Wearside Women in Need has a new Board of Trustees and Chief Executive, and together they are in the process of modernising services and expanding the partnership arrangements. WWiN are recruiting the following positions:
This weekend, 8 new venues from Newcastle joined Shout-Up! as Ambassador venues. Shout-Up!asks everyone to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment, making our bars, pubs and clubs safer places for women and men. Shout-Up! was conceived by Newcastle City Council's Safe Newcastle, Crystlsd and Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland and launched in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 2017.Teams from all venues have received training, participated in workshops and are committed to creating sexual harassment-free zones in our city.
Last week, The Times reported that Britain’s welfare system is so sexist it may as well have been compiled by “a group of misogynists in a room,” a UN expert has claimed. Philip Alston, the UN’s rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, warned that poverty in the UK is a “political choice” and that compassion and concern had been “outsourced” in favour of tax cuts for the rich.Alston was particularly critical of universal credit
A leading Coalition of women’s organisations has written to Education Secretary Damian Hinds MP saying that the Government’s ‘Relationships and Sex Education’ proposals are poor and will fail girls unless significantly amended and joined up to other school policies. Women’s groups fear that if implemented the proposed ‘Relationships and Sex Education’ statutory guidance will be a missed opportunity to ensure schools are part of efforts to end and prevent abuse of women and girls. Read more on the End Violence Against Women Coalition website.
The Mental Health Units (Use of Force) bill has been given Royal Assent and is now law. Jemima Olchawski, Chief Executive of Agenda says: “We are extremely pleased that this vital law aimed at reducing restraint has passed. It has the potential to change lives and may even save them. Our research shows that women and girls are restrained at disproportionate rates – with an alarming number dying after being restrained.
Listen to the latest SafeLives Spotlight podcast, Survivors and mental health services, where Jessica Southgate from Agenda talks about how mental health services are treating women.
The Home Office has published the second progress report on the UK's ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul convention), which describes actions taken since the publication of the first report in 2017. The progress report provides a breakdown of progress by the four nations relating to the prosecution, protection and prevention of violence against women and girls.
Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland is running a 6-week evening group from mid-February 2019 in central Newcastle. This group is for any woman aged 16 or over who lives, works or studies in the Newcastle area and has experienced sexual violence at any time in her life. The group offers a safe, supportive space to meet other women, explore myths around sexual violence and practice self-care and positive coping mechanisms. For further information, please call 0191 2220272 or email enquiries@rctn.org.uk.
The NEWomen's Network aims to strengthen the women's sector by encouraging collaboration between women's groups and by building alliances across other sectors. Read more »
