Upcoming Events for lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LBTQ) women who identify as Muslim religiously/culturally

-Safra social group London
Date: Saturdays 26th November & 17th December '05
Venue: First Out cafe, 52 St Giles High Street, London, WC2H 8LH
Time: 13:30pm
Mobile: 07941 659 320
E-mail: info@safraproject.org


-Safra social group Birmingham
Date: Saturday 3rd December '05
Venue: Peacefulmind World Peace Cafe, 46 Poplar Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 7AG
Time: 13:30pm
Mobile: 07941 659 320
E-mail: info@safraproject.org


-Listening to Muslim women roadshow London
Focus meeting for lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LBTQ) women who identify as Muslim religiously/culturally
Date: Thursday 8th December '05
Venue: Central London to be confirmed
        Refreshments available
        http://www.safraproject.org/MWNroadshow.htm
        HAVE YOUR SAY IN A SAFE SPACE AND INFLUENCE POLICY MAKERS
Time: 18:30pm
Mobile: 07941 659 320
E-mail: info@safraproject.org

Behind the Curtain
a play about domestic violence

Written by John Dunne/directed by Russell Kennedy
Elephant Theatre @ The King's Head in association with Outreech Arts and Phoenix Theatre

Behind the Curtain is a play about domestic violence and its effects on a wife, mother - and victim.

The play also explores the background to domestic violence:
* the fact that domestic violence represents 25% of all recorded crime in Britain
* the fact that one woman in nine is severely beaten by her partner every year
* the fact that one woman in four has experienced physical abuse from her partner
* the fact that two women per week are killed by the man they live with and love.

The play started life as an issue play commissioned by East Hampshire District Council Domestic Violence Forum and has been playing to conferences, seminars and domestic violence forums over the last few years.

This is the first time the play has played to a general public thanks to the good offices of the King's Head Theatre in Islington. This production is also an ideal opportunity to see the play in action before further bookings. This production is a joint venture between Outreech Issue Theatre, Elephant Theatre, The King's Head Theatre and Phoenix Theatre.

The King's Head shows run from Wed-Sun 22-27 November at the Upper Street venue at 1pm. Admission is £5 (£4).

For further information contact John Dunne on 0207 226 0524 or email John@outreech.com
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Keeping London's Children Safe
* Child Protection and Safety in London

The London Child Protection Committee is hosting a multi-agency 'Safeguarding London's Children', one day conference on Friday 16th December 2005 at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.

The conference will include a series of seminars on specific child protection issues and each delegate will have the chance to participate in two.

We have planned for small seminar groups of 30 people each to facilitate discussion. Each seminar will start with a 20 minute synopsis of relevant issues and factual information providing a basis for 40 minutes of (lively) discussion, debate and possible conclusion.

Sexual Abuse: Prevalence and Treatment
* Prof. Catherin Itzin, Director Victims of Violence and Abuse Programme, (Health and Mental Health) DH and Margaret Buttigieg, LCPC Sexual Abuse Treatment Services Project Consultant
** This seminar considers the prevalence and profile of child sexual abuse in London, and asks whether the multi-agency response to date is sufficient. It will describe the current DH and NIMHE Victims of Violence and Abuse Prevention Programme, and LCPC's current sexual abuse treatment services initiative. The seminar offers an exchange of views and information about strategic and operational ways of taking forward issues such as, facilitating disclosure in a range of settings and circumstances, improving agencies' immediate responses and improving access for children to sexual abuse treatment services in London.

Competence Matters: London Multi-agency Safeguarding Children Training Framework
* DCI Ian Angus, Child Abuse Investigation Command, Metropolitan Police & Mary Jacobs, LCPC Training Framework Project Consultant
** Competence Matters: London Multi-agency Safeguarding Children Training Framework will be launched at this seminar. There will be information about the content and wider context of the Framework, how it has been developed and implementation. The discussion will include the roles and responsibilities of Children's Trusts and LSCBs in relation to the commissioning of training and quality assurance; the CAF, the role and function of a pan-London Training Co-ordinator; and views from seminar participants on pathways for accreditation. Printed copies of Competence Matters will be available in the seminar.

