The People's Millions - The Finals!

All this week, ITV viewers have the opportunity to vote for the community project in their local area they think should win up to £50,000.

http://www.thepeoplesmillions.org.uk

Viewers in various ITV regions will have the chance to pick their favourite project. For a list of all the finalists, go to http://www.thepeoplesmillions.org.uk/finalists.aspx

The competition is now closed for 2005, but will reopen in spring 2006 and there will be further opportunities to enter in 2007.

Voting Terms and Conditions
http://www.thepeoplesmillions.org.uk/votin...sandconditions.aspx

This week we're also working with GMTV to make a £1.5 million award in 2006.

Watch GMTV all this week to find out how you can become involved in deciding who gets this money.
http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=17199

The Queen is due to lead a national memorial service in London dedicated to the victims of the 7 July bombings.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4394062.stm

Tony Blair and the Archbishop of Canterbury will also be among those gathering at the service where candles will be lit to mark the bomb sites.

The attacks by four suicide bombers killed 52 people and injured hundreds.

Women in Business Conference

The Women in Business Conference is an event that will truly inspire and inform women in London. It will be held at Hilton London Docklands Hotel on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 November 2005.

This conference is aimed at women owner managers, employees as well as women seeking to enter into business themselves. This will be a fabulous opportunity to be in the company of successful female entrepreneurs and to be able to put your questions to them in the inter-active workshops.

The conference, funded by the London Development Agency and the Learning and Skills Council, and supported by Pera Neville Clarke, the innovation company, will be the biggest event of its kind in London this year. Three hundred attendees will gather over the two day period to enjoy inspirational presentations from guest speakers such as Dame Anita Roddick, Janet Street-Porter, Jacqui Harper and Perween Warsi CBE.

The second day of the conference will conclude with an early evening champagne reception, hosted by Secretary of State, Culture Media and Sport, The Right Honourable Tessa Jowell MP. Ms Jowell MP is Minister for Women as well as having particular responsibilities for the recent London 2012 Olympic bid and the BBC Charter Review.

To attend the event please contact
* Nicola Bridgett - 020 8596 5392 - nicola.bridgett@pera.com
* Susan Batchelor - 020 8596 7056 - susan.batchelor@pera.com

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World Must Not Allow Gender Apartheid to Wreck Efforts to Make Poverty History

New Report Calls for World Leaders to End Discrimination and Live Up to Promises Made to World's Women and Girls

Global efforts to "make poverty history" will fail unless world leaders act now to end gender discrimination, according to The State of World Population 2005 report, released today by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

The report, The Promise of Equality: Gender Equity, Reproductive Health and the Millennium Development Goals, calls upon world leaders to fulfil promises made to the world's women and young people in order to meet poverty reduction goals agreed to at the 2000 Millennium Summit and reaffirmed by last month's World Summit in New York. Investing in women and young people-who constitute the majority of the world's population-will accelerate long-term development. Failure to do so may entrench poverty for generations to come.

"I am here today to say that world leaders will not make poverty history until they make gender discrimination history," said UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid during the launch of the report today. "We cannot make poverty history until we stop violence against women and girls. We cannot make poverty history until women enjoy their full social, cultural, economic and political rights."

The report-which coincides with the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Charter that enshrined the equal rights of women and men-says that investing in women and girls makes sound economic and social sense. This is because discrimination leads to lower productivity and higher health costs. It also results in higher death rates among mothers and children and significantly threatens efforts to reduce poverty around the world.

Worldwide, reproductive health problems-including HIV/AIDS-constitute the leading cause of death and illness among women between the ages of 15 and 44. Indeed, more than 250 million years of productive life are lost worldwide as a result.

Every year, about 529,000 women die of pregnancy-related causes that are almost entirely preventable. Lack of access to modern contraceptives is the major factor behind an estimated 76 million unintended pregnancies in the developing world alone, and an estimated 19 million unsafe abortions worldwide each year. Many of these lead to permanent disabilities or death.

Investing in political, economic and educational opportunities for women and girls, on the other hand, yields quick wins and high pay-offs that lead to improved economic prospects, smaller families, healthier and more literate children, lower HIV prevalence rates and reduced incidence of harmful traditional practices. Furthermore, studies show that when women control the family purse strings, they are more likely than men to invest a higher percentage of their earnings in family needs.

