Women's Views on News |
- Progress in fight against FGM
- Age-ratings idea for music videos
- Events 17 – 23 March
- Fawcett’s plan: change parliament
| Posted: 17 Mar 2014 09:39 AM PDT
In February Fahma Mohamed, a 17 year-old student from Bristol, launched a Guardian-backed campaign to increase awareness of female genital mutilation (FGM) and stop the practice in both the UK and the rest of the world. She added her voice to a broad coalition of global charities and campaigners who had joined with the Guardian to urge the Minister for Education, Michael Gove to act, and supporters added their names to a petition on the Change.org campaigning website. She wanted Gove to write to the heads of all primary and secondary schools, urging them to flag up the dangers of FGM before the summer holidays, when girls are at the greatest risk. Her campaign has now received backing from the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon. "This is part of making women's voices heard and giving them the right to protect themselves," he said at a meeting with Fahma Mohamed earlier this month. "I will mobilise all UN tools and agencies to help promote this campaign." The campaign uses the power of both traditional and current media and activism, and there are plans to adapt its successful campaign model in other countries, especially in Africa where the practice is particularly prevalent. The campaign is having a significant impact in the UK, where it is believed there are 66,000 victims of FGM and more than 24,000 women and girls at risk every year. The success of the online petition, which received nearly 250,000 signatures and at its height was obtaining two signatures every second, led to a meeting between FGM campaigners and a recalcitrant Education Secretary. Gove praised the Guardian's campaign and eventually pledged to write to all headteachers with information on FGM and guidance on safeguarding children. He promised the information will reach schools before the summer holidays, or "cutting season", when many girls are taken abroad to their home nation. Gove, however, fell short of promising FGM would be taught in schools, saying he wanted more evidence on how the issue could be taught in an age appropriate way. Year six pupils at St Werburgh's primary school in Bristol are taught about FGM. With the permission of their parents and using age-appropriate language. They learn about FGM without the use of graphic images and in safe language they can understand. The school’s headteacher, Claire Smith, told the Guardian: “We are proof that it is entirely possible to teach this in an age-appropriate way – it’s not about scaremongering, it’s about keeping children safe,” says Smith told the Guardian, and added that primary schoolchildren may be at the most risk. "An opportune moment for FGM to happen is when they [girls] are transferring between schools – in a new school a teacher may not know your behaviour had changed, whereas here we'd know straight away." FGM was initially made illegal in the UK in 1985, and further legislation was introduced in 2002. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has demanded a specific legal focus on parents who allow their daughters to be cut as well as on "cutters" themselves. Part of the difficulty in bringing prosecutions is getting girls to testify against those who have mutilated them – often members of their own family. And the current legislation makes it difficult to prosecute cases if ‘cutter’ or victim are not a permanent residents of the UK. Alison Saunders, Director of Public Prosecutions, said potential reforms could place a legal duty on parents to protect their children from FGM, leaving parents liable to criminal charges if they fail to do so. Saunders also said that new legislation would place a statutory duty on doctors, teachers and other health and education professionals to report cases of FGM and also girls at risk from the practice. A lack of understanding of the practice and how to prevent it, as well as awareness of where mutilation is happening, are considered key factors hampering social services and the police from being able to take any action. And authorities, including the NHS and schools, have been accused of turning a blind eye because of ‘cultural sensitivities’. Reform, however, is taking place within the NHS. From April, all NHS hospitals will be able to log if a girl has undergone mutilation or if there is a family history of mutilation. By September, such information will be reported to the Department of Health on a monthly basis and will be centrally recorded. The NHS reforms form part of an FGM declaration signed by ministers from across government, which also launched an new £100,000 FGM Community Engagement Initiative. The initiative, which stems from a successful bid for funding from the European Commission, allows charities to bid for up to £10,000 to carry out community engagement work aimed at raising awareness of FGM.  |
| Age-ratings idea for music videos Posted: 17 Mar 2014 07:37 AM PDT
