RadFem 2012 is a women-only radical feminist conference and social event

Posted on May 16, 2012
Filed Under Feminism, London, Women's Event

It will take place in Central London over the weekend of 14-15 July 2012.

We warmly welcome all women who have a genuine interest in finding out more about radical feminism, as well as those who identify as radical feminists.

RadFem 2012 celebrates the power of women coming together and organising collectively.

Please note:
* This is a female-only, activism-focused conference with a radical feminist agenda. Space will not be given to anti-feminist sentiments.
* The Saturday evening venue has a maximum capacity of 300. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so please be sure to register early if you wish to attend the evening event.

Why RadFem 2012?

RadFem 2012 has developed from the passionate conviction that a UK-based radical feminist conference is badly needed and long overdue.

‘Radical feminism creates an original political and social theory of women’s oppression, and strategies for ending that oppression which come from women’s lived experiences.’ (Rowland and Klein, 1996).

RadFem 2012 puts women, and women’s lived experiences, at its centre. The event takes place in the context of epidemic levels of male violence against women, the ongoing expansion of pornography and the sex industry, cultural misogyny as an everyday reality and the devastating effects of neoliberal economic policies and environmental destruction on women across the globe.

It takes place in a historical moment where structural analyses of oppression have been marginalised, and where those who are oppressed are blamed for their own oppression. At a time when a powerful sex industry lobby has adopted the language of feminism in order to try to persuade us that the sexual objectification of women is a route to ‘empowerment’ and that women’s involvement in pornography or prostitution is simply a matter of individual choice.

Radical feminism is a revolutionary politics for the liberation of all women from male domination. Radical feminists neither seek ‘equality’ with men within a fundamentally oppressive system, nor simply to extend women’s range of choices whilst leaving that oppressive system intact. Radical feminists are engaged in the struggle to end all forms of male violence, and for the liberation of all women from patriarchal oppression. In short, we are engaged in a struggle for total social transformation. In Catherine Mackinnon’s phrase, radical feminism is ‘feminism unmodified’.

RadFem 2012 aims to provide a space to discuss and develop radical feminist theory and action, rooted in the realities of women’s lives. We take the necessity of women’s autonomous organising as a given. In doing so, we recognise the additional oppressions faced by many women, and are committed to building an explicitly anti-racist and anti-oppressive movement that is inclusive and supportive of all women, across differences of race, ethnicity, nationality, class, disability, sexuality, age and caring responsibilities. We celebrate the power of women uniting and organising collectively.

Many of us involved in radical feminist organising feel isolated, even within the wider feminist movement. In our experience, the need for an autonomous women’s movement and the value of women-only organising are seldom recognised. Women-only spaces are either rare, non-existent or under siege. Radical feminism is often misrepresented and maligned. The trend towards post-modernism and queer theory have marginalised feminist critiques of patriarchy, and rendered lesbian feminism all but invisible.

RadFem 2012 aims to provide a space where women can connect to reflect, learn, plan and take action.

Programme http://www.radfem2012.com/programme.html

Contact http://www.radfem2012.com/contact-us.html

For all links and updates go to http://www.radfem2012.com/index.html

Fun Words Comedy Fundraiser for Women’s Networking Hub – Birmingham ~ 20th June 2012

Posted on May 16, 2012
Filed Under Benefit, Media Arts, Midlands West, Women's Group

Annette Fagon, Barbara Nice, Hannah Silvester, Jan Watts, Maureen Younger, Naomi Paul, Shazia Mirza

Join us for 1 night only for a hilarious & side splitting line up of awesome women comics.

Wed 20th June 2012 8.00pm – 10.30pm

A night not to be misssed!

The fundraiser is in aid of the Women’s Networking Hub. The Hub aims to connect great women up with other great women in our collective drive against all forms of gender inequality!

The hub came to fruition in January 2009 in recognition of the many silent voices of disenfranchised women & girls within our communities that are not heard. The very first women’s networking event was in January 2009. The hub carries out fantastic work for women from campaigning against violence against women, delivering training, workshops, and participating in a range of activities to empower women within every sphere of life.