Nevertheless, despite new laws and programmes to improve the condition of the world's most impoverished women, the pace of change is far too slow. While many countries are working to close gender gaps in education and improve health-care access for women, adolescents and other marginalized populations, statistics continue to tell a troubling tale.

Intimately associated with poverty is lack of access to family planning and reproductive health. Today, world population stands at almost 6.5 billion and is expected to reach 9.1 billion in 2050. This projection is predicated on whether men and women will continue to have the means to decide when and how often to have children.

Violence-perhaps the most systematic and pervasive of human rights abuses-continues to terrorize millions of women and girls regardless of geography, race or socio-economic status, says the report. Worldwide, 1 in 3 women is likely to experience physical, sexual or other abuses during her lifetime-usually by a family member or acquaintance. Adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable, with nearly 50 per cent of sexual assaults worldwide involving girls aged 15 years and younger. In far too many cases, survivors are offered little in the way of recourse, justice or help.

Globally, women hold only 16 per cent of parliamentary seats-an increase of only 4 per cent since 1990. Some of the greatest strides are being made in developing countries. Rwanda, for example, has now surpassed Sweden with the highest proportion of women holding parliamentary seats in the world.

"Many leaders call for free trade to spur economic growth," said Ms. Obaid. "It is time to call for action to free women of the discrimination, violence and poor health they face in their daily lives."

"And I can assure you that women all over the world are tired of promises, promises, promises," she added. "The time has come; we have the means, we have the commitment. Now we need action."

* * *

UNFPA is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

UNFPA's State of World Population report has been published annually since 1978. Each year, the report focuses on questions of current interest and concern for the future. The report is available in Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish, at www.unfpa.org

http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=693
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Women in London was updated on 28th and 31st October 2005

First of all we are pleased to welcome Latin American Women's Aid and Refuge who have both recently joined the Women in London internet directory.

Courses:
* The Self Confident Woman Seminar : 5th November - Clays Lane Ladies Club
* Winter Courses Details - Rights of Women

Events
* Internalising The Historical Past: Issues For Separation And Moving On - Training Link Separation and Reunion Forum Sixth Annual Conference
* We need you to get involved : Open sessions for volunteers - Feminist Library
* Why Women : Consultation for women's voluntary sector workers - Women's Resource Centre
* Invitation to Annual General Meeting - Ashiana
* Women's Safety In Our Cities - National Conference - Women's Design Service

Notices:
* Reaction to Parental Leave Announcements Press Release - Fawcett Society
* Gender Duty Consultation Event Briefing - WRC

Vacancies:
* Volunteer and Training Manager - Refuge
* Case Worker - Latin American Women's Aid
* Management Committee Members and Newsletter Writers and Production Volunteers - Feminist Library

Public Functions ie you can add your own events or notices
* London Events Calendar Updated
* Countrywide Events Calendar Updated
* WiLT Calendar of Training Events in November Updated

For links to these updates please go to
http://www.womeninlondon.org.uk


New on Women in London Training (WiLT) e-group:
134 Self Confident Women Seminar - Clays Lane Ladies Club
133 Does your organisation provide women only services? do you employ a women only staff team? ROW training
132 Do you work with women affected by domestic violence? ROW training
131 Does your organisation provide advice and support to lesbians? ROW training
130 Small employers no longer exempt from prosecution under DDA as from December 2005
129 Friends Provident Grants programme - Addressing Financial Exclusion - 11th and 18th November 2005
128 Awards for All London Workshops - Priority for Applications that Benefit the Disabled - Briefing workshop 22nd November 2005
127 CRE Getting Results 2006/7 Funding Round - closing date this friday 4th November
126 Ethnic Minorities Innovation Fund - prevention of BME homelessness (joint working) - apply by 21st November
125 Connecting Communities Plus Grant Fund - Apply by 18th November (tailored initiatives to meet the specific needs)
124 Faith Communities Capacity Building & Inter Faith Activity Fund - women a priority - apply by 2nd Dec 05
123 Free Business Planning Training for Refugee Women's Organisations: 21 November
122 November Calendar Update
121 Development Awareness Fund - applications by 31st October
You can subscribe to the WiLT e-group by going to the web address and clicking on the request to join button and completing the online form - http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/womeninlondontraining


New on Microsyster's Blog:
* What does Open Source software (OSS) have to offer the Voluntary and Community Sector? Free Event
* Technology and Social Action - Challenges for the 21st Century - Free Event
* London Circuit Rider Conference 2005 - Circuit Riders: The Next Five Years Organised by Lasa for the ICT Consortium
Go to http://www.microsyster.org.uk/blog/blog.html