Children Abused through Domestic Violence
* Hilary McCollum, Director Social Policy & Grants, ALG & Meril Eshun- Parker, Director Family Support Service, the Nia Project
** This seminar is offered as a response to the interim findings of the LCPC's review of London serious case reviews. Domestic violence has emerged as a significant theme in the factors which contribute to the death or serious injury to children. The seminar seeks to facilitate discussion particularly around improving the multi-agency response to domestic violence. This would include developing a risk assessment approach which effectively protects children, looking at ways in which practice can be standardised across the capital and improving treatment and support services that children and their non-abusing carers can access, or be referred to.

Children Missing Education and Missing
* DCI Sandra Looby, Territorial Police Crime Directorate, Metropolitan Police & Jo Green, Investigation and Referral Support Co-ordinator, DfES
** This seminar launches a consultation on pan-London Good Practice Guidance Safeguarding Children Missing from School. The guidance is offered with the aim of providing a minimum standard of safety for children who are registered with London schools and who go missing from school, and possibly missing - whereabouts unknown. Discussion is likely to include, the circumstances in which children become missing, what the time and risk thresholds for raising safeguarding concerns should be and defining agency roles and responsibilities. The seminar also launches a consultation on a London Head Teacher's Safeguarding Children Handbook to be available to schools early in the new year.

Working with Sexually Active and Sexually Exploited Children
* Sara Swann, Consultant Specialist in Sexual Exploitation of Children & Christine Christie, LCPC Manager
** This seminar seeks to facilitate discussion and clarify the issues which arise in developing a multi-agency early response to identifying and safeguarding children who are being sexually exploited or are at risk of being sexually exploited. Dialogue will draw from the findings and recommendations of the Bichard Inquiry and the NE Lincs. Serious Case Review, and national guidance and legislation; as well as the LCPC's new pan-London Protocol for Safeguarding Children Abused through Sexual Exploitation, the Working with Sexually Active Adolescents protocol and the Barnardo's/Bridge House Trust two-year study: Meeting the needs of Sexually Exploited Young People in London.

Children who's Parents have Mental Health Problems
* Dr Begum Maitra, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, LB Hackney and Claire Dempster, Family Systemic Psychotherapist, SLAM
** This seminar is offered as a response to the interim findings of the LCPC's review of London serious case reviews. Parental mental ill health has emerged as a significant theme in the factors which contribute to the death or serious injury to children. The seminar offers information and discussion on the impact on children of parental mental ill health and how assessment of the risk to the child could be improved. The discussion is likely to include the need to improve the multi-agency response, 'whole family' assessments and the need for and accessibility of interventions, such as, including family therapy, family support and individual work with parents and children.

Plus

The Platform Project is a special drama group for young people who are in care in the City of Kingston-upon-Hull. This performance is by older members, who have a national reputation for their work. The group is supported through a partnership between the local NHS and children's social services.

http://www.londoncpc.gov.uk/childprotection.htm

Booking form http://www.londoncpc.gov.uk/documents/Flyer161205an.pdf
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* Electric Landladies
Two rare public performances

* Saturday 3rd December 2005
Drill Hall, 16 Chenies Street, London WC1E 7EX
Drill Hall Box Office and minicom: 020 7307 5060
10am ­ 9.30pm daily (until 6pm on Sundays) by phone or in person
Online: http://www.drillhall.co.uk
Tickets: £15 / £10 Concessions

* Saturday 10th December 2005
Horsebridge Arts Centre, WHITSTABLE
Tickets £8 / £6

STOP PRESS ­ Drill Hall gig is nearly sold out so get your tickets soon...
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Subsidised childcare places across London

Childcare Affordability Programme

In November 2005 the Mayor and Beverly Hughes, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, announced that the Mayor's Childcare Affordability Programme (CAP) will subsidise 3255 childcare places in nurseries across London as part of the first phase of the programme.

Parents interested in CAP-subsidised childcare places should contact their local Children's Information Service.

This first phase of the CAP has two strands, both aimed at enabling more parents on lower incomes to remain in, or return to, full or part-time work and flexible work:

Full daycare places will be subsidised to keep the cost down to £175 a week, the eligible cost limit for support for childcare costs through the Working Tax Credit.
Incentives to provide more flexible hours of care will be provided to nurseries and National Child Minding Association accredited childminding networks attached to nurseries.
The CAP-funded places are the first of an expected 10,000 places over the three years of the programme. A second round of bidding for places by London boroughs is expected to begin in January 2006.

