Women's Views on News |
- Join the Thunderclap against the residence test
- Events 7 July – 13 July
- Rekindling the spirit of Beijing 1995
| Join the Thunderclap against the residence test Posted: 07 Jul 2014 06:30 AM PDT Help women and girls who have been trafficked into the UK find justice. Please click this link and join the Thunderclap against the Residence Test. Joy, a victim of trafficking, went to see Nick Clegg MP about her case and her fears about the residence test which would exclude people like her from legal aid. Joy entered the UK on a false passport. Her travel and passport were arranged by a man from her country; Joy thought she was coming to the UK to work. When she arrived she was met by another man at the airport. He took her to a house where she was forced to work as a prostitute for two years. The men who kept her there then arranged for her to leave the UK, again on a false document. It was on departing the UK that she was stopped by UK authorities. She was arrested and charged with possession of a false document. In 2013 the Ministry of Justice issued a consultation paper entitled 'Transforming Legal Aid'. The deadline to respond was 4 June 2013. The consultation paper announced a further round of cuts to legal aid, following closely in the wake of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) which came into force on 1 April 2013. The proposals, if implemented, will have the effect that many migrants and prisoners will no longer be eligible for legal aid and access to judicial review will be restricted, and will see the creation of a residence test for civil legal aid restricting eligibility to those with at least 12 months’ continuous "lawful residence". Despite fellow Lib Dem Simon Hughes MP publicly stating his concern about the Residence Test, Nick Clegg has not stood up against the Residence Test or raised the concerns pointed out by his vulnerable constituent. There is a vote on the Residence Test in Parliament on 9 July 2014. Stand up for the vulnerable, oppose the Residence Test. Save Legal Aid and join this thunderclap: #iamforjustice Becuase Joy was too scared to tell the authorities she was a victim of trafficking she was convicted and sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment. She claimed asylum, but, still afraid of her traffickers who threatened to harm her if she ever told her story, she did not give all the details about her horrific treatment and was initially refused asylum. While in detention she built up a trusting relationship with a befriender and disclosed what had happened. She was referred to a legal aid lawyer to help challenge her detention and a decision by the Home Office that she was not a victim of trafficking. These solicitors obtained a report from an expert who concluded that Joy was a victim of trafficking and explained why it had taken time for her to disclose what happened to her. They challenged the trafficking decision. Joy was referred to a criminal solicitor to help appeal her criminal conviction and an immigration solicitor to help prepare a fresh claim for asylum on the basis of new evidence about her trafficking. All of these cases were funded by legal aid. Joy has been found to be a victim of trafficking by the authorities and has been released from detention. She has now been granted refugee status. Joy was only educated until her early teens and has been very traumatised by her experiences so cannot navigate legal proceedings alone. Under the government proposals to introduce a Residence Test, she would not have been eligible for legal aid to help her challenge the Home Office when they said she was not a victim of trafficking. She would have faced deportation and risked harm from her traffickers. Simon Hughes MP told the Justice Alliance in November 2013 he was not persuaded the government had the right to introduce the residence test. He became Justice Minister – but the residence test is still going ahead. The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) said it goes against the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the JCHR chair recommended it be immediately withdrawn. We think it is wrong too. The Justice Alliance is an alliance of legal organisations, charities, community groups, grass roots and other campaigning groups, trade unions and individuals who are united in our opposition to the government's proposed attack on legal aid and the criminal justice system. These legal aid proposals are part of the larger assault on essential parts of the welfare state. Help us tell others why this test is wrong. #iamforjustice  |
| Posted: 07 Jul 2014 04:30 AM PDT
Bristol: 10 July: Dinner for Good in aid of One25 charity at Aqua Italia, 153 Whiteladies Road, Bristol, from 7pm. One25 is a Bristol-based charity that reaches out to women trapped in, or vulnerable to, street sex work, supporting them so they can break free and build new lives away from violence, poverty and addiction. Bud UK Ltd and Aqua Restaurant Whiteladies Road, Bristol, have joined together to present an evening of great food, fine wines and sparkling conversation in order to raise funds for the charity. Tickets for this gala event are £45 each, of which £15 of every ticket sold will go directly to the charity to support their work. The evening will begin with a glass of Prosecco, followed by a 3-course meal and coffee. 