WiL email updates:
* Information added to WiL is notified to member groups via emailings to their staff / volunteers
* We also alert others to this information by emailing around 700 women's groups and women working in CVSs after each update.
* If you think or know of anyone else who would like to receive these updates, please ask them to let us know by using our online contact form at http://www.womeninlondon.org.uk/tinc?key=f...H0&formname=WiLpost

women in london
an internet directory of london based women's groups
and other groups working for women in london
http://www.womeninlondon.org.uk
PO Box 52145, London E8 9AH

Women's Events London: http://www.calsnet.net/womeninlondon
Women's Events Countrywide: http://www.calsnet.net/countrywide
Linked Public Notice Board:
http://www.quicktopic.com/19/H/nV4WDtdd6iMqf
Receive Public Notices by Email:
http://www.quicktopic.com/cgi-bin/emailme....topic=nV4WDtdd6iMqf
Women's Training E-group:
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/womeninlondontraining

women in london is an initiative of
microsyster - a women's computer group
no 43, 136-138 kingsland high street, london e8 2ns
020-7241 3492
http://www.microsyster.org.uk/tinc?key=fPFmyBH0&formname=MSpost
http://www.microsyster.org.uk
http://www.microsyster.org.uk/blog/blog.html - our new 'blog'!
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Female Genital Mutilation
Invitation To A Book Launch

I am writing on behalf of the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health as we have the pleasure in inviting you to the publication launch of the book: Female Genital Mutilation, Published by Radcliffe Publishing House Ltd.

The book is Edited by Comfort Momoh who is a well known Female Genital Mutilation and Public Health Specialist. The book is based on the UK experiences, work and campaigns and includes stories by women who have been subjected to FGM and are campaigning to eliminate the practice in the UK and overseas.

The launch will take place at 4.00 pm to 5.00pm on Wednesday 9th November 2005 In the Atlee Suite, Porticullis House (Comer of Bridge Street and Victoria Embankment) House of Parliament, London SW1A 2LW.

Numbers are limited so please contact Felicity Howlett, Radcliffe Publishing
T: 01235 5288520
E: fhowlett@radcliffemed.com.
You will need to bring a copy of their invitation card so ask for it to be sent as a pdf attachment for you to print out.

Yours sincerely,
Sarah McCulloch National Director
The Agency For Culture & Change Management Is Committed To Promoting Culture And Advocate Good Change To Improve Human Life In The World
Agency for Culture and Change Management
11A Arundel Gate, Sheffield S 1 2PN
T: 01142750193
F: 01142759798
E: smcculloch@accmsheffield.fsnet.co.uk
W: http://www.accmsheffield.org
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Red Tape having negative impact on the Voluntary Sector

"Around 16 million people work in voluntary and community sector organisations in the UK, many at grass roots level, making a real difference to millions of other people's lives. The sector is working in areas that the public and private sectors have failed to reach. Yet too much red tape can have a negative impact on the public's willingness for volunteering and the sector's ability to innovate and deliver."

Said Sir David Arculus, Chairman of the Better Regulation Task Force, who warned that excessive red tape burdens are putting people off voluntary and community sector work.

He is preparing to present the Government with the Task Force's latest study, "Better Regulation for Civil Society".

Sukhvinder Stubbs who led this study for the Task Force said:

"Many public services we now take for granted, such as hospitals for all, originated as social innovations from the voluntary and community sectors. Good regulation should not undermine the emergence of more creative and effective approaches to the problems we face within our society."

From http://www.brtf.gov.uk/reports/betregforcivil.asp

Better Regulation for Civil Society report can be downloaded from http://www.brtf.gov.uk/docs/pdf/betregforcivil.pdf [PDF 678KB, 82 pages]

Annex D in full - Proposals from the Charity Commission for Reducing Regulatory Burdens on Trustees can be downloaded in:
* pdf - Proposals from the Charity Commission for Reducing Regulatory Burdens on Trustees in PDF http://www.brtf.gov.uk/docs/pdf/annexd.pdf [PDF 34KB, 9 pages]
* rtf - Proposals from the Charity Commission for Reducing Regulatory Burdens on Trustees in RTF http://www.brtf.gov.uk/docs/rtf/annexd.rtf [RTF 49KB, 9 pages]
* word - Proposals from the Charity Commission for Reducing Regulatory Burdens on Trustees in Word http://www.brtf.gov.uk/docs/word/annexd.doc [Word 64KB, 9 pages]
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Fathers for Justice Expose

Undercover documentary tonight at 8pm on ITV

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Honour Killing Must Stop!

