Shattering the Silence

Shattering the silence: a performance and book fight back against the UK's non-compliance with   CEDAW

PRESS RELEASE: 30 December 2013

Women v The State (UK) seeks case studies and evidence to support an inquiry into state noncompliance with the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The book will focus on abuse against women perpetrated by the state or its agencies in its devolution of responsibility to protect women and safeguard their rights, particularly in the private sector due to financial retrenchment disguised as austerity.  This book gives a voice to those who have been damaged by cuts and inequality across all classes and social strata, across all areas which affect women.

Anna is a Nigerian woman who was trafficked into the UK as a sex slave and fled her captors to seek asylum in 2010. She and her young son have been forced to move fivetimes in six months as a result of the failure of a G4S subcontractor to pay their rent, electricity and utility bills. Privatisation is just one way the state removes risk and its responsibility for the most vulnerable, sometimes using financial retrenchment disguised as austerity, as the excuse to monetise social services and capitalise on trauma.

Anna told The Guardian recently, "A lot of people are going through the same thing but they are scared to speak up. It's not right to treat people this way but no one listens to you if you are an asylum seeker."

Marion, running a billion dollar hedge fund is told that getting pregnant was not included in her employment contract and fired, with no recourse, for being unfit to do her job.

A woman who is a former escort publishes a high profile book about partying and taking cocaine with some of our most powerful and prominent politicians. Her home is raided at dawn by 30 policemen, and the published book is heavily censored, removing embarrassing photographs of a senior minister taking cocaine.

A new project, Women v The State (UK), is gathering the stories of women like Anna, Marion and others – failed by the very systems that exist to protect them. Theirs are the stories behind the headlines, the stories of women let down by the state, which has so far failed to adopt CEDAW’s mandate to mainstream gender equality. Economists have found that women, particularly single parents and pensioners, suffered more than men from cuts tobenefits and public services, particularly because women’s services are often the first to go.

Women v The State (UK) is the first focus of Kazuri Minds, a new social enterprise think tank set up to examine and influence government and corporate policy and how it impacts women. The book covers state inadequacies in fulfilling CEDAW mandates across sectorssuch as health, employment, education, representation, social and economic benefits, sex role stereotyping, trafficking, and marriage and family law. It will shatter the silence aroundstate abuse towards women across all social strata, particularly those who are marginalised for other societal reasons, such as race, religion, age, social class, or colour.

Creative Director, Farah Damji, believes it is vital to reveal the stories of women who have been traumatised as a direct result of the actions of the state and its entrenchedinstitutionalised inequality. “The increasing monetisation of social services is, in many cases, not only failing to protect traumatised and vulnerable women from further harm, but also frequently inflicting further trauma upon victims, survivors and their loved ones." says Farah.

Women v The State (UK) asks women and frontline organisations across the UK to come forward with their experiences of such failures, including in the criminal justice system, exile, secure hospitals, mental health services, the asylum system, children’s homes, and sexual assault referral centres (SARCs). A recent report showed that there are still severe gaps in the provision of services to help women escape and recover from violence and abuse. This is to be expected, since 2010, 31% of funding to the domestic violence and sexual abuseservices sector was cut.

Editor Nanki Chawla said, “We want to collect as many stories as we can for Women v theState (UK), which is a powerful way of highlighting the failures of the state in mainstreaming gender equality. We will make sure all stories are presented anonymously to protect the identities of the women involved and to make sure they do not experience further distress.”

The Women v The State (UK) boasts a foreword by the former Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, Michael Turner QC, and will be launched at the House of Commons in March 2014. An enactment of several stories from the book for Women of the World 2014, written and produced by renowned writer, playwright and activist Farrukh Dhondy who wrote the groundbreaking film Bandit Queen will be directed by Penny Cherns, senior tutor at LAMBDA.  Finally, we hear the voice of these women's inconvenient truths subdued by the patriarchal hierarchies which suppress a woman's dignity, her choices and her humanity.

Sarah Cheverton, co editor emphasises "Given the repeated failings of the state in mainstreaming gender equality, it is important to raise awareness of the deep-rooted patterns of gendered abuse in the UK. We need to look at safer options which take into account the health and wellbeing of our community and our economy and get away from thisspiralling race to the bottom.”    ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

1.

