» Women
August 7th, 2008
Idle Women wanted
The Waterways Trust and British Waterways are appealing for women who worked on the waterways during the Second World War to come forward to receive formal recognition of their efforts more than 60 years after the conflict ended. During the war, women volunteered to work on the canals. Wearing a badge with the initials IW to indicate that they were working on the waterways on essential war work, this group of women became known as the Idle Women. These young girls, mostly from middle class backgrounds with no experience of manual labour worked hard and effectively, transforming themselves into first rate boaters, earning the respect of traditional boating families. Tony Hales, British Waterways’ chairman, said: “The achievements of this group of women during the war, while small in number, have never been formally recognised. We would now like to rectify this and hope that former Idle Women, or their relatives, will come forward to share their stories and experiences.” The majority of the Idle Women worked on the Grand Union Canal. The Waterways Trust and British Waterways are now having a plaque created to provide permanent and lasting public recognition of the contribution made by this special group of people during World War II. The plaque will be mounted at the National Waterways Museum Stoke Bruerne. Former Idle Women, or their families, should contact Justine Lee at The Waterways Trust on 07917 804550 or email justine.lee@thewaterwaystrust.org.uk
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7 August 2008
© Waterways Trust
July 31st, 2008
Working mums make positive role models
New survey reveals working families feel their kids get a head start. Seven out of ten working parents think having a job helps set a positive role model for their kids and gives them a good start in life, according to a poll undertaken by Jobcentre Plus with the readership of That’s Life! magazine. The figures, which come as the school summer holidays get into full swing, also show that eight out of 10 mums surveyed think the main benefits of being in work are having more money to pay the bills and do things as a family.
31 July 2008
© Crown copyright
Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women from across London will take part in the first in a series of Government events today, which aim to encourage them to become councillors in local government - ultimately making councils more representative of the communities they serve and enable more informed decision making. Harriet Harman, Minister for Women and Equality, recently launched the Taskforce - a working group of 14 current and former councillors from across Britain, each from different ethnic backgrounds and political parties. The Taskforce is chaired by Baroness Uddin - the first Muslim woman in the House of Lords and a prominent figure in the Black and Asian community. It aims to take practical steps to help women from ethnic minority groups enter public life. The Taskforce members are fully committed to supporting and advising women interested in becoming a local councillor. The pilot event, being held in the Borough of Tower Hamlets, East London, is the first in a series of regional events across the country, which aim to raise awareness of the role and benefits of being a local councillor, encourage more Black, Asian and minority ethnic women to consider stepping forward, and providing advice on how to find out more about becoming a local councillor. Launching the event, Barbara Follett, Deputy Minister for Women and Equality said, “We need our local councils to better reflect society. This is not only because BAME women are vastly underrepresented as local councillors - there are only around 168 across England, when there should be about 1000 - but also because we’ll have more informed local decision making if all members of the community are involved.”
23 July 2008
© Cabinet Office
A London charity that supports victims of domestic violence is celebrating a High Court victory that resulted in its local council reversing a decision to cut its £100,000 funding. Southall Black Sisters , which helps people from black and minority ethnic communities, was told by Ealing Council last July that its £100,000 annual grant would not be renewed. The council wanted to use the money to commission a domestic violence support service for all women in the borough.
23 July 2008
© Third Sector Online
July 17th, 2008
Women dominate charity workforce
More than four-fifths of people working in the Republic of Ireland’s voluntary sector are women, according to the first survey of sector pay and benefits in the country. The survey of more than 300 organisations found that 82 per cent of full-time workers and 85 per cent of part-time workers are women. Those figures compare with a UK workforce that is 69 per cent female, according to the NCVO’s 2007 Voluntary Sector Workforce Almanac.