Arash Qorbani-Zarin, 19 years old, Iranian origin, was stabbed 46 times by his girl friend's father and her two brothers 19 and 16 years old due to bringing "shame and dishonour" by his relationship with their daughter. This tragic incident happened in Oxford, on 20 November 2004. Arash became the victim of so called honour killings because he loved her girl friend and was the father of girl friend's child which by that they brought sham upon the girlfriend's family.

Perpetrators killed a young man who had all the live and happiness ahead, they devastated their daughter's future, crushed Arash family, destroyed their own family and have to spend years and years in prison. This is the out come of what they have done for so called "honour". What honours come out in killing? There is no honour in killing and actually it is sham in killing people. "Honour killings are crime against humanitarian and no one should have the rights to take others lives, and there is no justification for that.

Every year, thousands of women, girls and sometimes men are murdered around the world by male and erratically female family members for so called honour killings. Certain moral codes, set out to people by state, religion, nationalism and by practicing them, they become a strong part of their culture. A woman is expected to be modest, pure and obedient; until the time of marriage she has to remain virgin. Women and female children have been killed for the very simple things like drinking water in the publics, laughing in the public; have been loved or being in love which is forbidden, looking out from the window and so many things which may bring shame and dishonour to the family, and cause their lives. It is incredibility against human beings and human rights.

These inhumane practises are maintained and implemented by the state laws in the other countries and by religion's and nationalism's culture in European countries.

Frequently, honour killings are conducted in an even more calculated manner. In the patriarchy/religion-ridden society where a woman's honour is a family's only measurable commodity, male family members and elder women gather to vote on the death of a woman. They also decide who will carry out the killing, usually someone under the age of 18 who will be treated more leniently under the law. In many countries around the world, the murderers walk almost free, no witnesses speak and no one would ask about the missing person although every one aware of what had happened.

Honour killing is a crime and must stop!

What should be done to stop the so called honour killings?

* Effective legislation to punish all forms of crimes committed in the name of honour, and ensure that all reports of violence and abuse are taken seriously and action taken;
* Ensure that crimes of honour prosecuted and investigated sensitively;
* The perpetrator are charged equally as a British citizens before LAW;
* NO redaction of charges should be made on the name of "culture"
* Educating and raising awareness within communities of equal rights for women and men; and human rights;
* Training for Service providers;
* Ensure that service provider have received appropriate recourses for supporting victims of honour;
* Asylum applications based on fear of "honour killings" should be consider by Home office.

"Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation" (IKWRO) is a nonprofit charity Organisation that works to help and support women who are in danger of "honour killings", Forced marriage and domestic violence. We promote to influence mainstream, raising awareness both within the communities and policy makers. The "International Campaign Against Honour Killings" is an independent and non-government network that aim to raise an international awareness about the violence against women particularly "honour killings". Their slogan is Save Lives!

For more information please contact Diana Nammi at diannammi@yahoo.com

Press Release 5-Nov-05
Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation;
International Campaign Against Honour Killings
Tel: 02074900303 ikwro@yahoo.co.uk

Prison Chat UK

We are the UK's first web based support group for families and friends of prisoners in the UK that offer support and advice from our own experience.

Women and children isolated through the imprisonment of a loved one are welcome to join us, remain anonymous and still chat make friends, offer and receive support.

Currently supported by Action for Prisoners Families, UNLOCK, Childline, National Youth Association, Inside Time Newspaper among others pending.

* Who we are
We are a group of people who have loved ones in prison in the UK. We got together when we realised there was no support/chat facility online available for people like us in the UK. We wanted to create a place where families and friends of British inmates could meet and share advice and support and thus the idea for PCUK was born. We are the first of our kind in the UK!

* Our Aims
- We aim to build a thriving community. All our members are connected to the prison system in some way and can offer advice and share their experiences.
- We aim that people's queries are answered as quickly and as efficiently as possible, usually within a day.
- We aim to make it that bit less painful to have a loved one inside, through support and friendship.

* Our main objective
To create a community for people to go and get support and answers when a loved one has been taken into custody.

http://www.prisonchatuk.com

'Forced Marriage: A Wrong Not a Right'
Conference on the Government's Consultation Paper

Newham Asian Women's Project And Roehampton University
A FREE conference aimed at focusing on the Forced Marriage Consultation Paper which discusses the possibilty of making forced marriages a criminal offence.