Contact details

Creative Director, Farah Damji: Farah@kazuri.org.uk  07512 320 700

Editor, Sarah Cheverton: sarah@kazuri.org.uk

Editor, Nanki Chawla: Nanki@kazuri.org.uk 07543 638 786

2.

Book details

Editors – Sarah Cheverton and Nanki Chawla

Creative Director – Farah Damji, Kazuri

Language / English

Pages / approx 120

3.

Submission details

We are looking for true accounts which showcase experiences of abuse at the hands of the state, andit’s lack of adherence to CEDAW regulations – these can be asylum seekers, refugees, domestic violence survivors, human trafficking survivors, offenders or ex-offenders, or indeed, any woman who has suffered injustice. The submissions can be in any form: prose, poetry, lyric, interview transcripts, case studies etc. These can be written and sent in via email or post, or we are happy to conduct interviews to collect stories.

Closing date for submissions January 30 2014

All stories will be told anonymously to protect identities and prevent further distress to those involved.

Submissions should be around 500 – 2,000 words however we are happy to entertain any other thoughts, ideas or possible submissions.

To send in a case study for Women v the State (UK), please contact: Nanki ChawlaNanki@kazuri.org.uk 07543 638 786 http://womenversusthestate.blogspot.co.uk/ 

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Abuse and telling the truth, from the Church of England

 Statistics

Although numbers vary, some reports show that about 1 in 4 girls, and 1 in 9 boys are abused in childhood.  Key research in 21 countries found varying rates from 7 to 36 per cent of women and 3 to 29 per cent of men reporting they had been sexually abused as children.  One of the most rigorous UK studies found that 12 per cent of women and 8 per cent of men reported they had been sexually abused before the age of 16.There is some evidence that there is considerable under-reporting from boys and men.

Effects of abuse
Some survivors cope well with life and are able to live apparently ‘normally’. Some, however, although they present a ‘normal’ face to the world, may well be suffering and sometimes be unable to say what their problem is – or even to know why they feel ill at ease and unable to feel a sense of peace and joy.
Some may show a range of symptoms such as

●  repeated bouts of depression
●  exhibiting anger and hostility – or being unable to connect at all with feelings;
●  behaving like a victim – low self-esteem and putting themselves down and constantly apologizing;
●  inability to get close to people, or wanting to be inappropriately close;
●  disturbed sleep, nightmares and so on,
●  tending to ‘space out’ (cutting off from reality)
●  exhibiting fears, phobias and anxiety;
●  self-harming (this is a way of coping, not something done ‘to get attention’); 
●  tending to feel an inappropriate amount of guilt and shame; 
●  sometimes relying on smoking, drugs, alcohol or medication; 
●  experiencing hallucinations and/or ‘flashbacks’ of the abuse; 
●  sometimes moving from one abusive relationship to another. 

• Loss of trust
  Adults and children who are abused can lose trust in those around them, especially if the abuse was within the home. (Most abuse is carried out by people known to the victim.) The loss of trust will profoundly affect the life of the survivor. They may decide (often unconsciously) never to trust anyone ever again – and this is likely to affect their faith and relationships.
  
  Why didn’t you say so at the time?
  Many survivors say nothing about the abuse for many years. Some have buried their memories so deeply within themselves that they have ‘forgotten’ what happened – especially if the abuse happened when they were very young.
  Memories may be ‘triggered’ in a range of ways, for example:
  

  • ●  hearing about abuse on television;
    
  • ●  being in another abusive situation such as finding difficulties with a domineering employer;
    
  • ●  being in a situation where they feel powerless;
    
  • ●  feeling vulnerable, ill, under stress, or suffering from burnout;
    
  • ●  the death of their abuser or of one of their carers; 
  • ●  the birth of their own child. 
  • Few victims can report their abuse close to the event and so often reported abuse is about events of years ago, leading to difficulties with finding any proof of what happened. It is 
  • often one person’s word against another, and the likelihood of the survivor getting justice is slim. However, some cases do go to court, but the experience can be devastating for both children and adults and they are likely to need considerable support.
    
