Launch of “The way I see it”

(story told by an actress)

Rape prevention needs to focus on perpetrators

Belfast Feminist Network have launched an online campaign to call for a change in the way public safety messages about rape and sexual assault are delivered. The Network commissioned local film company Campaign Social to make the short film “The way I see it” that portrays a survivor of rape talking  about the experience and how she has come to terms with what happened. It also uses statistics from the Northern Ireland Crime Survey report on experiences of sexual violence and abuse to highlight the fact that 1 in 4 women are affected by this crime, with the vast majority of them having prior knowledge of their attacker.

A spokesperson for Belfast Feminist Network described the reason for making the film at this time:

“While there are increased incidents of rape and sexual assault over the Christmas period, the PSNI prevention campaigns in recent years have made the mistake of focusing on telling women how to avoid getting raped, rather than driving home the message that rape is never acceptable and the law places the burden of responsibility on men to seek clear consent. Teaching women to be more careful only serves to make excuses for rape, create a culture of shame for victims that makes it harder to report. This contributes to the very low conviction rates which do not deter attackers. Victim-focused campaigns don’t make women safer as they do nothing to challenge the attitudes and behaviour of men who rape.”

The film will be shared through social media in an attempt to make sure the voices of survivors of rape are heard. The film’s director, Matt Bonner of Campaign Social said:

“The challenge in filming this piece was to portray a side of this issue that campaign ads rarely portray accurately, that of the victim. Through filming in Belfast, I wanted this particular person’s story to have the look and feel of a short film, whilst grounding it locally. It should be something that anyone living here can connect with.”

The film is available to view at belfastfeministnetwork.com and through their Facebook and Twitter pages.  The Network will also be holding a candlelight vigil in Belfast City Centre on Friday at 5:30pm to mark the closing of the international “16 Days” campaign that highlights the issue of violence against women.

Belfast Feminist Network commission anti-rape film

As a group of busy activists/students/carers/workers/volunteers/everything else in between, the folks at Belfast Feminist Network wanted to do something for the 16 days of action on violence against women that we could work on slowly over that period and produce something important that we wanted to say on the subject of sexual violence, rape culture and victim-blaming. We’ve been doing research, planning a public event and we commissioned local film company Campaign Social to make a short film that will take the messages about how to really stop rape, to the public through the internet.

For the last 2 years we’ve been frustrated by the victim-blaming campaigns trotted out by the PSNI and DHSSPS that do little more than feed into the idea that rape should be prevented by controlling women’s behaviour and encourage a culture that makes excuses for rapists. We challenged this directly and in the press but to no avail. So we decided we might have to do the job ourselves. Earlier this year we had a fundraiser where Rachel Austin and a host of other amazingly talented local female musicians gave their time to help us raise money to produce a campaign of our own.

On Thursday 6th Dec at 6pm you will be able to view the results – the film will be launched here on our website for you to share as widely as possible. We’ve had a sneak peak and Campaign Social have done an amazing job –  it’s pretty powerful so we’re very hopeful about the impact it can have. Consider the countdown started! Check back for updates in the new few days, and please consider joining us for the official launch on Thursday at 7pm  in the Women’s Resource and Development Agency, Belfast. There will also be a candlelight vigil in Corn Market, Belfast City Centre on Friday 7th Dec from 5:30 – 6:30 when we will stand in solidarity with everyone who has experienced sexual violence and give out flyers about the film to the public. Please come along.

Women, Peace and Security conference in Dublin

Historic Conference on Women’s Inclusion in Peace Processes, 5^th November

‘There can be no true democracy when the voice of half the community is silent in Parliament…The challenge to the party system has at least been made by the Independent women; their election campaign has set the public thinking…When next an election comes the seed sown should be ready to germinate – the seed beneath the snow as Silone calls it, speaking of those seeds of new growths that lie for a while submerged, but living’ Quote by Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, 1943, on having stood as Independent candidate in the 1943 Dail election.

Hanna Sheehy Skeffington one of Ireland’s foremost suffragettes and peace activists would have been proud of women’s rights activists today who have successfully brought about new legislation on political party funding and candidate gender quotas in Southern Ireland. The Electoral Act, 2012 provides for a 30% gender quota for party candidates at the next election, rising to 40% seven years later. With non-compliant parties risking financial penalties. Fiona Buckley one of the co-founders of the 50:50 group will be talking about the campaign, the challenges of the new legislation and ongoing work needed to encourage more women to become active in public life at the ‘Women Delivering Peace & Security’ Conference in Croke Park next Monday 5^th November.