Monies raised on the night will go towards enabling us to continue engaging with women through our activities.

Library Theatre
Paradise Place
City Centre
Birmingham
B3 3HQ

Birmingham Library Theatre is adjacent to the Central Library and is situated next door to the Adrian Boult Hall & Birmingham Conservatoire

Buy tickets at http://www.wegottickets.com/event/169540

See also https://www.facebook.com/events/303726376379667/?notif_t=plan_user_invited

Female Newsreaders Recruited as Eye Candy Researchers Claim

Posted on May 16, 2012
Filed Under England, Equality, Media Arts, Publication, Reseach

Female newsreaders are being recruited as “eye candy” by broadcasters, according to academic research conducted at the University of Worcester.

It suggests that women are selected on the basis of their physical attractiveness and that older women are either forced out or put under pressure to hold back the years, with some going as far as having cosmetic procedures.

However, the research found that viewers would like to see more older women reading the news.

One interviewee said: “I think it’s rubbish… It’s being decided on the public’s behalf that they don’t want older women on the television… I would rather have somebody good at their job.” Another said: “The other thing I really object to is when a young woman is placed in the position of co-presenting with an older man and she’s made out to be kind of young and silly… She’s labelled as being unintelligent or lightweight because she’s younger.”

The study found that broadcasters were reinforcing stereotypes about women by choosing young, attractive female newsreaders and pairing them with older men.

Interviews and questionnaires were conducted with senior broadcast journalists, including presenters, editors and producers working across various stations including the BBC, ITV and Al Jazeera English, along with viewers.

According to a former ITV producer, Botox injections, teeth whitening and veneers had become common for female newsreaders. “It’s like Stepford Wives, making everyone look bland,” she said.

Sky News presenter Kay Burley has previously spoken about having an eye lift after turning 40 and a facelift for her 50th birthday. Meanwhile, former Countryfile presenter Miriam O’Reilly, who recently won an employment tribunal case against the BBC on the grounds of ageism, alleged that she had been asked if it was “time for Botox” and warned to be “careful with those wrinkles when high definition comes in”.

The researchers, Journalism lecturer Claire Wolfe and Media and Cultural Studies lecturer Dr Barbara Mitra, said in their report: “The pressure on female newsreaders to look physically attractive and young is part of the wider patriarchal power structures that dominate our society, as well as media organisations. We wonder, therefore, whether we will ever see a woman with grey hair reading the news.”

They added: “Surely, we argue, the decision-makers could challenge such dominant discourses rather than reinforcing them?”

One national newsreader suggested to the researchers that as men got older they gained authority and gravitas, whereas “it’s very difficult to be an older woman.”

The research found that audiences felt older presenters carried more credibility and were more trustworthy.

The researchers said: “The lack of women with grey hair, compared with men, is worrying as it supports the trend that women are not allowed to age, but have to remain young and physically attractive. Similarly, the belittling of women who are young and attractive is also worrying as it bases intelligence on superficial looks.”

To read the full report please visit http://journalism-education.org/2012/04/newsreaders-as-eye-candy/

Press release at: http://www.worcester.ac.uk/discover/female-newsreaders-recruited-as-eye-candy-researchers-claim.html

Duty to women, disabled people and ethnic minorities ignored in coalition zeal says Equality and Human Rights Commission

Posted on May 16, 2012
Filed Under BME, Cuts Welfare, Disability, England, Equality, Government, Publication, Reseach

The Treasury failed to consider how crucial policies would affect women, disabled people and ethnic minorities before the 2010 spending review, according to a report by the equality watchdog*.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it was “unable to establish” whether government had checked how its flagship schemes would hit vulnerable people – despite this being a legal necessity.

In key areas of policy, the government appeared to set aside equality legislation in the rush to push through eyecatching policies. Under the law, ministers must determine the effects of proposals, and mitigate or justify them so that outcomes are fairer.

The report says the government has not “fully grasped … the requirements of public sector equality duties”. It censures the Treasury, saying the cumulative effects of policies on vulnerable groups was not considered in a “meaningful or comprehensive way”.