This three-year programme is funded jointly by the London Development Agency (LDA) and the Department for Education and Skills. It is the largest region-specific childcare programme of its kind in England, providing £33m towards good quality affordable childcare for families in the capital.

The Mayor said:
'I gave a commitment in the election last year to make London a more child- and parent-friendly city, with a bus fleet accessible to parents with buggies and pushchairs, the abolition of child bus and tram fares, and more affordable childcare. The delivery of well over three thousand subsidised childcare places is a key part of that programme. This funding will make a real difference to the lives of thousands of families in London. The Childcare Affordability Programme will provide funding so that high quality childcare can be subsidised and made more accessible to more low-income families in London.'

The Mayor's Childcare Strategy was published in November 2003. Its development was funded by the LDA, which is a major partner in delivering the strategy.

http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/...e-affordability.jsp
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New poll finds a third of people believe women who flirt partially responsible for being raped
* ICM Poll Shows Widespread Ignorance Of Extent Of Rape And Low Conviction Rates

A new ICM opinion poll commissioned by Amnesty International indicates that a third (34%) of people in the UK believe that a woman is partially or totally responsible for being raped if she has behaved in a flirtatious manner.

The poll, 'Sexual Assault Research', published today (21 November) as part of Amnesty International's 'Stop Violence Against Women' campaign, shows that similar "blame culture" attitudes exist over clothing, drinking, perceived promiscuity, personal safety and whether a woman has clearly said "no" to the man.

For instance, more than a quarter (26%) of those asked said that they thought a women was partially or totally responsible for being raped if she was wearing sexy or revealing clothing, and more than one in five (22%) held the same view if a woman had had many sexual partners.

Around one in 12 people (8%) believed that a woman was totally responsible for being raped if she'd had many sexual partners.

Similarly, more than a quarter of people (30%) said that a woman was partially or totally responsible for being raped if she was drunk, and more than a third (37%) held the same view if the woman had failed to clearly say "no" to the man.

Changes in the law relating to consent mean that an alleged rapist must show that they had taken reasonable steps to ensure that the other person had consented to sex. In this respect the poll exposes a gap between the law and public attitudes.

Amnesty International UK Kate Allen said: "This poll shows that a disturbingly large proportion of the public blame women themselves for being raped.

"It is shocking that so many people will lay the blame for being raped at the feet of women themselves and the government must launch a new drive to counteract this sexist 'blame culture'."

The poll also shows that the vast majority of the British population has no idea how many women are raped every year in the UK, with 96% of those polled saying they either didn't know the true extent of rape or that they thought it was far lower than the true figure.

Only 4% of respondents even thought the number of women raped exceeds 10,000 per year when the true figure is likely to be well in excess of 50,000:


Six out of seven people either said they didn't know that only 5.6% of rapes reported to the police currently result in conviction or believed the conviction rate to be far higher.


The average estimate was of a 26% conviction rate, nearly fives times higher than the actual rate.

Kate Allen added:

"In addition to uncovering disturbing attitudes over women being 'to blame', this poll also reveals the scale of public ignorance of the unacceptably high numbers of women raped every year in the UK as well as the dreadfully low conviction rates.

"The government has an international duty to prevent this gross human rights violation yet it's clear that the government's policies on tackling rape are failing and failing badly.

"These findings should act as a wake-up call to the government to urgently tackle the triple problem of the high incidence of rape, low conviction rates and a sexist blame culture."

South Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Centre (SERICC) Director Sheila Coates said:

"This poll shows that people don't realise how common rape actually is and that there's little understanding of how many people rape crisis groups actually support.

"Groups like ours are picking up an ever increasing number of helpline calls and waiting lists are growing. The situation for rape victims and women's specialist sexual violence services are at critical.

"Those needing counselling face waiting lists of up to one year and this can only get worse as more rape crisis groups close or cut back services due to a lack of funding and government support. This situation has forced victims into a post code lottery when trying to find support."