Tuesday 15th November 2005 from 9.30am to 3.00pm
The East London Child Care Institute
1 Mark Street Stratford London E15 4GY

PROGRAMME
09:30 - 10:00am Registration and Refreshments
10:00 - 10:30am Introduction on the issues concerning the consultation process - brief examination of the consultation paper.
10:30 - 12:30pm Workshops A, B and C focusing on three different themes within the consultation paper
12:30 - 13:30pm LUNCH
13:30 - 14:30pm Feedback from each workshop to the wider group
14.30 - 15.00pm Closing comments

* About NAWP
Newham Asian Women's Project is a London based charity which was established in the mid 80's to address the issues of domestic violence within the Asian community. Our involvement in working with and supporting Asian women at a grassroots level for the past two decades has provided us with great insight into the needs of Asian women and girls specifically in the context of gender violence, sexual abuse and self-harm. Consequently, over the years our services have been strategically developed to provide a holistic approach to issues that affect our client base. Our support services include: safe refuge housing; counselling programmes; youth projects and activities; mental health support; legal advice, training and career development.

Aims of the Conference
* To examine whether the existing service provision on forced marriages is enough and if not, what needs to be done
* To discuss the Government's consultation paper on forced marriages with a view to draft a consultative response
* To explore what are the best ways of dealing with the issue of forced marriage.

Who Should Attend
* Practitioners dealing with forced marriage cases
* Survivors of forced marriage
* Campaigners and activists concerned with the issue of gender based violence
* Anyone who wants to contribute to the debate on criminalisation of forced marriages or wants to learn the different points of views of the debate.

Newham Asian Women's Project - Conference Delegate Form - Delegate Details
* Name:
* Occupation/Position:
* Organisation:
* Address:
* Telephone:
* Fax:.
* Email:
* As part of your work, have you come across any cases of forced marriages? Yes No
* Do you think it would be useful to make forced marriages a criminal offence? Yes No Not Sure

> The conference has limited spaces.
> Please photocopy this form if you would like to book for more than one delegate.
> Please indicate which workshop you would like to attend. 1 being your first preference and 3 being your least preferred workshop. We will do our best to accommodate your first choice.

The workshop aims are to:
* Discuss the usefulness of legislation on forced marriages
* Explore the level of 'constant gaze' on BME communities
* Examine the effectiveness of criminalising forced marriages

Please return your completed forms to:
Newham Asian Women's Project, 661 Barking Road. London E13 9EX
Fax: 020 8503 5673 / Email: info@nawp.org
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Same Sex Civil Partnerships

In December, civil partnerships between people of the same sex will become legal. So, for example, in relation to the NHS, one of the most important implications will be that same sex civil partners have full legal rights to be treated as next of kin in relation to treatment decisions, etc.

* Civil partnership and council tax - http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/civ...ship/counciltax.htm

* A link to a model civil partnership ceremony put together by the Association of Registration and Celebratory Services (ARCS) - http://www.arcs.uk.com/index.php?page=cps

* A booklet giving information about how to register a civil partnership and the main rights and responsibilities of registering is available on the WEU website http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/civ...ership/guidance.htm

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The second part of the documentary on Fathers for Justice will be shown on Friday 11th November at 8pm on ITV.
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Women's Action Network - 16 Days of Activism Events


* Saturday 26th November 2005
** Conference: Ten Years After Beijing.
*** Registration 11 am, projected close 4 pm.

On Saturday 26th November WAN will be hosting a conference to review the position of women worldwide 10 years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

In the morning we have Poonam Joshi (AIUK Gender Advisor) speaking about her work for AIUK on the Report by the National Women's Commission on a Unified Strategy in the UK to combat violence against women, launched in Parliament the previous day. Jacqui Hunt, UK Director of Equality Now, will give an overview of how conditions in the last ten years have changed for women, followed by Maggie Baxter from Womankind Worldwide, and finally Debora Singer from Asylum Aid will consider recent changes that have affected female asylum-seekers.

In the afternoon session, there will be a concentration on women in the Middle East. Speakers will include Nadia Mahmood from The Middle East Centre for Women's Rights, Radha Wickremasinghe, Gona Saed from the Kurdistan Women's Centre, and Dr. Elaheh Rostami Povey (SOAS). There may also be a dramatic surprise!