But that’s not the end of the story. More women are also needed in all of those institutions that have been set up under the Good Friday Agreement if they are to be active participants in decision-making on conflict prevention, management and resolution. For example, the new Maze/Long Kesh Development Corporation has only one woman out of 11; and the newly formed North South Inter-Parliamentary Association has one woman out of 12 on its executive committee, while the Northern Ireland Assembly has 21 women out of 108 MLAs.

Hanna’s House, inspired by Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, is the only cross border feminist organization in Ireland and are the hosts of the Croke Park conference. Their aim is to bring politicians, activists and academics together for the first time to discuss the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, on women’s formal involvement in peace processes. Hanna’s House are recommending that the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement develop a gender perspective and set gender targets in keeping with the UN Resolution.

Shirley Graham, the conference co-ordinator says ‘this is the first time such a conference is taking place in Ireland that looks at the impact of the conflict on women North and South of the border with a focus on thinking creatively and pragmatically about policies that need to be developed to support women’s participation in the ongoing peace process and to ensure that both women and men are equally represented’. President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins will formally open the conference. Speakers include Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie from the PSNI; Professor Monica McWilliams of University of Ulster & previously Human Rights Commissioner NI; Claire Hackett of Healing Through Remembering; Sean Barrett TD of the North South Inter-Parliamentary Association; Fiona Buckley of the 50:50 Group. To register for the conference go to: www.eventelephant.com/HannasHouseConference

For more information about Hanna’s House www.hannashouse.net or the Conference, contact Shirley Graham at shirley@hannashouse.net or on 0851476548.

Less than 24 hours left to sign!

Thank you to everyone who has already added their name and messages of support to this open letter welcoming the work of Marie Stopes in Belfast.

You can sign here.

As we approach 500 signatures, we think this is a good time to close the petition and deliver it directly into the hands of the politicians. While the tone of the public discourse over the last couple of weeks has been reassuringly pro-choice, the MLAs have sounded precitably archaic, misinformed and sensationalist by comparison. We must take this opportunity to remind them that they are there to represent us and our view is that full reproductive choice and healthcare is essential to securing women’s well-being and equality!

In addition to this online letter, activists have been gathering paper signatures in the QUB Student Union and Belfast City Centre. In total we now have well over 1000 and are hoping to present these to Stormont on Monday. Therefore this petition will close at midnight tonight so let’s have one last big push to share it with as many friends as possible who might want to sign! Please focus on people who live here in Northern Ireland as those signatures will have the most impact for the MLAs.

Many thanks again for your support,

Amnesty highlight challenges with Lord Morrow’s prostitution bill

Amnesty International

Lord Morrow’s Private Members Bill: Amnesty welcomes anti-trafficking measures but warns against diversion of resources

Amnesty International has welcomed steps to tackle human trafficking in Lord Morrow’s draft Private Members Bill as providing a timely focus for the debate on how Northern Ireland can fulfil its international obligations on trafficking. However, the organisation warned that the Bill’s proposals on prostitution risked the potential diversion of resources away from tackling existing human trafficking offences. The Amnesty statement came as Lord Morrow prepared to present his Private Members Bill to the All Party Group on Human Trafficking at the Northern Ireland Assembly this afternoon (Tuesday 4pm).

Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International Northern Ireland Campaigner, said:

“The Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive have important roles to play in making the region a hostile place for human traffickers and a place of safety and support for the victims of trafficking.

“We agree with the stated objective of Lord Morrow’s Private Members Bill which is to enable Northern Ireland to meets its international obligations to reduce demand, tackle trafficking, successfully prosecute cases and support victims.

“There are key elements of the Bill, especially around the provision of protection and services for the victims of trafficking, which we welcome.

“However, Amnesty International is concerned that making ”the paying for sexual services of a prostitute” a criminal offence could run counter to the purpose of tackling trafficking by confusing these related but separate issues and diverting criminal justice resources away from tackling trafficking. It is already an offence in Northern Ireland to pay for sexual services from someone who has been subjected to force,a position which we support.