Amnesty International's poll comes ahead of a new call on government later this week from a coalition of women's organisations, Amnesty International and the TUC for an integrated government strategy to combating violence against women in all its forms in the UK, including sexual assault.

Amnesty International is also conducting local opinion polls on rape awareness and attitudes and calling on local politicians and community leaders to support the campaign for an integrated strategy to combat violence against women.

Later this week (Thursday 24) Amnesty International is also unveiling a new audio-visual art exhibition in the Bargehouse gallery on London's South Bank, where artists and the public have contributed to a set of 'imaginings' of what a world without violence against women would mean and what it would look like.

Notes:
* ICM interviewed a random sample of 1,095 adults aged 18+ by telephone on 7-9 October 2005. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council.
* The British Crime Survey 2001 indicates that there were at least 47,000 female victims of rape in England and Wales in 2000.
* This figure did not include Scotland or Northern Ireland and did not take account of legislation (Sexual Offences Act 2003) broadening the definition from anal/vaginal penetration to include oral penetration.
* Home Office Research Study 293: A gap or a chasm? Attrition in reported rape cases (February 2005).

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news/press/16618.shtml

You can see the actual questions and responses on the ICM website... http://www.icmresearch.co.uk/reviews/2005/...0Sexual%20Abuse.asp

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FIRE Broadcasts - Live webcasts of the AWID Forum (see previous posting)
Bangkok, Thailand, October 27-30, 2005

October 30, 2005
* Final Plenary: How does change happen? A Wrap-up
* Session: Growing Crisis - Growing Older: Creating a Society for Women of all Ages

October 29, 2005
* Plenary Session: How should we change?
* Session: Gender, Sexuality and Law Reform in Muslim Societies: Successful Campaigns from the Middle East and Southeast Asia
* Session: Wartime of Social Change: A Teach in and Speak Out Room

October 28, 2005
* Plenary Session: What is the change around us?
* Session: Strategies, Struggles, and Moving Forward: Perspectives on Working to End Violence Against Women
* Session: From Stigma to Activism: Feminist and Women's Movements Addressing the Challenge of HIV and AIDS

October 27, 2005
* Opening Plenary: What have we changed and how?
* Session: Models of Resistance: Victims as Leaders
* Session: The New Circumstances, New/Old Subjects and New Paradigms of Global Feminisms

(Not all sessions are in English, and you will need RealPlayer or similar software to be able to listen. For information about this, names of speakers etc go to
http://www.awid.org/forum/fire_broadcasts.htm)

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Where is the Money for Women's Rights?
AWID launches its groundbreaking report at the Funders' Forum
28th October Plenary at AWID
See http://www.quicktopic.com/19/H/nV4WDtdd6iMqf/m998

Extracts from the full plenary report:

* 51% of women's organizations are now receiving less funding compared to five years ago in 2000.

* common threads were found in poor tracking and accountability systems, and most importantly, that the promises of gender mainstreaming have not been realized.

* the funding community thinks that gender has been mainstreamed, and hence there is no need to support specific women's programs anymore - resulting in women's organizations receiving less funding, despite the Millennium Development Goals identifying that women's equality is a prerequisite for development.

Overall, the research discovered a downward drift in funding for women's rights organizations, and revealed a need for urgent strategies to reverse this trend. Women's rights organizations need to identify and work with their allies in the funding community, working together on new policies and accountability mechanisms. Importantly, there is a need for more evaluation efforts and for mobilizing broad, public support for women's rights.

At the end of the Forum the new AWID initiative "Fundher-Money Watch for Women's Rights" was launched, which aims to increase the amount of funding for women's organizations all over the world, to improve access to funding globally and to build legitimacy of women's rights organizations and movements. This will be achieved through dialogue and alliance building between and among donors and women's rights organizations and networks, and will include an annual report "Money Watch for Women's Rights", to report on these issues.

For more information, or to obtain copies of AWID's Report, contact awid@awid.org.

You can read the full report of this and the other AWID plenaries at http://www.awid.org/forum/plenary_reports.htm
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Reclaim the Night 2005 - 25th Nov
Women only march

The march begins at Soho Square (assemble at 6pm). The nearest Tube is Tottenham Court Road.