  • 
    

  Pastoral  care of survivors
  An adult (or indeed a child) disclosing abuse is in a vulnerable state. Above all they need someone to listen to them – and also to believe them. They may need to be ‘heard’ in different contexts and over several years.
  If there is a complex pastoral situation when an adult discloses abuse (e.g. a young person in their twenties accusing a church worker of sexually abusing them), it would be appropriate to find some support for the different parties involved, such as another survivor to support the person making the allegations.
  
  
  There is no quick fix for healing from abuse and it is crucial that survivors: ● Are not pushed into forgiving too early. Forgiving their abuser/s is a 
  
  

Letter to a Universal Inner Child

Ted Hughes on the Universal Inner Child, in a Moving Letter to His Son.

“The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated.”

“The analogy between the artist and the child is that both live in a world of their own making,” wrote Anaïs Nin in her diary in 1945.

When I came to Lake Victoria, it was quite obvious to me that in some of the most important ways you are much more mature than I am. . . . But in many other ways obviously you are still childish — how could you not be, you alone among mankind? It’s something people don’t discuss, because it’s something most people are aware of only as a general crisis of sense of inadequacy, or helpless dependence, or pointless loneliness, or a sense of not having a strong enough ego to meet and master inner storms that come from an unexpected angle. But not many people realise that it is, in fact, the suffering of the child inside them. Everybody tries to protect this vulnerable two three four five six seven eight year old inside, and to acquire skills and aptitudes for dealing with the situations that threaten to overwhelm it. So everybody develops a whole armour of secondary self, the artificially constructed being that deals with the outer world, and the crush of circumstances. And when we meet people this is what we usually meet. And if this is the only part of them we meet we’re likely to get a rough time, and to end up making ‘no contact’. But when you develop a strong divining sense for the child behind that armour, and you make your dealings and negotiations only with that child, you find that everybody becomes, in a way, like your own child. It’s an intangible thing. But they too sense when that is what you are appealing to, and they respond with an impulse of real life, you get a little flash of the essential person, which is the child. Usually, that child is a wretchedly isolated undeveloped little being. It’s been protected by the efficient armour, it’s never participated in life, it’s never been exposed to living and to managing the person’s affairs, it’s never been given responsibility for taking the brunt. And it’s never properly lived. That’s how it is in almost everybody. And that little creature is sitting there, behind the armour, peering through the slits. And in its own self, it is still unprotected, incapable, inexperienced. Every single person is vulnerable to unexpected defeat in this inmost emotional self. At every moment, behind the most efficient seeming adult exterior, the whole world of the person’s childhood is being carefully held like a glass of water bulging above the brim. And in fact, that child is the only real thing in them. It’s their humanity, their real individuality, the one that can’t understand why it was born and that knows it will have to die, in no matter how crowded a place, quite on its own. That’s the carrier of all the living qualities. It’s the centre of all the possible magic and revelation. What doesn’t come out of that creature isn’t worth having, or it’s worth having only as a tool — for that creature to use and turn to account and make meaningful. So there it is. And the sense of itself, in that little being, at its core, is what it always was. But since that artificial secondary self took over the control of life around the age of eight, and relegated the real, vulnerable, supersensitive, suffering self back into its nursery, it has lacked training, this inner prisoner. And so, wherever life takes it by surprise, and suddenly the artificial self of adaptations proves inadequate, and fails to ward off the invasion of raw experience, that inner self is thrown into the front line — unprepared, with all its childhood terrors round its ears. And yet that’s the moment it wants. That’s where it comes alive — even if only to be overwhelmed and bewildered and hurt. And that’s where it calls up its own resources — not artificial aids, picked up outside, but real inner resources, real biological ability to cope, and to turn to account, and to enjoy. That’s the paradox: the only time most people feel alive is when they’re suffering, when something overwhelms their ordinary, careful armour, and the naked child is flung out onto the world. That’s why the things that are worst to undergo are best to remember. But when that child gets buried away under their adaptive and protective shells—he becomes one of the walking dead, a monster. So when you realise you’ve gone a few weeks and haven’t felt that awful struggle of your childish self — struggling to lift itself out of its inadequacy and incompetence — you’ll know you’ve gone some weeks without meeting new challenge, and without growing, and that you’ve gone some weeks towards losing touch with yourself. The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated. And the only thing people regret is that they didn’t live boldly enough, that they didn’t invest enough heart, didn’t love enough. Nothing else really counts at all."

