Friday, June 12, 2015

Women's Views on News

Women's Views on News

‘Spy’ is a feminist triumph

Posted: 11 Jun 2015 03:36 AM PDT

Spy, film, a feminist triumphPaul Feig and Melissa McCarthy have teamed up again to prove once and for all that women are funny.

Four years ago Paul Feig's film ‘Bridesmaids’ was hailed as a feminist triumph, on the basis that it had an all-female lead cast and focussed on female friendships.

However for me, the feminism fell flat. The story focussed on bitchiness and female rivalry, and Melissa McCarthy's role was limiting.

With ‘Spy’, released in the UK on 5 June, Feig has finally hit his stride, producing a truly feminist comedy that allows McCarthy to show her full range and superb comedic talent.

McCarthy plays protagonist Susan Cooper, an office-based agent for the CIA. It is her job to guide the charismatic super spy Bradley Fine, played by Jude Law, through dangerous missions.

When Fine is killed on a mission, Susan volunteers to go out into the field in order to bring down his killers. Despite being mocked and dismissed by the male agents, she is given a chance.

What follows is a genius parody of the spy movie genre, and it just so happens that all the main characters are women.

The writing is truly fantastic, and it is also clear that a great deal of the dialogue is improvised which gives the film great energy.

Jason Statham gets a special mention for parodying his own career as an action movie tough guy so spectacularly: "I jumped from a high rise building, using only a raincoat as a parachute, and broke both legs on landing. And I still had to pretend I was in a f***ing Cirque du Soleil show", but it's the women who shine through.

Allison Janney is perfect as the straight-faced CIA boss, and Miranda Hart shows real range and skill as Susan's fellow desk agent and friend.

What makes this film so special is the way it takes a genre which is usually dripping with casual sexism, and turns it into a work of feminist genius – without feeling preachy.

The way Susan Cooper is treated by her colleagues plays on the way single women are sidelined by society after the age of 40 – and of course she proves them all wrong.

It is also refreshing to see women be silly and undignified in a spy film, as well as swearing like sailors and having bone-cracking fight scenes.

Spy made me laugh out loud virtually all the way through, and the same goes for rest of the audience – men and women alike.

At a basic level, it is a clever and perfectly crafted parody of the spy movie genre, but it is so much more than that.

I would urge everyone to go and see Spy, not only to give yourself a really good laugh, but to prove to Hollywood executives that people will pay to see films about women.

Women’s football gaining ground?

Posted: 11 Jun 2015 03:30 AM PDT

Women's World CupTimes may be dark for FIFA, but the women's game is stronger than ever.

Amid all the recent FIFA furore, the biggest ever Women's World Cup has been getting under way.

Hosted by Canada, this seventh edition of the tournament features 24 teams – like the men's event – for the first time, with debut appearances from Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand.

At the time of writing (6 June), up to a billion TV viewers were expected to tune in, with matches due to be broadcast in 187 territories.

And for the first time, the BBC will broadcast every match.

The growing visibility of the women's game has also been reflected in the video games world, with the news that the next edition of the popular FIFA game will feature women's teams for the first time.

FIFA 16 will include 12 national women's teams; the official press release said this addition has been "one of the most requested features in recent years".

There is, of course, still plenty of progress to be made before the women's game even begins to approach the global status of the men's – even leaving salary levels aside.

Mary Hamilton has pointed out that while the men's World Cup is always played on grass, the women's tournament will use artificial turf – which could put them at greater risk of injury, and longer recovery times.

Female players will still only constitute less than 2 per cent of all players featured in FIFA 16.

And the tirades of "misogynistic nonsense" which followed the announcement that female players would be included are sufficient proof of the vast distances yet to cover in this sector.

Still, overall this looks like a remarkably positive period for the women's game – particularly when set against the backdrop of daily twists and turns in the unfolding FIFA corruption allegations scandal.

Sepp who? Let's watch some great football!

DV risk assessment tool: training crucial

Posted: 11 Jun 2015 01:30 AM PDT

Laura Richards‘The focus must change and should be on the perpetrator.’

The Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment and Honour Based Violence Risk Indicator Checklist (DASH RIC) is a tool used by police services and partner agencies throughout the UK to ensure early identification, intervention and prevention.

Natalie Collins published a post on 3 June on the Everyday Victim Blaming (EVB) site expressing concerns that the DASH 'is only as good as the person who holds it'; that there is a tendency for users of  the tool to focus on high risk cases, rather than trying to prevent ‘standard’ cases becoming high risk; and that the focus is on those who have suffered (or are suffering) domestic abuse rather than on the perpetrators.