Rewind&Reframe is petitioning the Prime Minister, David Cameron, asking for age-ratings to be put on music videos whether sold in shops or viewed online. The letter to him runs thus: Dear Mr Cameron, As a music fan, I love watching and sharing music videos. But I am sick of the sexist and racist stereotyping in some videos. A very famous example is Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke which shows naked women cavorting around fully clothed men and lyrics that seem to promote rape. Unfortunately, this video is one of many which portray women, especially Black women, as sex objects and men as sexual predators. Some of the videos by Miley Cyrus, Calvin Harris, and Justin Timberlake are perfect examples. Many of my friends also really dislike these kinds of images and feel that they are harmful to our society. They contribute to a culture that says that women should not be treated as equals and with respect. There is considerable evidence from research that sexualisation in music videos creates a context in which violence against women and girls flourishes (Coy 2013). This is why I am asking you to put age-ratings on videos, whether sold in shops or viewed online. The digital revolution means that sharing these images is far easier than in the past and so they have much wider impact. We are bombarded by music videos that are very sexually explicit and demeaning to women on social media, in bars, cafes and shops at all times of the day. The Rewind&Reframe project is giving a platform for young women to speak out about the content and impact of music videos. We are calling on the music industry to stop creating these sexist and racist images and for video sharing sites not to host them. We also want to see all schools talk to young people about consensual and respectful relationships, and media literacy to counter the harmful messages they receive. I know that you care deeply about the sexualisation of women and girls in the media and are taking action to tackle this. Your commitment to introducing age-ratings for music videos sold in shops is very welcome. For consistency, I would urge you to extend age-ratings to music videos viewed online also, as recommended by a Government commissioned review, because most people now watch and share videos this way. This is not about censorship as music videos shown on TV, video games, films and ads are all regulated or have age-ratings so that there is guidance on sexually explicit images, and many harmful images are removed altogether. This same principle should apply to music videos online, linked to filters, so that there is a trusted guide about content. Many online platforms including iTunes and Netflix already carry BBFC age-ratings and content advice. I hope that you will listen to the voices of young women and make this change so that we can enjoy music videos without being bombarded by these harmful images. Many thanks in advance! Ikamara from the Rewind&Reframe project (young women from around the UK working together online and off) To sign the petition, click here.  |
| Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:10 AM PDT
UK-wide: 22 March: ‘Stand up to racism and fascism‘: parades throughout Europe. Click on the links for details of events in Cardiff, Glasgow and London. A day of action against racism has been called for across Europe to coincide with the marking of UN Anti-Racism Day in 2014. Many organisations and communities have come together to call for a parades and rallies across the UK with the slogan of Stand Up to Racism and Fascism. Migrant and refugee rights groups from across the country will be joining up on the day, to walk together in a block, under the banner of ‘no human is illegal’. Bristol: 18 March: Translation/Transmission: Audre Lorde – The Berlin Years 1984 – 1992 + Intro at The Watershed, 1 Canon's Road, Harbourside, Bristol, from 1pm. March is Women’s History Month and the Translation/Transmission season at the Watershed will celebrate the diverse ways women activists have communicated their struggle and resistance through film. Audre Lorde‘s incisive, often-angry, but always brilliant writings and speeches defined and inspired the US-American feminist, lesbian, African-American, and Women-of-Colour movements of the 1970s and 1980s. This film documents an untold chapter of Lorde’s life: her influence on the German political and cultural scene during a decade of profound social change. It chronicles how Lorde encouraged Afro-German women to write and to publish, as she challenged white women to acknowledge the significance of their white privilege and to deal with difference in constructive ways. Previously unreleased archive material and present-day interviews explore the lasting influence of an amazing, influential woman. With an introduction plus video of Alexis Pauline Gumbs. Tickets £5.50 full /£4 concessions. 