Pope Francis, God's vicar or people's Pope?

The man who's taught the world the meaning of humility: He lives in a B&B and makes sandwiches for his guards. Could Francis be the greatest Pope ever?

By Guy Adams originally published in the Daily Mail 25 12 2013

Bespectacled, modest 77-year-old from Argentina was elected in March. He has washed Muslim prisoners' feet and ridden the bus with bishops. On Christmas Eve he carried a heavy statue of the baby Jesus himself. He shuns ornate papal apartments and made a guard a jam sandwich.

Question: Who was the most talked about person in the world this year? Answer: Not Justin Bieber, Prince George or even Nelson Mandela, but a small, grey-haired man from Argentina called Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

Known since March 13 as Pope Francis, the spectacle-wearing 77-year-old was 2013’s most discussed human being, according to the Global Language Monitor’s annual survey of the internet.

The accolade lays bare his astounding ability — unique among modern religious leaders — to shape the news agenda and capture hearts and minds with a succession of charismatic speeches and colourful public gestures.

Pictured posing for a 'selfie' inside St Peter's Basilica in March, Pope Francis has seen his popularity and that of the Catholic church soar. He has been named Time magazine's person of the year

Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of a prisoner at the Casal Del Marmo Youth Detention Centre during the mass of the Lord's Supper in March.

Yesterday, Francis drew a near record crowd estimated at 100,000 to St Peter’s Square in Rome to hear a Christmas address where he called for ‘a better world, free from conflict’.

More than two million people have flocked to such audiences since his election — four times the number his predecessor Pope Benedict drew in total in 2012.

This Pope’s headline-grabbing speeches are tweeted and televised around the world. His public gestures are YouTube gold.

And his policy statements are included in the morning briefing papers of Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and David Cameron.

A fortnight ago, Francis was named Time magazine’s 86th Person of the Year — an honour previously awarded to Churchill, the Queen, Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy.

Continues....

Why we don't trust our leaders in the workplace

Reblogged from Forbes
Curated by Rachel

As the world mourns the loss of Nelsen Mandela and commemorates his greatness as a leader, we would do well to remember that one of the  many hallmarks of his leadership was trust.    The greatest leaders in the world gravitated toward Mr. Mandela because he was genuinely trustworthy and his purpose was to support peace, prosperity and unity not only in South Africa – but throughout the world.   Mandela was able to lead people in ways that many find impossible to do. As he famously said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Unfortunately, trust is in rare supply these days.  People are having trouble trusting each other, according to an AP-GfK poll conducted in November 2013, which found that Americans are suspicious of each other in their everyday encounters.   Only one-third of Americans say most people can be trusted – down from half who felt that way in 1972, when the General Social Survey first asked the question.  Forty years later, in 2013, a record high of nearly two-thirds says “you can’t be too careful” in dealing with people.
This same sentiment can be carried over into the workplace, where employees want their leaders to be more trustworthy and transparent.   Employees have grown tired of unexpected outcomes resulting from the lack of preparation.  They want to be informed of any change management efforts before – not after the fact.   Employees desire to know what is expected of them and be given the opportunity to reinvent themselves, rather than be told they are not qualified for new roles and responsibilities and can no longer execute their functions successfully.
Leaders are challenged between informing their employees of the entire truth and holding back certain realities so as not to unnecessarily scare   people or lose top-talent.   More and more leaders today are being placed into uncomfortable moral dilemmas because they are attempting to salvage their own jobs while trying to maintain the trust and loyalty of their employees.
The growing tensions between leaders and their employees are creating productivity challenges as uncertainty becomes the new normal in the workplace.  Furthermore, leaders are beginning to lose control of their own identities and effectiveness as their employees begin to lose trust in their intentions because of hidden agendas and political maneuvering – casting clouds of doubt over their futures.
Employees just want the truth.  They have learned that the old ways of doing things just don’t apply (as much) anymore and more than ever they need their leaders to have their backs.  Unfortunately, many leaders are operating in survival mode and don’t have the sphere of influence they once had; without leaders to sponsor and mentor them, high-potential employees must now figure out the changing terrain on their own.
Here are seven early warning signs to look out for so you can course-correct when employees are having trouble trusting their leaders:
1.  Lack Courage
Leaders that don’t stand up for what they believe in are difficult to respect and trust.   Too many leaders today battle the gulf between assimilation and authenticity.   They waste too much of their valuable time trying to act like other leaders in the organization – rather than attempting to establish their own identity and leadership style.   This is why less than 15% of leaders have defined and live their personal brand.
Perhaps leaders don’t believe that their employees are paying attention to this behavior – but they are intently observing.    Employees are always in tune to what their leaders are doing and how they manage themselves.   Employees know that if their leaders are not savvy enough to move themselves into a position of greater influence, it will make it that much more difficult for   them to get noticed and discovered as well.  The influence of a leader carries a lot of weight when it comes to how their colleagues judge and evaluate the potential of their employees.
When leaders lack the courage to enable their full potential and that of others, it becomes a challenge to trust their judgment, self-confidence, self-awareness and overall capabilities.
2.  Hidden Agendas
Leaders that are too politically savvy can be viewed as devious and inauthentic.  Employees want to follow leaders who are less about the politics and more about how to accomplish goals and objectives.   While being politically savvy is important, leaders must be careful not to give their employees the impression of orchestrating hidden agendas.
Employees want to believe that their leaders are focused on the betterment of the team.  If this requires well-intentioned political maneuvering to advance team goals and objectives, then great.  However, if it comes across that a leader is solely intent on protecting themselves and their own personal agendas – trust from the team will be lost quickly and difficult to recapture.
3.  Self-Centered
Hidden agendas make it difficult to trust that a leader’s intentions and decision-making are not self-centered.  When a leader is only looking out for themselves and lacks any sense of commitment to the advancement of their employees – this shuts-off employees quickly.