For the first time, the commission considered nine policies and concluded that in six areas – child benefit, council tax, the pupil premium, legal aid, disability living allowance and employment support – the government fulfilled its equality obligations.

The Treasury was found lacking in three areas. In the capping of household benefits – limiting welfare to £500 a week for couples and lone parent households – the policy was announced before its impact on women was known. When 20% was cut from low fares subsidies to bus services, ministers did not examine the effect on disabled people.

The most glaring omission appears to be of an equality analysis concerning withdrawal of the education maintenance allowance (EMA), which paid up to £30 a week to poor teenagers who stayed on at school or college beyond 16.

Although almost half of children from ethnic minorities live in low-income households – compared with a quarter of white British children – the commission discovered the decision to halt the subsidy had been made without any reference to ethnicity.

The commission found the Treasury often batted away arguments on gender by saying it did not have the information required to make judgments. However, the report says, officials could “consider the impact on sub-groups of women or groups where women are over-represented … for example, just over 90% of lone parents are women”.

For the Treasury to continue to disregard these sub-groups, the commission warns, may be breaking the law by enforcing indirect discrimination.

For example the report says: “A policy which puts part-time workers at a particular disadvantage would be unlawful as proportionately more part-time workers are women … Other departments, such as the DWP [Department of Work and Pensions], conduct analysis of sub-groups as part of their equality assessments.”

In some instances, data was only made available to the Treasury shortly before the spending review. Equality data for controversial legal aid cuts – which included removing support for victims of domestic violence – was given to the Treasury “days before” the review was published.

The commission’s report follows a legal case brought by the Fawcett Society, which campaigns on women’s rights, in August 2010. Campaigners argued the government could not show it had assessed whether the emergency budget in June that year would increase or reduce inequality between women and men.

In court Justice Ouseley refused a judicial review, saying analysis of the government’s spending plans would be better carried out by the EHRC. Trevor Phillips, its chair, agreed. He said the report would lead to “more targeted spending, more effective use of public money, and above all greater fairness all round”.

Labour has calculated that 75% of the £15bn in spending cuts since 2010 has fallen on women’s shoulders. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary and shadow minister for women and equalities, said: “This report shows ministers didn’t even properly consider the impact of their plans on inequality in advance … The government didn’t stop to consider the overall impact on inequality, and ministers didn’t insist on proper information about whether measures would be unfair before they took their decisions.”

Campaigners welcomed the report but said it had taken too long – the commission started its work in November 2010.

Ceri Goddard, the chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: “We are now seeing the impact that was entirely predictable: women’s unemployment is at a 25-year high, women are being worst hit by cuts to benefits and women are also acting as shock absorbers for cuts to public services.”

The Treasury said it had cooperated fully with the commission. A spokeswoman said: “In the spending review the government had to take tough decisions to cut the deficit and put the public finances back on a stable footing. But the government has made these decisions in the fairest way possible.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/may/14/treasury-censured-spending-cuts-equality

* See Commission publishes formal assessment of government’s 2010 spending review

Assembly parties have united to tackle human trafficking in Northern Ireland

Posted on May 16, 2012
Filed Under Government, Ireland Northern, Trafficking Asylum

An all-party group has been set up to combat trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation.

Adults and children are also known to be trafficked for criminal activity including illegal drug production, fraud and theft.

The group will raise awareness and build co-operation with parliamentary counterparts in England, Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland.

It will also monitor and advocate changes in law, policy and practice.

Anna Lo MLA, chair of the group, said: ”Today is a great step forward in our fight against human trafficking. Assembly members from all parties are committed to making Northern Ireland a hostile place for traffickers.

“We will proactively address gaps in our systems here to bring about the change that is needed to end this modern day slavery”

Grainne Teggart of Amnesty International, an adviser to the Assembly group, said: ”The problem has been growing in scale in Northern Ireland in recent years and the new all party group shows that it will now get the political attention it deserves.

“The all party group will be considering possible changes to the law here and how to better co-ordinate efforts across government and between statutory and non-statutory agencies.”