The DASH was developed by Laura Richards, a behavioural analyst, on behalf of ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) and in partnership with Safe Lives. Laura's work was featured as part of the Crime and Investigation Channel's programme Britain's Darkest Taboos. As Britain's Darkest Taboos is one of the very few programmes on the channel that even attempts to put male violence against women into a wider context, we were interested in Richards' response to the remarks made by EVB.

Laura Richards

The precursor to DASH – SPECSS+ – was developed in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) by the Understanding and Responding to Hate Crime team (URHC), a targeted policing initiative funded by the Home Office in 2001. The aims and objectives of the SPECSS+ – a model created by those in the police for the police – included the need to save lives and reduce incidents of serious injury, and grew out of need and from analysing MPS data on domestic and sexual violence, sat alongside domestic homicides.

I worked on the risk model, profiling and analysing police data and intelligence on sexual and domestic violence for the first time in the UK and was also responsible for the development of the Domestic Homicide Review process. I also worked with the DV Bill Team to ensure it was legislated for in the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004.

The SPECSS+ became the DASH in 2008, and has been informed by the analyses of 114,000 reports of domestic violence, 452 'near-misses' and 56 domestic murders in the Metropolitan Police Service. Its development was also informed by a literature review, consultation with academics, practitioners and victims and has been piloted and evaluated many times. It is important to highlight that half of the questions in the DASH focus on coercive control and it was never intended to focus solely on identifying physical harm nor solely on ex-partners.

In addressing EVB's first point – the DASH 'is only as good as the person who holds it' – I completely agree. Training is key to the DASH, we can all agree on that –  any tool is only as good as the end user, it goes without saying.

Those who have attended accredited training know very well that the DASH is not a tick box checklist, nor was it intended to be one. However, without accredited training many will not understand where the DASH came from, the research behind it and how to properly use it and so it is no surprise that the model may have been misunderstood by so many. This is one of my gravest concerns: when people add up numbers in boxes and believe it will tell them about risk, it can have, and often does have, far reaching and catastrophic consequences.

Ideally we should undertake risk assessment (to identify factors such as perception of risk, separation and pregnancy – see high risk factors below) to inform a bespoke risk management plan, and many miss this point. Statistics alone should never dictate a case management strategy. There are always nuanced details and unique behaviours and facts within any one case. What appears familiar, may turn out to be quite not to be so. It is for this reason that every case needs to be evaluated independently and on its own merit, and understanding the context is vital as risk factors can mean different things in different contexts.

Each victim, each subject, and each case is different.

In terms of the second point – that high risk domestic violence cases are being focused on, rather than the prevention of standard cases becoming high risk – again I agree. The focus must be on ensuring the standard risk case today does not become high risk tomorrow: and on reflection, during the last 10 years in the UK, services appear to have become skewed, focusing on high risk only. However, this is no fault of the DASH. Rather it is a by-product of the multi-agency risk assessment conferences (MARACs) whereby professionals may have taken decisions to prioritise high risk cases alone, and resourcing for these cases has dominated commissioners' funding streams.

This has inadvertently resulted in little attention, few resources and little in the way of action planning regarding standard and medium risk cases. This is unacceptable and a recent HMIC report highlights this as a critical issue that needs to be addressed.

Finally, the third point – I totally agree that the focus must change and should be on the perpetrator. The perpetrator should be at the centre of any investigation and response. I have continuously highlighted this and more so now I am again lobbying for serial DV perpetrators and stalkers to be included on the Violent and Sexual Offenders Register (ViSOR) and managed by the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).  I am also lobbying for two new orders to come into effect that place a positive obligation on the perpetrators to change their behaviour.

It is not the victims who should change or be disappeared, and I have long argued my frustration about the focus being too often on the victim: – 'change your mobile phone', 'move house' 'don't' engage with him', 'leave him' 'leave the country' – all of which are still key aspects of risk management plans rather focusing on closing down the perpetrator’s space.

More generally, many victims and their family members have contacted me personally to say how empowered they felt when the DASH has been used by accredited users and some have thank me as it saved their lives.

Also, it is important to note that in London the numbers of murders have reduced significantly since we began using the SPECSS+ in 2003, prior to the introduction of MARACS, and this is no coincidence. When I started this work the MPS had 54 murders in the financial year 2001-2002 and when national figures have shown over the years that there has been a reduction in murder, it is due to the significant reduction in London of domestic violence murder:

laura richards, DASH RIC, domestic violence figures

Metropolitan Polics: 10 year data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, I have campaigned with others more recently to effect DV law reform to ensure that the legislative framework takes account of the fact that power and control form the very essence of DV and recognition of this is a key aspect in signalling cultural change. Following our DV Law Reform campaign,  the government announced that DV would be criminalized in 2014, and the Serious Crime Bill received Royal Assent on 3 March 2015. Clear guidance and training is now needed on the new law and I look forward to working with the government on this.