Great leaders are great coaches and are always looking to help their employees grow and prosper.   When leaders lack any real desire to mentor, coach and/or guide the career advancement of their employees – it becomes increasingly difficult for employees to trust them.   I’ve often said that leaders can’t go at it alone.   But when leaders are too disruptive, their employees sense that they are in it for themselves and/or don’t trust the talent around them.
Also, when leaders are self-centered their ego stands in the way of advancing others – further eroding trust.
4.  Reputation Issues
When people begin to speak negatively about their leader, it makes it more difficult for others to trust their intentions and vision.  For example, look at what has happened to President Barrack Obama since December 2009 when his approval rating was 69%.    According to the Rasmussen Reports, four years later (as of December 7th), Obama’s approval rating is now at 43%.  Nearly a 30% decline has created massive disruption to his reputation and many who have followed and supported him for years are now having troubling trusting him.
If you conducted a comparative approval rating survey in your workplace, how would your employees rate the performance of your leaders?
Every leader must be aware that they are constantly being evaluated and thus they can never grow complacent.   When they do, this begins to negatively impact their reputation and the trust employees have in their leadership.
5.  Inconsistent Behavior
People are more inclined to trust those who are consistent with their behavior.   Isn’t it easy to begin questioning one’s motives/judgment when they are inconsistent?  For example, I’ve worked with clients who appear to be on the same page – only to notice that they begin to disconnect when they believe that the direction of a project is not allowing them to mobilize their own agendas.   In order words, when everyone but the leader is on board with a strategy – you begin to wonder if their intentions are to support the organization’s advancement or their own.
Leaders who are consistent with their approach and intentions are those who can be trusted.   This is why so many leaders need to refresh their leadership style before they lose the trust of their employees.
6.  Don’t Get Their Hands Dirty
Leaders must touch the business, just as much as they lead it.    When leaders are over-delegating and not getting their hands dirty – employees begin to question whether or not their leader actually knows what is required to get the job done.    Distrust amongst employees begins to rise.
Though leaders cannot be expected to have all of the answers – they should not play at arms-length either. The 21st century leader must be more high-touch in order to effectively evaluate the business and coach-up their employees.    How else can a leader establish the standards to maintain and improve workplace performance?
Are your leaders getting their hands dirty or are they merely acting the part?
Leaders must earn the trust of their employees and stop believing that their titles, roles and responsibilities automatically warrant trust from others.
7.  Lack a Generous Purpose
When a leader doesn’t genuinely have your best interests at heart, it’s difficult to trust them.  When leaders are not grateful for your performance efforts – and are always attempting to squeeze every bit of effort they can out of you – it’s difficult to trust that they have intentions to be more efficient, resourceful and collaborative.