23 March: Translation/Transmission: Surname Viet Given Name Nam + Discussion at The Watershed, 1 Canon's Road, Harbourside, Bristol, from 1pm. March is Women’s History Month and the Translation/Transmission season at the Watershed will celebrate the diverse ways women activists have communicated their struggle and resistance through film. Vietnamese-born Trinh T. Minh-ha’s profoundly personal experimental documentary explores the role of Vietnamese women historically and in contemporary society. Using dance, printed texts, folk poetry and the words and experiences of Vietnamese women in Vietnam (from both North and South and from the United States), Trinh’s film challenges official culture with the voices of women. A theoretically and formally complex work, Surname Viet Given Name Nam explores the difficulty of translation, and themes of dislocation and exile, critiquing both traditional society and life since the war. Followed by a discussion with Dr Carol O’Sullivan. Tickets £5.50 full /£4 concessions. Chawton: 22 March: Cooking People with Sophia Waugh: talk, cookery demonstration and book signing at Chawton House Library, Chawton, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 1SJ from 2.30pm to 4.30pm A chance to hear Sophia Waugh talk about her latest book, Cooking People: The Writers Who Taught The English How To Eat. The book focuses on five female writers who have revolutionised home cooking. From Hannah Wooley who was, in the 17th century, the first woman to make a living from cookery writing, to the much loved Isabella Beeton and Elizabeth David, Sophia will explore and demonstrate the how, why and what of English eating. A unique experience which will also include the opportunity to see the house’s original kitchen and a display of cookery books and illustrations from the library’s collection. Tickets £12.50 Dundee: 20 March: Reclaim the Night march and rally meeting at City Square, Dundee, from 6pm. The Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre Dundee and Angus (WRASAC) is holding a 'Reclaim The Night' Rally and March. 'Reclaim The Night' is a movement seeking an end to all forms of sexual violence and sexual exploitation. Through Marching we look to 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 rally starts at 6pm at the City Square, is followed by the march and finishes at the Marrayat Hall in City Square for a small reception with music and talks. Glasgow: 20 March: CEDAW and constitutional change in Scotland at City Halls, Glasgow, from 10-1.30pm. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is often described as an international bill of rights for women. This seminar will look particularly at how CEDAW could be incorporated in Scotland's future and how women's equality and human rights could fit and thrive in different constitutional settings. Participants will hear more about the how Scottish women's experiences were represented in the CEDAW Committee's examination of the UK in July 2013. The seminar will also provide participants with more information about the possibilities for women's equality in Scotland's future. Come along if you work for a woman's organisation, project or network or if you are an activist who is interested in campaigning about discrimination against women. This is a free event. London: 17 March: She Grrrowls: Humans vs. Machines at The Gallery Café, 21 Old Ford Road, London E2, from 7.30pm. She Grrrowls showcases a range of talent women and includes poetry, comedy and a musical finale. Come along and take part in the all-inclusive open mic section, with this month’s theme: Humans vs. Machines. Hosted by Carmina Masoliver; poetry by Rosie Garland and Rosemary Swainston & Chris Lawrence; comedy by Lizanne Davies; music by Mushana. Tickets £5/£4. 18 March: Afghan Women 12 Years On: Info night, discussion and food at the London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street, London, E1 from 7pm An evening in support of OPAWC, one of Afghanistan’s longest active and radical women’s groups. Ewa Jasiewicz has recently returned from Kabul and will share what she has seen of life for Afghan women 12 years on from the overthrow of the Taliban by NATO. Guy Smallman has been working with OPAWC since 2010 and will do a slideshow presentation of OPAWC’s projects in Kabul and Farah province. Free entry. 21 – 23 March: Birangona: Women of War by Komola Collective at Rich Mix, 25-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1. Moryom is a young woman who loves the taste of tamarind, the smell of her grandmother, and holding her husband’s hand. It is 1971, the year that the war of independence tears through Bangladesh, and no part of the country is untouched. The Kalbosheki Storm is coming. In a small village, Moryom and her family await its arrival. Every day, they hide from soldiers in the pond behind their house, while across the country, women are disappearing from streets and homes. When the storm finally hits, it will tear away everything. Komola Collective was formed in 2012 by Leesa Gazi, Filiz Ozcan, Sohini Alam and Caitlin Abbott. We are writer, director, actor, musician, illustrator, facilitator, composer, and designer. Komola Collective is a London-based arts company dedicated to telling the stories that often go untold – stories from women's perspectives. They want to revisit history. Challenge social taboos. Unearth myths. Retell known stories. Question accepted beliefs. Birangona means Brave Woman. In the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh from Pakistan, more than 200,000 women and girls were systematically raped and tortured as part of the Pakistani army's war strategy. After Bangladesh gained independence, the war effort was acknowledged as a popular struggle. 