Finally, there are, of course, areas of improvement and I always believe we should use the best tools and evidence base that we have at the time. However, we should not forget that the DASH has been critical in changing the policing response from a very reactive process to a proactive one where questions are now asked – or should be – routinely, about what is happening, and victims are taken seriously.

Many of the current challenges about the DASH not being used, or not being used appropriately, can be addressed through effort, time and money committed to ensure effective training, implementation and evaluation of the DASH's performance in the longer term once this has happened.

It is only through this time, energy and investment that we will be able to better protect victims and their children, alongside investment in programmes and treatment for perpetrators.

High Risk Factors:

  1. Victim's perception of risk of harm: victims of domestic abuse often tend to underestimate their risk of harm from perpetrators of domestic violence. However, if they say they fear further harm to themselves, their child(ren) or someone else this should be taken seriously when assessing future risk of harm.
  2. Separation (child contact): victims who attempt to end a violent relationship are strongly linked to intimate partner homicide. Many incidents happen as a result of child contact or disputes over custody.
  3. Pregnancy/New Birth (Under 18 months old): domestic abuse can start or get worse in pregnancy. Victims who are assaulted while pregnant, when they have recently given birth or who have young children should be considered as high risk. This is in terms of future harm to them and to the unborn/young child.
  4. Escalation: repeat victimisation and escalation must be identified. Domestic abuse victims are more likely to become repeat victims than any other type of crime; as violence is repeated it gets more serious.
  5. Community Issues/Isolation: needs may differ amongst ethnic minority victims, newly arrived communities, asylum seekers, older people, people with disabilities, as well as travelling or gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people. This might be in terms of perceived racism, language, culture, insecure immigration status and/or accessing relevant support services. Be aware of forced marriage and honour based violence where family/community try to restore their mistaken sense of honour and respect. Victims may be particularly isolated and/or vulnerable. Take their concerns seriously.
  6. Stalking: Persistent and consistent calling, texting, sending letters, following. Stalking and physical assault, are significantly associated with murder and attempted murder. This is not just about physical violence but also coercive control and jealous surveillance. Consider the perpetrator's behaviour and whether victim believes it is being done to deliberately intimidate. Stalking is about fixation and obsession. We now know through research that 1 in 2 of domestic stalkers, if they make a threat will act on it.
  7. Sexual Assault: those who are sexually assaulted are subjected to more serious injury. Those who report a domestic sexual assault tend to have a history of domestic abuse whether or not it has been reported previously. Many domestic sexual offenders are high risk and potentially dangerous offenders. Be aware of the link between domestic and stranger rape.
  8. Strangulation (choking/suffocation/drowning): Escalating violence, including the use of weapons and attempts at strangulation must be recorded when identifying and assessing risk. This includes all attempts at blocking someone's airway.
  9. Credible Threats to Kill: A credible threat of violent death can very effectively control people and some may carry out this threat.
  10. Use of Weapons: Abusers who have used a weapon, or have threatened to use a weapon, are at increased risk of violent recidivism.
  11. Coercively Control and/or Excessive Jealous Behaviour: complete control of the victim's activities and extreme jealousy are associated with serious violence and homicide. Consider honour based violence – the victim may not have the freedom of choice. Examples may include fear of or actual forced marriage, controlling sexual activity, domestic abuse, child abuse, rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment, threats to kill, assault, harassment, forced abortion. The perpetrator may well try and control professionals as well.
  12. Child Abuse: Evidence shows that both DA and child abuse can occur in the same family. Child abuse can act as an indicator of DA in the family and vice versa – please note if the child(ren) witness or hear the abuse.
  13. Animal/Pets Abuse: there is a link between cruelty to animals, child abuse and domestic abuse. The use or threat of abuse against pets is often used to control others in the family. Abuse of animals may also indicate a risk of future harm.
  14. Alcohol/Drugs/Mental Health: the abuser's use of drugs and alcohol are not the cause of the abuse, but as with all violent crime they might be a risk of further harm. Physical and mental ill health does appear to increase the risk of domestic abuse.
  15. Suicide-Homicide: Threats from an offender to commit suicide have been highlighted as a factor in domestic homicide. A person who is suicidal should also be considered homicidal.