Grainne Teggart added:

“The Trafficking Convention and the EU Trafficking Directive expressly provide measures to be taken for discouraging and reducing the demand for trafficking victims; the criminalisation of the users of prostitutes is not one of the measures they recommend. The proposed change to the law in Lord Morrow’s Bill thus creates an offence outside the trafficking legal framework. Legislators should focus on the provision of essential support services to the victims of trafficking and steps to ensure more successful prosecution of traffickers.Amnesty International welcomes this debate on how Northern Ireland can meet its international obligations to protect and uphold the human rights of victims of trafficking.”

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 – Women as powerful agents of change

British and Irish Governments must strengthen women’s role in peace process.

The Northern Ireland Executive was urged today to pressurise the British and Irish governments into implementing a UN Security Council Resolution which would give women here a more representative role in the peace process.

Feminist peace building group Hanna’s House met with MLAs today (18th September) in Belfast, ahead of a major All-Ireland Conference in Dublin in November, to discuss the need for both British and Irish governments to include Northern Ireland in their national action plans to implement UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

Shirley Graham, peace project co-ordinator of Hanna’s House, said the failure of the two governments to make provision for Northern Ireland in their action plans meant that women would continue to be under represented in politics, policing and the judiciary.

“The UNSCR calls for the increased participation of women in those institutions specifically established as result of conflict.  The exclusion of Northern Ireland from their Action Plans by both Governments means that women will continue to be under-represented in those institutions set up under the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, particularly in leadership and decision-making roles in areas that can make a difference to communities still living with the aftermath of conflict.

“We organised this meeting today to help raise awareness of the importance of UNSCR 1325 and to invite representatives from the Northern Ireland Assembly to attend an All Ireland Conference on ‘Delivering Women Peace and Security’ at Croke Park Conference Centre on November 5. The conference will be the first time politicians from both sides of the border will have come together to discuss this issue with women from all across Ireland.

“We are also calling on the London and Dublin administrations to work together on the implementation of UNSCR 1325 by having sections on Northern Ireland in their national action plans that complement each other. We believe the Northern Ireland Executive could have a leading role in persuading them that this is the right approach to take.”

The Croke Park Conference, which will be opened by Irish President Michael D Higgins, will include a keynote address by Christine Chinkin of the London School of Economics, giving an overview of UNSCR 1325 from a global perspective.

There will also be contributions from Professor Monica McWilliams on gender mainstreaming within the judiciary and from PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie on gender perspectives on policing and security.

Today’s meeting in Belfast followed a similar briefing in July when representatives from Hanna’s House met the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement to discuss the need for north south co-operation in implementing UNSCR 1325.

Hanna’s House believe that the institutions set up by the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement can be used to move forward the key actions demanded by the resolution.

 Dr Margaret Ward, Hanna’s House Chair  has stated that “the implementation of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement is ongoing and if UNSCR 1325 had existed at the time of its negotiation it would have provided a mechanism to ensure that women were adequately represented at the peace talks and in formal peace building institutions”.

Ms Graham added: “The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement created a framework in which the two governments could work with the new Northern Ireland Assembly to advance the peace process. This same framework can be used to bring about a new approach to Resolution 1325, to bring women to the heart of peace-building.

“It is important for women in Northern Ireland who have been impacted by violence to have real influence over institutions and services to create a safer and more equal society. This is not just about conflict resolution but also about prevention. We believe that women have a major role to play in ensuring we do not slide back into conflict.”

For more information about Hanna’s House visit  www.hannashouse.ie

Notes to Editors

UNCR 1325, which was signed on October 31 2000, is a landmark resolution that promotes women as powerful agents of change of conflict rather than as voiceless victims.

It recognises that women are important actors in peace building and conflict prevention and on governments to devise policy that provides women with adequate security and healthcare in the post conflict situation.

The UK National Action Plan on UNCR 1325 was published on November 25, 2010 and revised in February 2012. Despite intensive lobbying from GB and NI women’s group, the government does not address the conflict in their National Action Plan.

The Irish National Action Plan was officially launched by Mary Robinson in November 25 2011. November 25 is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Hanna’s House has called on the Irish Government to ensure that UNSCR 1325 was an integral part of the work of its Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement as well as Ministerial Councils set up under the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement: – the British-Irish Council, British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, North/South Council, North-South Inter-parliamentary Association and the North-South Parliamentary Forum to cooperate on issues related to women’s equality and human rights.

