna-pasta-eating pop star – and vowed to make her world famous to prove that an alternative was possible. CB is played by Bryony, like a character, and is managed by Taylor (that's right, the 9 year-old is in charge!). You can meet CB and hear her music here. I loved Bryony and Taylor's project so much that I decided to make a documentary about it, to capture their story and contextualise the cultural environment in which it is unfolding. Since we started, we've witnessed the Blurred Lines furore, Miley's twerking (and the various celebrity responses to it), Charlotte Church's John Peel lecture, Lily's controversial come-back, and now Rewind&Reframe. The debate is happening, and all of these things -whether you see them as positives or negatives - are feeding into it, which can only be a good thing. All the while CB has been racking up hits on Youtube, going into schools to talk directly to tweens about the media they see, interviewed on BBC and Sky News, featured in the Guardian and The Independent, and had one of her songs played on Radio 1 by the awesome Gemma Cairney. The most striking thing I think I've realised since starting my own journey with this project is that there really isn't anyone like CB out there right now. She is a true alternative; a quirky, fun, popstar for tweens who sings about animals, friendship, and the future whilst wearing funky bright clothes and shoes which are practical rather than prohibitive. And, you know what, tweens love her! One girl we spoke to at a CB gig said to us "I think (it's) the type of music that I'd listen to because it's quite upbeat and about subjects that I like." I'm a big believer in the phrase 'if she can't see it, she can't be it', and that's why a range of female role models for young people in our popular media matters (If you're interested in reading more on this see my blog for the Guardian Women in Leadership here ). But let's be realistic, the music business won't change for the good of humanity (the clue is in the 'business' bit). So it's up to us, the audience, to use our collective power to show them that it's in their interests to start offering something different. To start being a bit more creative and to realise that there's a huge, untapped audience of young people who would love more music about the things that they're interested in and for it not to be sung to them by someone who is semi-naked and gyrating against a pole/bottle of vodka/crotch/all of the aforementioned. It's not about censorship, it's about choice. And right now, we're not delivering choice for younger audiences. We really hope that the CB experiment might lead to some real change, by proving that a genuine alternative can be successful and that there is a desire amongst the audience for it. And I think that's also what Rewind&Reframe has the power to do, through the voices it will help to facilitate. It's time for the music industry to start listening, for the penny to drop. Because that penny could just turn into a pound or two for them. Rebecca Brand is a filmmaker and creative communications professional. She's made short documentary films and is currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to raise £10,000 towards her documentary. Find out more about the documentary and watch clips here.  |
| Posted: 18 Dec 2013 01:09 AM PST
The Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced recently that the government would introduce the Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) Scheme and Domestic Violence Disclosure Orders (DVDs), otherwise known as Clare's Law throughout England and Wales. Clare’s Law allows people to check police records to see if a partner has a violent past. The idea is to provide people with the information they need to escape an abusive situation before it ends in tragedy. It was trialled in Greater Manchester, Wiltshire, Nottinghamshire and Gwent for 12 months from September 2012, and is expected to take effect from March next year. So, how does it work? Anyone can use Clare’s Law; either someone who has become concerned about a partner’s abusive behaviour or a third party – a mother, father, friend – concerned for someone in a potentially dangerous relationship. But the information isn’t handed out lightly. Requests go before the police and agencies ranging from social services to the Probation Service and the NSPCC, and information is only disclosed if there is believed to be an imminent risk of harm. The person receiving the information is not to divulge it to anyone else. If they do, they can be prosecuted under the Data Protection Act. And as well as information, the scheme offers police help – from changing locks to installing panic alarms. So how will this work? Say she calls, as Eva Wiseman wrote in the Guardian recently – say she phones the police and asks if her boyfriend has ever been arrested for beating an ex. They can tell her one of two things. They can tell her he has a record of violence, or they can tell her he hasn’t. With ‘hasn’t’ meaning they have no reports of abuse. It does not mean ‘not abusive’. Because you have to bear in mind that only 23 per cent of victims report incidents of domestic violence to the police. And in the UK, as the Guardian reported recently, two women are killed a week as a result of domestic violence, but this is often – as happened with Clare Wood – after failure on the part of the police. Women's Aid is urging police forces to put extra support in place for women seeking disclosures from the moment they do so, by for example offering to flag her number as a 'high risk' victim of domestic violence. The charity is also urging that any women seeking a disclosure should also be provided with details of the National Domestic Violence Helpline – which is run in partnership between Women’s Aid and Refuge – and any local, specialist, domestic violence services. It is also recommending the police monitor any incidences of violent behaviour by the partner. But back to how ‘Clare’s Law will work. Once she has found out, and she leaves, then what happens? Given that women are most at risk just after leaving. If short on family and friends, where can she go? Call the police and ask either for help or for the women’s refuge number. Talking about the police’s stand regarding domestic violence, Mark Barrow, Divisional Manager Cumbria and Lancashire for Victim Support, said: "Never forget that it is a crime for someone you know to attack you in your own home or elsewhere – whether they are your partner, a family member or someone you share your home with. “Whatever the abuser might say, violence like this is never your fault. Nobody has the right to abuse you in this way. “You do not have to suffer in silence. You can contact [the police] in confidence and we can help you by talking with you, giving you emotional support and helping you to see and understand the choices that you can make to help stop the abuse. “Whatever you chose to do, we know that your safety is the most important thing. “The decision to take action against your abuser may be difficult. But if you do decide, at any time, that you want to report the abuse to the police, we can provide information and support. We can also support you if you choose to go to court.” If you or a friend are in immediate danger, call 999. If you need support, advice, are ready to leave or just want someone to talk to you can call the 24-hour National Domestic Violence Helpline: Freephone 0808 2000 247.  |
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