Employees don’t ever want to feel taken advantage of – especially during a time when everyone is being asked to do more with less.   Leaders must be more appreciative of their employees and more mindful of their endeavors.
Leaders who lack a generous purpose and are not compassionate towards their employees are difficult to trust. How can leaders expect their employees to give them everything they’ve got to increase their performance impact when they are not willing to do the same?
These seven behavioral traits are becoming much more prevalent in the workplace and if leaders fail to course-correct they will be putting their employees in positions of increased risk – disrupting their focus and the momentum of their careers.
This is what today leaders must consider: how to lead in new ways that focus less on oneself, but more on the betterment of a healthier whole. Leaders must enable positive social change through ethical innovation   – what I call “innovation humanity.”

Let’s honor Mandala’s courage and compassion by letting his leadership inspire us now as it did throughout the life he lived with such generous purpose.
Email or follow-me the author on Twitter @GlennLlopis.

Mandela-Free

"It always seems impossible until it is done." ~ Nelson Mandela

RIP Madiba

Plumber Girl

This is from our one service users as part of our "Coming Home Cardiff" program, joining women, skills, housing and employment. Thanks to the lovely team at Mears for making this happen.
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This is the first blog I have ever written but here goes...

I am a female plumber who has spent the last year trying to get funding for my NVQ in plumbing. I got nowhere. Nevertheless I plodded on carrying out plumbing jobs in the hope that one day all my hard work would pay off. Well today, it finally did!

Under the guidance of 'Coming Home Cardiff' a meeting is arranged for me to meet members of the MEARS group and discuss my future. Me, a scruffy plumber with no business mind at all, going to a business meeting.

 Can you imagine? 

Wondering how I will fit in and whether I will crumble. I take my seat at the table.  I am totally at ease. Made to feel very welcome and comfortable and not at all out of place in my silicone covered polo shirt, trousers and work boots! I even begin to enjoy it and although I don't understand everything that is said, I manage to grasp most of it. Here is a company introduced by Kazuri, that understands me and what I need. Not only that, but they are willing to help me full the gaps in my NVQ portfolio and give me the opportunity to do my gas qualification and all the help I will need to start up. 

It's all I can do not to jump out of my seat and hug every person around the table. Not sure that would have gone down well.

I feel totally secure and like a child who was lost and has just been reunited with its mother. Yes everything is going to be ok now.

 The Mears team is behind me and understands what needs to be done and will get it done. As for 'Coming Home Cardiff', well this will be a new chapter in my life. What a team we can be.

Once I am qualified I will be able to work with the girls we support. It will be a new and enjoyable challenge for me and I'm so looking forward to being able to help others. I know how difficult it was for me to find a plumber willing to take me on. 

After phoning every local plumber I could find in the yellow pages and online I had almost given up. I decided to have one last attempt by contacting my local paper and asking them to run a story about the fact no man would take me seriously. Of course once I told the college of my intentions they pulled out all the stops and found me someone. I was very fortunate as I am the only one out of my class to actually finish the course and continue plumbing. It is very difficult to find plumbers willing to take on apprentices for various reasons. Some simply don't want the competition. Others think it is too risky.

I am  ready to help out women who have an interest in construction but for whatever reason, they have been unable to find the training. It's hard enough to enter this industry as a female so I have every respect for the women who have found themselves excluded from society, but willing to give construction a go. 

I feel honored to be a part of a scheme offering help and housing to women in need.

I have a new found confidence thanks to the whole team who has helped me get to where I am now. I am so excited about the future. I have the opportunity to work alongside plumbers and gain new experiences. I have funding to complete my NVQ which will enable me to obtain insurance. I have been offered help and support in registering my business, something I never considered. And, I can
obtain my health and safety certificate which is something I hadn't even thought about.

Needless to say, I am eternally grateful to all involved and I am so looking forward to working alongside a great team.

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Creating a service based on love and community. To serve.