* Wednesday 7th December 2005 - 7.00 pm
** Screening of 'Sisters in Law'
*** from director Kim Longinotto + Q&A

The latest documentary from acclaimed director Kim Longinotto will be screened at the AI Human Rights Centre on 7th December. This will be the first screening of the film outside the festival circuit.

Winner of the Prix et Essai at Cannes 2005, the film is a fascinating look at the work of two women in a court house in South West Cameroon. One the State Counsel, the other the Court President, the two women dispense justice, wisdom… and wisecracks! The victims of crime who enter their courthouse - an abused child, a woman daring to accuse a man of rape, and another trying to end a brutal marriage in a society where divorce is taboo - are handled with fierce compassion. A heartwarming film, which demonstrates the power of women, even in the most difficult circumstances.

Kim will attend the screening and be available for a Q&A session after the film. Entry to the screening is by optional donation of £5 to the WAN Peace Garden project.

Booking Info and Order Form

You can book for these events by emailing Anne O'Connell - aoholly@yahoo.co.uk - or download the order form from http://www.amnesty.org.uk/deliver?document=16506 - and post to: Mary Wright 28c Wellesley Road London W4 4BN

Please note a donation of £5 per person will be collected on the door at all WAN events, towards the cost of establishing our Peace Garden at Charlton House - for details go to http://www.amnesty.org.uk/action/nw/wan/news.shtml#garden


* International Consultation on Women Human Rights Defenders
** The International Coordinating Committee of the International Campaign on Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRD-ICC) is organizing an International Consultation on 29 November - 2 December 2005 in Colombo, Sri Lanka to bring together WHRDs from different countries worldwide. The Campaign is being organised by a collection of worldwide human rights organisations including Amnesty International.
*** To follow progress of the campaign and offer your support visit the campaign website - http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/


* Imagine a World... Exhibition
** 25 November-11 December Imagine A World... without violence against women
*** 11am-6pm at Bargehouse Oxo Tower Wharf. Admission free

Imagine a World... a new exhibition at Bargehouse on London's South Bank, presents work by young and established artists including New York's GUERRILLA GIRLS, TRACEY EMIN, ALISON LAPPER, MARC QUINN, GRAYSON PERRY and STELLA VINE as part of Amnesty International's work to stop violence against women.

The exhibition - featuring film, sculpture, photography, painting, performance and interactive work - aims to encourage visitors to think about how violence against women impacts on their own lives.

Please note this is not a WAN event, and bookings are not required


* Speaking Out For Human Rights
** A conversation with courageous activists from Women of Zimbabwe Arise
*** This is an exciting opportunity to hear from inspirational women campaigning against the worsening economic, social and human rights situation in Zimbabwe.

NB these events have already taken place in various cities around the UK - but if you would like to know more, contact AIUK's Individuals At Risk Programme by email at iar@amnesty.org.uk

Women's Action Network
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/action/nw/wan/
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Clean Break WiL ticket offer

Clean Break is offering readers of Women In London reduced price tickets for its Autumn theatre production, MERCY FINE. (details below) which is on at Southwark Playhouse from 8th to 26th November - 7.30pm

The offer is for £6 on either Friday 18 or Saturday 19 November 2005. (Tickets on Mondays are £6 as well.)

If you would like to take advantage of this special offer, please call the box office on 08700 601761 quoting "cleanbreak offer". (note all one word)

* There is also a one-off performance by former students of Clean Break following MERCY FINE on 15th November.
* There is a post-show discussion with writer Shelley Silas and the cast on 17th November.
* There is a sign-interpreted performance on 23rd November 2005


Mercy Fine by Shelley Silas
* Directed by Natasha Betteridge
* Designed by Bernadette Roberts

Mercy Fine is in her prison bed at midnight. In just over 24 hours she'll be going back home, but home was the family she destroyed. As Mercy's future looms, her past haunts her...

MERCY FINE is the new production by Clean Break which each year commissions a play from a female playwright on issues relating to women in the criminal justice system. Writer Shelley Silas researched the play with women prisoners in HMP East Sutton Park.

Shelley Silas's stage plays include Shrapnel, Falling and Calcutta Kosher. Her plays for BBC Radio Four include The Sound of Silence and a co-adaptation of The Raj Quartet.

"Written with the passion, deep understanding and emotional intelligence of a writer who is not afraid of anything" The Sunday Times on Falling

Running Time: 75 minutes (no interval)