Women's Views on News |
| Petition against policing failures Posted: 04 Sep 2015 07:02 AM PDT
Sign this petition asking Theresa May for a public inquiry into police and state agency response to domestic violence. The national domestic violence charity Refuge, together with families of women killed by current and former partners, are calling on the government to open a public inquiry to investigate why victims of domestic violence are still not getting the protection they deserve from the police and other state agencies. Two women are killed every week in England and Wales by a current or former partner. Each death leaves behind devastated relatives and friends. Domestic violence is a national problem; it requires a national response. Refuge supports a number of families who have lost loved ones to domestic violence. Maria Stubbings was murdered by her former partner, Marc Chivers – a man already known to the police for killing a previous girlfriend – in December 2008. In the days leading up to her death, Maria called the police to ask for help, but none came. When the police attended the house, they took Chivers at his word when he told them she had gone on holiday. By the time they carried out a thorough search of the house on 19 December, Maria was already dead. The IPCC found that Essex Police made a catalogue of failures in their response to her. Rachael Slack and her two-year-old son Auden were killed by Rachael's ex partner Andrew Cairns in June 2010, after Rachael had reported Cairns to the police for stalking and threatening to kill her. Derbyshire Police failed to tell Rachael that she and Auden were at high risk of serious harm or homicide from Cairns. An inquest found that police failures contributed to Rachael and Auden’s deaths. Sabina Akhtar was stabbed to death by her husband in September 2008, two months after she told the police he had assaulted her and threatened to kill her. Malik Mannan had been arrested less than a month before her death for assault, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) released him without charging him. Social services had received three separate referrals relating to Sabina and her two-year-old son – but closed the case without even doing an initial risk assessment. An inquest found that serious failings had been made by Greater Manchester Police, Manchester Social Services and the Crown Prosecution Service which may possibly have contributed to Sabina's death. Cassie Hasanovic was killed by her estranged husband in front of her two young children as she attempted to flee to a refuge. An inquest into her death found that Kent Police had failed to arrest Hajrudin Hasanovic for breaching his bail conditions. It also found that the CPS did not take a number of steps to safeguard Cassie's life, including failing to apply for Hajrudin's bail to be withdrawn and failing to inform Cassie of the special measures that might have been available to assist her in giving evidence against him. The inquest also found that Sussex Police officers were inadequately trained in domestic violence. Numerous investigations into the handling of domestic violence have shown recurring failings across the country. Many women using our services also tell us that they feel completely let down by the police, and other state agencies. We urgently need a public inquiry to investigate why these failures keep happening. Individual reports put the spotlight on individual police forces and local agencies – but no-one is looking at the national picture. A public inquiry will make links between different cases and help improve the state response to domestic violence across the country. Refuge, along with families who have lost loved ones to domestic violence, are determined to create real change – for Maria, Rachael, Sabina, Cassie, and countless other women. Please add your voice to this campaign. To find out more about domestic violence and our campaign for a public inquiry, cllick here. To sign our petition, please click here. Click here to share the petition on Facebook, and here to tweet about the petition. Thank you.  |
| See women’s rights as women migrant’s rights Posted: 04 Sep 2015 06:28 AM PDT
Half of the population of the world and half of Europe's population are women, and they should therefore fully enjoy all human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Not only on an equal footing with men, but also on equal footing among themselves. For women are not a homogenous group and have multiple identities. Living in systems where racism, sexism and classism are still prevalent, women are rendered more vulnerable to discrimination, violence and violation of their rights in many spheres of society and life. And some women and girls are made more vulnerable to the violation of their rights because of their multiple identities. This is particularly the case for migrant, refugee, asylum-seeking and undocumented women, in a context of globalisation and increased migration flows. An ENoWM/EWL documentary ‘This is my home now’, made in 2012 and screened as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations in 2015, breaks stereotypes about migrant women. ‘This is my home now’ follows the stories of three women with a migrant background living in the European Union. Anna is a gender researcher and poet of Russian background who owns a hotel in Lefkara, Cyprus. Dil from Sri Lanka is a successful stand-up comedian, journalist and radio host as well as an active voice for equality and the rights of migrants in Ireland. Sophie from Tunisia runs a beauty salon and social institute in Marseille, France, an