Marai Larasi

“It felt profoundly meaningful to attend the Golden Globes alongside other inspirational activists and organisers fighting for equality for all women. So often in this work, women who have been marginalised in our societies are spoken ‘for’ and ‘about’, but we are rarely handed the microphone and invited to share our own narratives. Standing with women like Emma Watson, who work in Hollywood, and who have chosen to use platforms such as the Golden Globes to connect, to resist and to amplify, was uplifting.

“At Imkaan, we hold two decades of experience of working around issues such as domestic violence, forced marriage and ‘honour-based’ violence. We know that the struggle to end violence against women and girls must be rooted in an environment that attends to the impact of issues such as racism, economic inequality and immigration controls. We are mindful that this is a critical moment, where a clear message is being sent to survivors of violence: we see and hear you, we believe you, we support you. We are you. We say: time’s up!”

Larasi is the executive director of Imkaan, a UK-based, black feminist organisation that works to respond to and prevent violence against marginalised women and girls. She is also co-chair of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, and a partner in the EU/UN Women programme “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds”, which aims to end violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/08/golden-globes-activists-times-up-awards

A FESTIVAL reflecting some of the most pressing women’s issues of today will take place in Bradford this weekend.

The Women of the World Festival will celebrate successes of women from all walks of life, as well as tackling issues like domestic abuse, body identity and honour-based violence.

Held at Kala Sangam arts centre on Saturday and Sunday, the festival is returning to Bradford after a successful debut last year.

Like last year, the line-up has been shaped by women from Bradford, including teens from Bradford’s schools known as the Wowsers.

Young women under the age of 25 were victims in about half of all sexual offence cases brought by the Crown Prosecution Service last year, while women aged 24 and under also made up a quarter of domestic abuse victims.

Statistics on victims’ ages in cases of violence against women and girls have been released for the first time, as it was revealed that these crimes now account for one-fifth of all prosecutions brought by the CPS in England and Wales.

Leading women’s charities have welcomed the rise in convictions, but have said there is still more to be done to tackle violence against women, particularly as convictions and prosecutions for domestic abuse fell significantly over the past year.

The data was revealed in the Crown Prosecution Service’s 10th Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) report, released the day before the International Day of the Girl.

The report outlines a huge increase in rape convictions since the data was first published a decade ago, but while domestic abuse convictions had also been rising, they have now started to fall following a drop in referrals from police.

Domestic abuse cases make up more than 80% of violence against women cases prosecuted by the CPS, with crimes including sexual offences, rape, “honour-based” violence, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, prostitution, pornography, stalking, and harassment making up the remainder.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahalothman/women-under-25-account-for-more-than-half-of-all-female-sex?utm_term=.oyDka7wk#.cfKrPD2r

Anyone who carries acid could face up to four years in prison or risks a life sentence if they use it to attack someone, under tough new rules for prosecutors.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), against the backdrop of horrifying acid attacks, has issued updated interim guidance which for the first time explicitly refers to acid or corrosive substances.

Possession of an offensive weapon or threatening a person with an offensive weapon, which each come with a maximum four-year prison term, are among the “most appropriate” charges which can be brought.

he guidance explains that acid and corrosive substances such as bleach or ammonia may be used as a weapon. Victims of hate crime, so-called honour-based violence, domestic abuse and revenge attacks by gangs have all been targeted, according to the guidance.

It states: “Acid and corrosive substance attacks have a devastating effect on victims. And when thrown on to the victim’s body – usually their face – cause the skin and flesh to melt, sometimes exposing and dissolving the bones below.

“The long-term consequences of acid or corrosive substance attacks may include blindness, permanent scarring of the face and body, and social and psychological difficulties.