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18076227

bpas finds nearly half of women with unplanned pregnancies experiencing difficulties accessing contraception

Posted on May 16, 2012
Filed Under Abortion Contraception, Cuts Welfare, England, Opinion Comment

Nearly half of women with unplanned pregnancies have experienced difficulties obtaining the contraception of their choice amid greater restrictions on access to the full range of methods, research by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas) suggests.

At a conference in London bpas urged the government to publish as a matter of urgency its long delayed sexual health policy document, and ensure women’s access to contraception and abortion is determined by evidence, not prejudice.

Around 40% of the 3,000 women with unwanted pregnancies who have used bpas’ contraceptive counselling telephone service since last year have reported problems with contraceptive access from GP practices and Contraception and Sexual Health (CaSH) clinics. These include clinic closures, reduced opening hours that are inconvenient for working women, and restrictions on methods available.

The findings support a recent audit by the Advisory Group on Contraception on services in England, which found that nearly a third of women aged 15-44 do not have access to fully comprehensive contraceptive services, through community or primary care. It found areas where the number of GP practices funded to fit intrauterine devices (coils) had fallen by half in the course of a year, restrictions on older women obtaining contraceptive pills from CaSH clinics, as well as PCTs reluctant to put local sexual health strategies in place until the Government releases its own strategy. It also found that those PCTs restricting access to contraceptives or contraceptive services had a higher abortion rate than the national average.

Earlier this year, a survey by the Women’s Health Forum of the Royal College of Nursing found that more than 60% of those working in contraception reported closure of clinics, reduced staff numbers, and re-organisation of services.

bpas chief executive Ann Furedi said:

“There has been much government focus on ‘problems’ with abortion services, despite evidence that women receive high quality care when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. At the same time, real and pressing problems with women’s access to the contraception they need to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy in the first place appear low down the list of government priorities. Policy to guide family planning services, which could help prevent these pregnancies, is now a year overdue.

“Women need access to high-quality contraceptive services that are not restricted on the basis of age or location, with straightforward access to abortion care when their method lets them down. We call on policy makers to deliver a sexual health strategy that empowers healthcare professionals to deliver the contraception and abortion services that women in the 21st Century need and deserve.”

Part of a longer press release from bpas at http://www.bpas.org/bpasknowledge.php?year=2012&npage=0&page=81&news=488

New leaflet rape and sexual assault abroad – Rape Crisis Scotland

Posted on May 16, 2012
Filed Under Global, Publication, Rape and Sexual Assault, Scotland, Women's Group

In response to calls received on the RCS Helpline, Rape Crisis Scotland has developed an information leaflet for survivors who have been attacked overseas – download http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/workspace/publications/RCShelplineOSleaf0112WEB.pdf

The leaflet is written from 2 perspectives: that of a survivor who reported whilst still overseas but has subsequently returned to Scotland and that of a survivor who, having returned to Scotland, wishes to report an attack that happened abroad.

The leaflet will be available to survivors overseas via a link on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) homepage and will be distributed to locations in Scotland where travellers are likely to seek advice. Survivors who were attacked overseas will be able to access initial and crisis support from the RCS Helpline regardless of whether or not they are in the country. The RCS Helpline aims also to link survivors into support agencies and FCO teams in the country where the attack happened to ensure they have access to local knowledge and expertise e.g. on the legal system.

If you would like to receive hard copies of the new leaflet, please email us at info@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk

Check source:

http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/news/new-leaflet-rape-and-sexual-assault-abroad/

The Prostitution Experience – The Commercialisation of Sexual Abuse

Posted on May 16, 2012
Filed Under Ireland Republic, Media Arts, Opinion Comment, Prostitution

I am a thirty-six year old Irish woman who was prostituted from the age of fifteen to twenty-two.

I am writing this blog to highlight the true nature of prostitution – the commercialisation of sexual abuse.

I welcome comments, feedback and discussion, but please do not come on here (as one fool recently did elsewhere) and try to peddle the myth of the happy hooker to me – because I worked in every area of prostitution you can think of and a few you probably can’t, and nothing I saw anywhere, at anytime, showed anything to support that.