empowering meeting place for women from different backgrounds. The stories of Anna, Dil and Sophie give a face and a voice to the increasing number of women of migrant background in Europe, rarely seen or heard. While struggling for their rights, these women, like so many others rarely seen or heard, enrich their host communities in myriad ways. Directed by Saddie Choua, the documentary is intended as both an educational and an inspirational tool. The European Union is a destination for many individuals who leave their country for various reasons: refugees, displaced persons, unaccompanied minors, families, students, migrant workers; some of them might also be undocumented. Women are an integral part of these migration flows, and face specific situations which make them vulnerable to the violation of their human rights. Higher-educated migrant women are twice as likely to be employed in low-skilled jobs as their European Union-born and native-born counterparts. About 48,000 women and girls from FGM-practicing countries live in Belgium. Amongst them, around 13,000 have probably undergone the practice, and 4,000 girls are at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM). Also in Belgium, the unemployment rate for women from Morocco – at 64.4 per cent – and the Democratic Republic of Congo at 65.3 per cent – is three times higher than the average unemployment rate for women – 19.7 per cent. And 98-99 per cent of the prostituted persons in Zurich are Hungarian citizens, of whom 80-85 per cent are Romani women. Some women have fled their country because of gender persecution, but not all asylum policies implement the United Nations High Commission for Refugees' (UNHCR) gender-sensitive guidelines which would grant them asylum. And some women arrive in the European Union on the basis of family ties, with a temporary residence permit connected to a partner; this lack of individual rights of their own means that access to basic services can be compromised. But for women in abusive relationships, for example, this status dependency prevents them from claiming their right to life and dignity – and leaving such relationships without fear of deportation. Selda is from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and takes care of her child by herself. In Belgium, a shelter for women victims of violence suggested that she join La Voix des Femmes. There, she spent two years taking French classes and taking part in life-long learning courses. These two years helped her to regain confidence and get back on her feet. Selda, who can speak 4 languages, decided to use her competences for the benefit of other women experiencing difficult situations. Today, she works in an organisation which specialises in supporting and assisting women victims of violence. Women's vulnerability as domestic workers also needs to be acknowledged more seriously, and the overrepresentation of migrant women in prostitution should alert policy and decision-makers to the links between trafficking and the sex trade and push them to adopt abolitionist policies. The European Parliament regularly raises the alarm on the situation of migrants, asylum seekers and undocumented persons in the European Union, including women and girls. The European Parliament’s resolution in 2013 on undocumented women is one example of this. But there is a lot still to be done. The European Women’s Lobby, the European Network of Migrant Women and La Voix des Femmes are currently calling for: All public policies and measures to take into account gender and origin in their design, implementation and evaluation; All migrant women entering the European Union to be granted an independent legal status, whatever the reasons for the stay; The law of country of residence to be applied when it comes to personal status, in order to secure the fundamental rights of migrant women; Undocumented migrant women to have full access to their basic fundamental rights, and channels for legal migration should be developed; All migrant women to be able to enjoy full equality of rights. This involves the implementation of proactive policies – including the recognition of qualifications – so that they access their rights; Member States to ensure that asylum procedures at borders comply with the UNHCR Guidelines on International Protection, in particular with regard to gender-related persecution; Full access to the right to education and life-long learning that meets the needs and abilities of migrant and refugee women should be guaranteed; and All forms of discrimination based on nationality in access to employment to be eradicated and the right to work should be secured, regardless of legal status, including for asylum seekers awaiting the outcome of their asylum claims. The European Network of Migrant Women (ENoMW) is the largest umbrella organisation of migrant-led women's nongovermental organisations in the European Union , and works to promote migrant women's rights, and the concerns, needs and interests of migrant women in the European Union. The European Women's Lobby (EWL) is the largest umbrella organisation of women's associations in the European Union, and works to promote women's rights and equality between women and men. Works for a feminist Europe. La Voix des Femmes works towards promoting equality of rights for all women, fighting all forms of discrimination and violence against migrant women, and strengthening their power of action. And you can help, by emailing or writing to your MEP and asking them for their support. Thanks.  |
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