Can celebrities help women's organisations to tackle violence against women?

Celebrities have a huge presence in our everyday lives, but should they be doing more to highlight the issue of violence against women? Do we, as women’s organisations, need their support?

Some of the biggest news stories of the past few months have been violence against women cases that involve celebrities, either as the victim or perpetrator. In the US, the conviction of singer Chris Brown for the assault of Rihanna has highlighted the issue of domestic violence with a younger audience. Roman Polanski’s arrest in Switzerland and pending extradition to the US for outstanding sexual assault charges has sparked debate internationally. Back in Britain, Katie Price’s claims that she had previously been raped by a fellow star have been widely reported.

Despite all these cases, and others, only a few celebs have explicitly spoken out against violence against women. Many, like Keira Knightley, have supported violence against women organisations by taking part in their advertising campaigns. It’s undeniable that having ‘celebrity endorsement’ of your work is really useful for raising awareness and encouraging donations.

However, there is a shortage of high profile women who are willing and able to talk about the underlying gender equality issues that are vital to understanding and tackling violence against women. Sometimes, when celebrities do talk to the media about violence against women they do more harm than good (Helen Mirren, anyone?!).

The only star I can think of who seems to really talk about violence against women as a human rights violation is Nicole Kidman (UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador), who acknowledged the links between the film industry’s portrayal of women as sex objects and violence against women during an address to US Congress last month.

So, do we need a ‘Goodwill Ambassador’ for violence against women organisations in the UK? Who would be your first choice?

WRC lobby MPs about women with no recourse to public funds

Ange Jones, Networks and Policy Officer at the National Equality Partnership, tells us about meeting her MP:

I met with Diane Abbott, my MP for Hackney and Stoke Newington, as a part of a mass lobby organised by Amnesty for its No Recourse to Public Funds campaign (in partnership with other women’s organisations, such as Southall Black Sisters and WRC).

I’d never taken part in a mass lobby before. I have to say, I think it is a very effective model for, in the very least, getting a quick and direct response from MPs on whether they are willing to support a particular issue.

Seeing other activists having tea or sitting on benches with their MPs, added to my drive to get a good result. Diane, as many had told me, was supportive of the issues and she agreed to two key asks of three, one of which was to speak with Harriet Harman about the proposal that government are reshaping on a solution for women with no recourse.

Amnesty supplied us with lots of good information and I got to meet another woman passionate about women’s equality who lives in my area during the process – so all in all a successful visit to Westminster!

The Women's Cafe: An online network for the women's sector

Exciting news people! After months in the cooking, we launched the Women's Cafe at our AGM last night.

The Women's Cafe is an online network for women working in the women's voluntary and community sector. So if you're working in a women's project (staff, volunteer or trustee) come and join us!

Women are using the network to:

• Find other women interested in similar issues
• Provide each other with information, advice and support on campaigning, research and other topics
• Co-ordinate campaigns and working groups with other women across the country
• Share their experiences, expertise and best practice examples

Want to find out more? I've put together a Step by Step guide to the Women's Cafe (PDF). Or just go to the Women's Cafe and sign up!*

(*to make sure the network stays relevant and safe, all members will need to be approved by us before joining. Shouldn't take too long though!)

WRC at Feminism in London

P1100282, originally uploaded by ctrouper.

WRC were at the Feminism in London conference last weekend. It was a vibrant and exciting day with a diverse range of workshops and discussions and some practical sessions such as self defence. The day opened with Susie Orbach asking important questions about contemporary women’s bodies and how they are shaped by the beauty industry, and included panel discussions on racism and sexism, and prostitution, which were powerful and raised many important issues for women and the sector.

We made lots of new contacts and were mainly promoting the lobby of parliament on November 4th for women with no recourse to public funds, and the Rape Crisis campaign. It was great to see so many feminist and women’s organisations packed into the busy hall. We were sharing a table with Pink Stinks and you could buy back issues of Spare Rib from the Feminist Library, as well as find out about the next Million Women Rise March.

Women had come from across the country including some all the way from LGBT Youth Scotland, and there was a real sense of working together and building a movement. Exciting times!

How social media meets our strategic aims

Leah from women's resource centre gives a talk, originally uploaded by hellobeautifulworld.

I've done a couple of presentations to charities about our use of social media. Last night I went to the NFPTweetup (a meeting of people in charities who use Twitter) and someone took a picture of my slide. Sometimes charities who are new to social media find it difficult to justify (to their colleagues or managers), so I thought it might be useful to see our reasons.

The NFPTweetup is a great, friendly event. It was fantastic to see a couple of other women's organisations there, including Mina from Rights of Women and Ann-Sophie from Rosa. They're held about 4 times a year, so look out for the next one!

A gendered perspective on climate change

We have all been hearing a lot about climate change recently – for some this may mean reducing our carbon footprint by pledging to recycle more or not fly, for others this is such a huge issue that we may feel powerless or be waiting for the government to make changes first. This is seen as an issue that affects us all but does it affect some of us more than others?

Globally, women are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to our different social roles and status. In the UK and other developed countries, increasing costs for energy, transport, healthcare and nutrition are likely to affect women more than men. In developing countries, women are already suffering disproportionately more as a consequence of climate change.

Unfortunately many campaigns around climate change do not take this into account and ignore the fact that their campaign actions may also disproportionately affect women. For example asking us to recycle more, turn down our thermostat, buy organic produce and wash at 30 degrees are all actions which women, the majority of the time, will be responsible for.

There is a rich history of women being involved in environmental activism and luckily there are various women’s organisations that are still raising these issues and working on climate change. From the Women’s Environmental Network and the Women’s Institute’s work with their members, to Wise Women, to the Climate Rush, who recreate great Suffragette actions with a new agenda; as well as all the women’s organisations that have environmental policies and are working sustainably as part of their work with and for women.

There is also a new campaign which aims to have cut UK emissions by 10% in 2010. The 10:10 campaign is just beginning but there is a chance for women’s organisations to get involved and profile their environmental work. Contact harriet@1010uk.org for more information.

Climate change is an issue that will effect us all but we must make sure that gender is not an afterthought to this movement and that women are not shouldering the burden of responsibility – Take action now, this is only the beginning!

Visiting the Bronze Woman

The Bronze Woman, originally uploaded by Women's Resource Centre.

On a WRC away day, we made a little 'pilgrimage' to the Bronze Woman monument in Stockwell, London.

The Bronze Woman is many things – she is the first public monument of a black woman in England, a symbol of the contribution of Caribbean, and indeed all, women to society and proof that people who have the courage to pursue their dreams can inspire others to great achievements.

It's a truly beautiful sculpture and the result of a lot of hard work by a group of very committed people. Visit it!

http://www.bronzewoman.org.uk