Thank you for reading,

FreeIrishWoman

Go to http://theprostitutionexperience.com/

See also: Survivors Connect Network – http://survivorsconnect.wordpress.com/

Tower Hamlets Residents Solidarity Campaign – Solidarity with women involved in prostitution in east London

Posted on May 11, 2012
Filed Under Campaign, London, Prostitution

We’re a group of residents and workers from Tower Hamlets concerned about recent targeting of women involved in street-based prostitution by local police. The police have told us that they’re acting on residents’ complaints, so we want to show them – and women involved in prostitution – that most residents don’t want these women criminalised.

We want services and support for women involved in prostitution in the borough, and we call on the police and the council to stop this victimisation. Instead, we ask them to focus on those who buy sex (kerb-crawlers), those who perpetrate violence against women and those who exploit them (abusive partners and drug dealers).

If you live or work in Tower Hamlets, please get involved.

You can sign our petition http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/residents-solidarity-campaign/ and follow us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/ResidentsSolidarityCampaign and twitter https://twitter.com/#!/THRSCampaign.

———————————————————————————

The Tower Hamlets Residents Solidarity Campaign was set up by a group of Tower Hamlets residents in March 2012 in support of women involved in street-based prostitution in the borough, who are being increasingly targeted in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics.

Since the beginning of 2012, the police in Tower Hamlets have been targeting women involved in street-based prostitution with arrests, displacement and threats of ASBOs in an effort to ‘clean up’ the streets for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the first 3 months of the year, the number of arrests have increased exponentially on the number of arrests throughout 2011. We are told that this is on the basis of residents’ complaints, so as residents, we felt it was important to speak out.

We ask other Tower Hamlets residents to stand in solidarity with these women. We call on the police and the council to stop this victimisation and instead to focus on those who buy sex (kerb-crawlers), those who perpetrate violence against women and those who exploit them (abusive partners and drug dealers).

If you would like to get involved with the organising group for this campaign, you can request to join our google group https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/th-residents-solidarity-campaign

More at http://thresidentssolidaritycampaign.wordpress.com/

East London Fawcett: Free Gallery Tour ~ 12 May & Pay Gap Talk ~ 23rd May 2012

Posted on May 11, 2012
Filed Under Arts Event, Employment Work, Equality, London, Media Arts, Women's Event, Women's Group

3 pm – Tate Modern (on the slope of the Turbine Hall), Sumner Street, Bankside

In association with Storm in a Teacup, VV Art Collective, Enemies of Good Art and Aubin Gallery, this is the second free gallery tour being conducted as part of the ELF Great East London Art Audit. Please find an instruction/log sheet attached and join the campaign to demonstrate the truth about representation in the art world!

Tour programme:

3 pm – Tate Modern

The group will give a short introduction to the campaign, its progress and development. We will be thinking about whether the Tate collection provides a fair representation of women artists. Specifically, we will be considering how the institution has tried to tackle gender inequality within its own collection and displays.

4:15 pm – Jerwood Space, 171 Union Street

Tara Brown will give a short presentation about the current group exhibition at this contemporary art space.

5:15 pm – Menier Gallery, 51 Southwark Street

We will look together at Anita Klein’s solo show, Linocuts. We will be joined by Ariella Wolens, writer, curator and Founder of New End Art Foundation, which is committed to supporting young artists.

7 pm – Long White Cloud, 151 Hackney Road

Join us for a party to launch the ELF Art Audit website and celebrate the campaign so far. Entry is free and there will be a cheap bar and food.

ELF Talks: PAY GAP – Wednesday 23 May

7 pm – Aubin Gallery, 66 Redchurch Street, E2 7DP

ELF is hosting an evening of debate with Rachel Reeves MP, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury; Liz Truss MP, Conservative representative for South West Norfolk; Guardian columnist Zoe Williams and Katherine Sack-Jones, head of policy at charity Crisis.

The event, held at the Aubin Gallery in Shoreditch, is free and open to the public. We will be planning upcoming campaigns to help close the gender pay gap.

PLACES ARE LIMITED, register prior to the event by emailing eastlondonfawcett@gmail.com.

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