11 July: What the Frock! Presents… Sooz Kempner, Becky and Katharine Edinburgh Previews at The Wardrobe Theatre, Above The White Bear, 133 St Michael's Hill, Bristol, from 8pm. Sooz Kempner: Defying Gravity Piano, Powerpoint and possibly the biggest finish on the fringe accompany a show that is equal parts bleak and hopeful. Defying Gravity is 2012 Funny Women Variety Award Winner Sooz Kempner’s brand new show. Her biggest dream is to be in the musical Wicked but so far she’s only managed to get a season as a Christina Aguilera tribute act, a tour of the north with a Jack Russell and to single handedly cause her parents’ divorce (according to her dad…you’ll see). Becky and Katharine: Six Steps To Joy Life is hard. A grind. A rat race. And the rats are tired. Uninspired. Heck, they're not even competitive anymore. War. Global warming. Poverty. Normal milk in your chai latte when you specifically specified soy. The world can get you down…But don't despair! Help is here. Join 2013 Funny Women Finalist Becky Brunning and Katharine Markwick on a journey to joy where a fusion of fact, fiction and funniness form an uplifting, heart-warming, life-affirming jet-pack for the soul. London: 8 July: When Salvation is Survival: Feminist Theological Reflections on Domestic Violence in Argentina at Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge London, SE1, from 7.30pm. Dr Rachel Starr addresses the Feminist Theology Group at Southwark Cathedral. A tutor at the Queens Foundation, she spent three years in Buenos Aires completing doctoral studies and volunteering with the Ecumenical Movement for Human Rights, which trains women to challenge violence in the home and in public. Her doctoral research uses women’s experiences of domestic violence to interrogate Christian theologies of marriage. 11 July: Through the Lens of Hip Hop: UK Women Film Premiere at SOAS, Khalili Lecture Theatre, Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H, from 7pm. This event is the first screening of Through The Lens of Hip-Hop: UK Women, in short, it’s the premiere! The UK female Hip-hop community speaks on issues of feminism, identity, race, hip-hop education, women in the music industry and more. Presented in insightful personal narratives/reflections through interviews of an intergenerational nature, bringing from margin to centre, the much obscured, but very present hip-hop feminist sensibility here in the UK. The team behind the film will be around to chat with, as will some of the participants in the film. At the conclusion of film, there will be a wonderful panel discussion, followed by a raffle! 12 July: The Oneness Sistarhood Presents: Strength at Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, London SW19, from 7pm. The Oneness Sistarhood invite you to our first variety show entitled "Strength" where we will explore the term "Strength" through numerous and various art forms including poetry, music, art, dance and other mediums of expression. This event is intended to be a launch pad for future unique collaborations that will bring women together, uniting us through many different avenues of life and topical issues that affect and effect the direction and accomplishments of women today – ultimately, this event is a bid to foster Greater Unity, Love and Respect among women. This is a fundraiser in aid of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust who we support in "transforming the lives of young people and achieving real social change." The group was established in January 2014 and believes in actively promoting Greatness in womanhood, also fostering Greater Love and Unity amongst all women in our communities. Tickets £10. 12 July: The Ruby Dolls: Fabulous Creatures at Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, London, W6 from 8pm A new musical: this fantastic feminist fairytale ‘takes cabaret and shapes it into something so original that if you can catch it you must’ (Spectator). When close-harmony singers The Ruby Dolls try updating Mansfield Park, their characters get out of hand and Fanny Price ends up in an internet voted talent search for goat people, The Great British Goat Off! For all those who’ve found themselves in a competition they never wanted to enter, with rules which make no sense and everyone judging. Tickets £10. Manchester: 12 July: Ellen Wilkinson: From Red Suffragist to Government Minister at the People's History Museum, Left Bank, Spinningfields, Manchester, from 1pm. In her day, Ellen Wilkinson was the most famous, and certainly the most outspoken British female politician. Born and bred in Manchester, she was a feminist and a socialist who, among many other achievements, helped women over the age of 21 gain the vote, led the iconic Jarrow Crusade and in 1945 became the first female Minister of Education. She was only 4 foot 10 inches tall, but she punched way above her height, hence some of her nicknames: the 'mighty atom' and the 'fiery particle'. In 1924, when Ellen first took her seat in parliament, she was the only woman on the Labour benches and one of only four women in the House of Commons. Join Dr Paula Bartley as she examines what it was like to be in such a minority in parliament and find out more about Ellen's achievements. Dr Paula Bartley has been promoting women's history in schools, colleges and universities for most of her adult life. She was Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Wolverhampton before going to live in Hungary for seven years. In 1983 she co-founded the Women in History series for Cambridge University Press aimed at school students. She co-edited ten books in the series and co-authored three of them with topics ranging from Women in Medieval Europe through to Women in India and Pakistan. Her sole-authored books include ‘The Changing Role of Women; Votes for Women; Prostitution, Reform and Prevention’. In 2012 she won the Elizabeth Longford award, administered by the Society of Authors, to support her research on Ellen Wilkinson. Her biography, ‘Ellen Wilkinson: From Red Suffragist to Government Minister’ was published by Pluto Press in February 2014. 