Ending violence against women

"In the UK, 25% of women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Both women and men need to stand together to end this horrific and all pervasive reality that affects so many women and children."

In January, Justice Matters were honoured to have Nathalie from Restored visit and share her story with us. Through her own painful life experiences she now works to raise awareness of domestic violence, equipping groups like ours to be better prepared to spot and support those suffering in this way. Her presentation was frank and unflinching in its details, provoking some lively discussion from members and practical responses for many.

We heard about the First Man Standing campaign which calls men everywhere to be the first in their family, club, church or workplace to stand up and speak out about ending violence against women. By signing up to be a First Man Standing, men are committing to:

1. Respect all women everywhere and demonstrate love and support for women and children in your family.
2. Challenge other men by speaking out to their friends and colleagues about ending violence and negative attitudes towards women.
3. Join the cause and make a personal pledge; “never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women”

More information on the campaign can be found here.

Continuing the theme of ending violence against women, our pub chat in early February looked at the link between glamazon culture, cosmetic surgery and FGM. Labiaplasty is on the rise in the UK (inspired in no small part by the influence of the pornography industry on public perceptions of female beauty), but women from FGM practising countries are banned from having this type of surgery, begging the question: how can the same medical procedure be considered mutilation for some and fashionable for others? We learnt about the origins of FGM as a practise to identify female slaves and considered the parallels with the objectification of women in pornography, and we explored practical ways to empower teachers and others to protect children who they suspect may be at risk of being taken abroad to undergo FGM.

Thanks to those who came and shared in the discussions. More information on the issues around FGM can be found on the 28toomany website, which is run by Justice Matters leader Ann-Marie.