'Freedom Fighters' were championed, but these women were ignored by a society in which rape is considered a source of shame for the victims. Marked with dishonour, they were silenced, ostracised and forgotten. 42 years on, Komola Collective wants to help break this silence. The piece uses innovative physical performance, movement, and animation interwoven with films of the Birangona women's accounts to tell the story of the Birangona women. Each show will have a post show Q&A with the cast and production team: A special post-show discussion, on 21 March is presented by South Asian Women's Creative Collective (SAWCC) and Komola Collective, 8.45pm – Venue 2. Special Q&A panellist for 22 March is Nayanika Mookhaerjee (Evening Show); Nayanika Mookherjee is a Reader in Socio-Cultural Anthropology in Durham University and has published extensively on gendered violence, memory, ethics and aesthetics. She has been working on the public memory of wartime rape of 1971 for over a decade and her book on this topic is forthcoming with Duke University Press. She is currently researching 71 and adoption.  |
| Fawcett’s plan: change parliament Posted: 17 Mar 2014 02:09 AM PDT
The economic crisis, combined with an approach to paying down the deficit that focusses on cutting public spending, has left women: Poorer – with 74 per cent of £22bn of austerity 'savings' coming from women's pockets; Earning less – with women making up the ever-growing majority of low paid workers, and the value of low pay declining; Less equal – with more women moving into the less-equal private sector, the gender pay gap has increased for the first time in five years; Over-burdened – as vital support services, such as child and elder care drain away and women are left carrying the load; More vulnerable – as funding for services that support victims of sexual and domestic violence is reduced; Less independent – as benefits that help shore up women's financial security are rolled back; At the same time, the government has scrapped or undermined key organisations and laws concerned with protecting and advancing women's rights: In law – the Public Sector Equality Duty – the core piece of legislation concerned with advancing women's equality in government policy and practice – has come under repeated attack. In practice – the public body created to advise the government on women's views, the Women's National Commission, has been abolished. All the while, key decisions are being made at the highest levels of power without women around the table, and the wider political and media environment remains ever hostile to women in politics: Women make up just 22.7 per cent of MPs; – the UK ranks a dismal 64th place in world rankings. Women in the political sphere face sexist attitudes – from journalists questioning the clothes they wear in the House of Commons to fellow politicians suggesting low level sexual harassment is just part and parcel of life in Westminster and apparently seeing no reason why it should stop. The Fawcett Society has been leading the fight on all these fronts since 2010. It has secured a number of crucial successes, including playing a key role in protecting the Public Sector Equality Duty, successfully lobbying for the introduction of shared parental leave and the right to request flexible working for all – both key to reducing the gender pay gap, and making real inroads with the major parties on addressing the numbers of women in their ranks. In the run up to the 2015 General Election the Fawcett Society will be stepping up the fight and campaigning for real change for women. Fawcett's 2015 General Election Plan of Action was announced on 8 March. Among a wide range of actions, Fawcett will be: Identifying the policies it knows will make a difference to women, especially those worse affected by austerity – and asking the parties to adopt them; Analysing the different parties' manifestos, examining what their policies would mean for women and women's rights – and publicising the findings; Making sure women's views are heard. Fawcett's plans include a 'hustings' event, where women from throughout the UK will be able to question leading politicians on their policies, and a toolkit for local level lobbying; Calling out sexist treatment of women politicians. Woman candidates should not face greater levels of interest in their appearance or family status than their male colleagues; with your help, Fawcett will be naming and shaming journalists that subject women to sexist media coverage. Over the next 14 months Fawcett will be working hard to deliver all of the above and more, but they can't do this without your support. Tell them what you want the parties to deliver for women in 2015. Use the hashtag #changeforwomen, on Twitter, or comment on our facebook page. Or send a donation. Or join in.  |
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