I know I’m pro-life because…

Today in Belfast a big ol’ crowd of people paraded and danced and chanted and even engaged some kind of whirling dirvish activity, all while holding yellow smiley faces and claiming to be “celebrating life”. What they were really doing was reinforcing the religious and patriarchal hegemony that seeks to keep women with their legs shut, their wombs occupied and their ambitions in the home. The last decade has seen the ongoing decline of the church’s influence throughout Ireland, not helped by the sexual abuse of children and subsequent cover ups, coupled with the growth of equality based democracy in Northern Ireland and human rights motivated legislative developments in the Republic. In short, this is something of an end of days for the anti-choice zealots. Their unfortunate misunderstanding of what happens when a sperm and an ovum meet has had  good run of it but in this modern age when we tend towards evidenced-based decision making, there’s just too much damn knowledge all around us for their nonsense to survive. And so they need these marches, where they fill coaches paid for with American money, with mainly children and the elderly from every parish in every far flung corner of this island. They need them to keep on convincing themselves that they are right, to keep anyone who disagrees with them too afraid to speak out, and to keep the 7000 women from Ireland who travel for abortions every year, shamed into silence.

Today in Belfast, we didn’t let them away with it. We had a counter rally where  brave sisters and brothers called out the bullshit and said “We are not ashamed”. We sat in a small theatre later in the afternoon and shared stories of real women’s abortion journeys while the last stragglers of the ‘Rally for Life’ passed by the window, oblivious to the truth they were missing out on just a few feet away. It was a strange day of mixed feelings. We were buoyant to begin with, Emilie and I half-running round to City Hall with the Belfast Feminist Network banner, desperate to catch our first glimpse of the crowd and buzzing with activism adrenalin. Later I talked to a lot of people who were surprised at their own rage as the anti-choice rally passed by, some were disgusted by the very fact that the marchers had felt the need to make the trip to our city to share their bigotry and ignorance, and others were really down as the sheer numbers passing by endlessly seemed overwhelming. Hopefully our pro-voice performance “Free to Tell” was a good debriefing experience, allowing the emotion of the protest to find a direction and focus on the whole reason we will continue to raise our voices.

The thing that angered me the most about Precious Life and Youth Defence and the whole movement they represent is their domination of the word “life”, in particular the way they use “pro-life” to define themselves. Last week while rehearsing for the play, we had a little cast in-joke where we wasted half an hour or so cracking ourselves up with how many ways we could reclaim the term for ourselves. A Facebook page was created as a result (of course) but perhaps the joke doesn’t have much mileage in it. It did get me thinking though, about all the ways I KNOW I’m pro-life and about the depth and breadth of what that term should mean. I believe in some version of the sanctity of life; that life is precious and should, with full consent, be preserved at all costs. I love the writings of John O’Donohue the Irish poet and philosopher who said “It is a strange and magical fact to be here, walking around in a body, to have a whole world within you and a world at your fingertips outside you.” I learned about injustice as a child and I knew it had something to do with people being denied the chance to live in the fullness of that mystery so I’ve spent most of my life looking for ways to do something about that. I’ve sat with children who’ve had more to bear than most of us could imagine, talked to them about how precious they are while they self harmed and my job was just to make sure they were safe. I’ve held the hand of a 9 year old as she proudly showed me round her house, 3 or 4 dirty mattresses on the floor in each bedroom, no photos, no toys, all 7 siblings adopted or fostered…and afterwards I took her out for ice-cream and wondered how many of the houses we passed on the way looked similar on the inside. I listened to a friend try to tell me about her mistakes, about what shame feels like, about what it means to never feel comfortable in your own skin because it’s like your body is the enemy, and missed the chance to understand her through being young and inexperienced and mostly drunk. But I’d understand now. I believe in human rights and equality, in creativity, in adventure, in community and family, in pleasure, in pushing yourself, in wanting more, and appreciating what you have. So that’s how I know I’m pro-life, and if someone out there thinks they can own that phrase because they believe one stupid thing about what god thinks about what women do with their bodies, then screw them. They can go to hell.

Kellie