We move off at 6.30

The march ends at the junction of Montague Street and Great Russell Street at 7:30 - 8pm in time for the mixed rally.

We also need STEWARDS for the event. If you'd like to be a steward, please drop me a mail (isabel.eden@eaveshousing.co.uk)

More info on http://www.ldnfeministnetwork.ik.com
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'The silence is broken': Domestic violence in the African community: the way forward
South London African Women's Organisation Conference

Aims of the conference:
* The role of men in domestic violence escalation, prevention and intervention
* The link between HIV and domestic violence
* substance abuse and domestic violence in African communities
* mental health
* African youth and domestic violence
* and housing issues

The conference will take place at the Jury's Inn Croydon, Wellesley Road, Croydon Surrey
24th and 25th November 2005 from 9:00am till 4:30pm each day.

Delegates from outside and others interested in staying overnight at the venue are expected to arrive on the evening of the 23rd.

The conference is expected to be graced by two cabinet ministers, academics and leading community workers as well as survivors of DV.

This conference will present an opportunity for domestic violence service providers, policy makers, researchers, advocates and the African community to come together to find solutions to issues around domestic violence in the African Community, come up with new strategies on prevention and intervention, reflect on current interventions and research, share good practice and forge new networks.

For more information please call 020 8648 1808 or email Africaslawo@aol.com

ABOUT SLAWO

SLAWO, aspires to reduce Domestic violence in the African community and was established in October 2002, with the aim of eliminating domestic violence, by increasing awareness about the extent and depth of the problem, making culturally specific issues visible. Strengthening, community models of prevention, and intervention, identifying and expanding resources, information and promoting research.
 
We also make sure that we deepen our understanding and analysing of the issues surrounding violence against African women and supporting them to improve other areas of their lives including Health, and skills development. We provide Culturally appropriate counselling service and advise, Information and community education on domestic violence and its link to HIV, providing emotional and practical support to victims and survivors of domestic violence, volunteer and skills development training, Advocacy to influence local and national policy makers, and we run an emergency shelter located in the London Borough of Merton.

Looking Forward to hearing from you,
Geniffer Onyutta, Director SLAWO
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No To Violence

We are women, mothers, young women, sisters...we are nieces, aunts, cousins, friends, lovers or neighbours. We make up half the population. Half the sky. Half the world. But look hard at the photographs of the blazing suburbs...you will not see a single woman!

Now, when an irresponsible and provocative Minister insults those close to us and our families, French people, immigrants, foreigners...
Now when he claims "to clean out the districts in Karcher" or "get rid of the riff-raff"...
Now, when we weep over the death of two children, refugees in the obscure conditions deep within a transformer EDF...
Now, when we weep and deplore the death of a man, beaten to death in Epinay because he wanted to take a photograph of a street lamp...
Now, when cars, schools and police stations are ablaze...

WE APPEAL FOR THE VIOLENCE TO END BEFORE IT COMES TO A MORE DRAMATIC CONCLUSION

Because our children need vehicles to go to work or look for jobs.
They need schools to give them essential knowledge.
They need free prevention and care centres; they need to access immediate medical care.
They need public transport to move about.
They need firemen to save lives or put out fires.
They need postmen to deliver the mail. The community needs public services.

WE APPEAL first to our children, to those we love: we demand they go home, and calm down! We demand this because we have brought them into the world. Because we have carried them and nourished them. Because without us they would not be here. They do not have the right to destroy the life we have given them. They make us ashamed by turning into the things they have been called. They are not a rabble. They are not rubbish to be cleaned away. They are human beings who have a right to respect, equality and dignity. Like every other citizen, they have rights, but they also have responsibilities.

WE APPEAL TO THE POLICE FORCE TO SCRUPULOUSLY OBSERVE THE RULES OF THE REPUBLIC.

WE SIMILARLY APPEAL to those who misrepresent us and ignore us, to those who have instituted 'big brother' politics with disastrous results, who only negotiate with churches and imams, who cut public subsidies and community police, who spread hatred and helplessness, and beat us every now and then, but never give us the means to live with dignity. Behind these politics, there is also a contempt for women, those who fight on in the neighbourhoods, who campaign with insufficient means and support, for ways to counter violence: teams of women in solidarity, standing tall!