17 July 2008
© Paul Jump, Third Sector Online
June 23rd, 2008
Tackling demand for prostitution - the Dutch model
The Dutch approach to prostitution was observed today by Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker during a visit to the Netherlands, as part of the Government’s review into tackling the demand for prostitution. The Government’s six-month review began in January with a visit to Sweden to explore the impact of legislation which criminalises the purchase or attempted purchase of sex and decriminalises its sale. The Netherlands takes a different approach and currently has a licensing scheme for brothels, meaning the organisation of prostitution by consenting adults is not a criminal offence. Ministers, including the Solicitor General Vera Baird and the Deputy Minister for Women and Equality Barbara Follett, used the visit to look at the impact of the Dutch Government’s legislation and the effect this has had in terms of the size and nature of the market. The visit will also be used to find out more about the current debate in the Netherlands about whether they should be doing more to tackle demand. Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said: “We recognise that there may be more we can do to challenge the demand for prostitution and we are looking at how to strengthen our approach.”
20 June 2008
© Home Office (National)
The focus in housing policy on increasing housing supply, improving existing neighbourhoods, managing community relations, and offering more consumer choice make it important to understand how people make decisions about where they live. This research explored the housing aspirations of second generation south Asian and white British women. It questioned whether provision and services established to cater for first generation migrants remain relevant for second generation south Asian women. Findings can be downloaded as a PDF download from: http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/housing/pdf/2245.pdf
18 June 2008
© Joseph Rowntree Foundation
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This National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (NBAW) - 11-17 May 2008 - the Department of Health is encouraging young mothers from low-income backgrounds to access support that will help them to breastfeed for longer. Breastfeeding is a major public health issue in today’s society with significant inequalities in infant feeding practices. Age is a strong factor, with statistics showing that in the UK, 76% of women start breastfeeding, but for mothers under 20, it’s just 51%. Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo says, “The recent Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition review highlighted the fact that younger mothers, mothers from lower socio-economic groups and mothers with lower educational levels appear least likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding. It is imperative that we support our most vulnerable families to make breastfeeding the norm and improve health outcomes for all.” A decision to breastfeed, especially for the first six months of a baby’s life, can have a huge impact on infant health and development. The Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to the age of six months, with continued breastfeeding alongside solid foods after six months. Research indicates breastmilk gives babies all the nutrients they need for the first six months of life and helps protect them from infection and diseases such as gastro-intestinal infections, ear infections, urine infections, eczema and obesity in later childhood. ‘Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives’ a cross-government strategy for obesity (January 2008)2 aims to reverse the rise in childhood obesity and breastfeeding plays an integral role in this. Breastfeeding provides health benefits for mothers too. It can reduce the risk of against ovarian cancer, breast cancer and weak bones later in life.
3 May 2008
© Department of Health (National)
May 14th, 2008
Ethnic minority women and domestic violence conference
Imece is a Turkish-speaking women’s group, established in 1982. It is a not-for-profit organisation working to empower ethnic minority women, particularly Turkish, Kurdish and Cypriot women mainly through outreach work. Imece aims to achieve equality for ethnic minority women by providing specialist advice, information, advocacy and counselling services on domestic violence projects. The group also raises awareness about domestic violence and ethnic minority-specific issues. National and local services for ethnic minority women experiencing domestic violence are being developed to increase survivor’s safety and wellbeing. Capacity building services are also being set up for smaller ethnic minority organisations to improve their domestic violence services. Imece is holding a conference on 21 May 2008.
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13 May 2008
© IDeA
May 7th, 2008
New pilot poster campaign to make sex buyers think again
A new poster campaign to raise awareness of the exploitation and trafficking of some women among men who pay for sex was launched today by Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker, as part of the Government’s six month review into tackling the demand for prostitution. The posters are being piloted in men’s toilets in pubs and clubs in Westminster and Nottingham. They will be supported by online advertising, with additional advice on the UK Human Trafficking Centre’s “Blue Blindfold” website. Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said: “Trafficking is a vile and evil trade and sex buyers must be made to think twice about the consequences of their actions. These women are being treated as commodities and are sold, controlled and exploited by others for a profit. This is totally unacceptable. The advertising campaign we are launching today should help draw attention to the plight these women face and make men think again about what they are doing.”
5 May 2008
© Home Office (National)