12 July: Mothers Against Violence: Making Children and Young People Matter at Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, from 1pm-7pm. Mothers Against Violenc’se 6th annual event Making Children and Young People Matter returns to Piccadilly Gardens. Those who attended last year saw the event theme based on "Achieving Economic Well-being" and young people performed and displayed positive talents. We were blessed with great weather, an amazing turnout and fabulous local artists. This year promises to be bigger and even better! The theme for this year's event is Make a Positive Contribution in your local community, country and nation. We are so excited to be returning to Piccadilly Gardens and have an amazing line-up this year and have been working really hard to pull this together. Worcester: 12 July: Asha Women's Centre Summer Fete at Asha Women's Centre, 10 Bath Road, Worcester, from 12noon – 3pm. Asha Women's Centre will be holding a summer fete with stalls, food and refreshments. All stalls and events are being organised the women who attend the centre and there will be face painting, food, activities as well as jewellery and arts and crafts made by women at Asha. Please come and see us on the day and if you want to bring any unwanted gifts or items that we can use on our stalls or tombola please call 01905 767552 and arrange to drop by beforehand.  |
| Rekindling the spirit of Beijing 1995 Posted: 07 Jul 2014 01:09 AM PDT
The 'Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!' campaign UN Women launched recently commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing which set a path-breaking agenda on women's rights in 1995. In the packed Apollo Theatre in New York, UN officials, feminist activists, celebrities and performers took the stage and brought the audience to their feet as they raised their voices in support of the UN Women campaign, which aims to celebrate the achievements of the last 20 years, while underlining the gaps that remain across the world in advancing the women's agenda. To see its website, click here. "Our goal is to rekindle the spirit of Beijing to re-energise all of us in our work to advance women's rights, women's empowerment and gender equality," UN Women's executive director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said. "The vision laid out in Beijing, with 12 critical areas of concern for women, still resonates deeply around the world. "It is," she continued, "still unfinished business." Urging participation from all corners of the world and society, the UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson emphasised the need to fulfil the Beijing promise. "The essence of the Beijing vision is that equality for women and girls, equal rights, equal opportunities and equal participation will build a better world for us all … "Remember: nobody can do everything – but everybody can do something. Let's go to work!" The Beijing+20 campaign was kicked off online in May, and has already galvanized a global audience of 40 million, with media, civil society organisations and individuals actively engaged in a re-energised conversation. Feminist activist Gloria Steinem got a standing ovation as she reminded the audience how women's rights underpinned every society and said: "The human race is like a bird with two wings, and if one wing is broken, no one can fly." Punctuated by compelling performances by internationally renowned young women's theatre and dance troupe Girl Be Heard, ensemble musicians' group Women of the World, Grammy award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, and award-winning poet-actor Carlos Andrés Gómez, the evening brought together over 1,200 people from the UN, civil society, media and the private sector. The event brought the UN into the heart of the city and community, and Maya Wiley, Consul to the Mayor of New York, underlined a critical pre-requisite, saying: "For our city to rise and prosper, 54 per cent of its population cannot be marginalised. "We must stand up. "Women need access to quality childcare and flexible working. They need support so they can realise their ambitions and provide for their families." As UN Member States define a new global development framework by 2015, the year-long Beijing+20 campaign aims to ignite global discourse and renew political commitment to accelerate implementation of the comprehensive affirmation of women's rights and empowerment adopted in 1995 by 189 governments, which remains only partially fulfilled. Major events in all regions of the world as well as online debates on issues ranging from human rights to climate change and economy will review the gains made and the gaps that remain, identifying mechanisms to accelerate real and transformative change in women's lives. "If you involve and include women you will have a much better society and you will also have equality, peace and prosperity," the Norwegian Minister of Defence, Ine Eriksen Søreide, said at the event. "Gender Equality is not Mission Impossible," Mlambo-Ngcuka said: "it is the mission for our time!" To find out what the Beijing Conference was, why is it important and why it still matters, click here.  |
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