WE DEMAND a real emergency strategy for the suburbs which provides a real social policy for everyone, a policy of prevention and support for families from infancy, a high stakes schools policy, a real policy for social cohesion and an end to the ghettos.

WE WILL BE IN THE BURNING DISTRICTS, AND WE WILL DEMONSTRATE WITH THOSE CLOSE TO US, SILENTLY AND PEACEFULLY.

WE SEND THIS APPEAL TO ALL WOMEN.

THERE MUST BE THOUSANDS OF US TO INTERVENE AND PUT AN END TO VIOLENCE.

Vendredi 4 novembre 2005

Premiers signataires :
- AFRICA 93
- UFAL Saint-Denis
- UFAL Ile de France
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SECOND PHASE OF THE WSIS, 16-18 NOVEMBER 2005, TUNIS
 
The World Summit on the Information Society is held in two phases. The second phase of WSIS takes place in Tunis hosted by the Government of Tunisia from 16 to 18 November 2005
http://www.itu.int/wsis/tunis/index.html

Live webcast - http://www.itu.int/wsis/tunis/webcast/english/index.html

WSIS TV - http://www.itu.int/ibs/wsis/p2/summit/wsistv-live.smil

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the host country, Tunisia, have agreed to provide premises to hold a number of parallel events, alongside the Summit and in the same premises. These parallel events include meetings, panels, discussions, workshops, an exhibition, and events of global nature relevant to the Summit theme.
http://www.itu.int/wsis/tunis/events/index.html

List of parallel events - eg Arab Women Empowerment in the field of ICT and WSIS Gender Caucus Events - http://www.itu.int/wsis/tunis/events/links.html

See also:

What changes does World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) bring in regards to gender equality and women's empowerment? Is WSIS worth it? How effective is gender advocates participation? What are the main challenges faced by gender equality advocates?
http://www.genderit.org/en/beginners/wsis.shtml

GenderIT.org @ Tunis: Gender Peripheries of WSIS Summit
Feminist Talk forum - http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=f--e--1&nocache=1
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Feminist Perspective on WSIS in Tunis

WSIS 2005 in Tunisia
Publication Digitall Future gives a feminist perspective to the Information Society

A team of feminist journalists from Asia, Latin America, North Africa, the Middle East and Eastern and Western Europe will take part in the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) from November 16-18th in Tunis, Tunisia. The Citizens' Summit on the Information Society (CSIS), which is an alternative event to the WSIS conference, will also be covered.

The team's goal is to carry out bilingual media coverage in English and French and publish it in the 3rd issue of the international feminist magazine, Digitall Future. The publication is a product of ENAWA (European North American WomenAction - http://www.enawa.org) network and realized under co-direction of Les Pénélopes in France and the International Information Centre and Archives for the Women's Movement (IIAV) in the Netherlands.

The third issue of Digitall Future is due out in the beginning of January 2006. This edition will mainly focus on communication rights, information democracy, the free software movement and privatization policies, sex trafficking through ITs, newly created UN financial policies and the legitimacy of the private sector. There will also be a special section on the situation of government repression of individual freedom of expression in Tunisia. The French members of the team will monitor the event from home and boycott the WSIS making a statement against France's complicity as the former colonial power within the region.

After the first phase of the WSIS conference in Geneva, the European Social Forum in London and the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, the Digitall Future team is dedicated to participating in international gatherings in order to network, learn about current issues and disseminate information from a feminist perspective.

The following is a list of Digitall Future's media team who will be attending WSIS:

Senhadja Akhouf from Algeria/ France Malala Fontan from Argentina
Christina Haralanova from Bulgaria
Niala Maharaj from Trinidad / the Netherlands
Dafne Plou from Argentina Mina Saadadi from Iran / the Netherlands

Other members of the team who will be covering the summit from France: Anne Marchand Joelle Palmieri

To order a copy of the publication write to pr@iiav.nl
To contact the English editor in chief, write to Mina Saadadi: zanborak@xs4all.nl
To contact the French editor in chief, write to Anne Marchand: anne.chand@wanadoo.fr
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