MsUnderstoodUK

If black women’s organisations are lost, lives will be...

Wed, 25 Nov 2015 11:00:07 +0000

If black women’s organisations are lost, lives will be lost #StateOfTheSector #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #16days http://thndr.me/Dl9rJu

In October 2014, MsUnderstood hosted “Our Version of...

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 11:50:54 +0100

In October 2014, MsUnderstood hosted “Our Version of Events”, our first conference by and for young women, celebrating international day of the girl.

Check out the short version here: https://youtu.be/gaGXXah6aNg

Produced by Alexis L Wood and Dimitris Mastroyiannis.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/our-version-of-events-day-to-give-a-voice-to-marginalised-young-women-9788596.html

http://blog.msunderstood.org.uk/post/105534879560/our-version-of-events-engagement-empowerment

—
The MsUnderstood Partnership brings together the University of Bedfordshire, Imkaan, and the Girls Against Gangs Project to improve responses to young people’s experiences of gender inequality

Where are they now?: Hear what former MsUnderstood interns are up to...

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 11:17:39 +0100

Jashmin Patel

I was the first intern for MsUnderstood in January 2014. I applied for the internship because I wanted to gain more experience with working with young people and how currently services are responding to young people’s experiences of inequalities. During the programme, I had the opportunity to work closely with Carlene Firmin, contribute to many policy meetings and setting up the Girls and Young Women’s Engagement Subgroup. For International Day of the Girl, I organised a conference at City Hall for young women to influence and change policy that affect their lives. The day amplified and celebrated young women’s voices and their campaigning achievements. Currently, i’m based at Imkaan young women’s team, where I am focussing on the youth engagement work. I’ve also recently started my own makeup blog called imakeme, a platform to celebrate makeup artistry that explores different identities. Being a part of the MsUnderstood team and doing the internship programme, I have learnt and grown so much! Thank you MSU :)

Paris Black

I interned for MsUnderstood in 2014 and was their second intern on their internship program. I am currently completing my Masters in Sociology at the University of Warwick. I have always been passionate about the subject of Sociology, having completed my undergraduate degree in the subject at Bristol University a couple of years previously. The subject’s roots being connected to so many topics which MsUnderstood works passionately with such as feminism, social policy and gender equality.

My internship with MsUnderstood was an important building block in teaching me how social policy works and how positive change to society happens as a physical process. Carlene Firmin was an inspiring women to work with, and her hard work and dedication to this project is infectious to those around her. I was able to learn about communities not just in London but also meet motivating individuals from across the country. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the MsUnderstood and working with its team.

Asaybi Snape

I thoroughly enjoyed working with MSU as an intern, I was made to feel at home by the MSU team and felt that the entire team had a great understanding for the fact that I lived in Birmingham, was studying in Birmingham, had a another job and voluntary posts in Birmingham and had to commute to London on a weekly basis to complete the internship whilst managing my other obligations. As I had the option to write a dissertation or complete an internship for my final piece in my masters degree in International Human Rights Law, it was agreed with Carlene (Head of MSU) and my tutor that my internship would be included into my master’s degree as my final piece and therefore I would be assessed by my tutor on the work I completed in the internship, a huge report on my time as an intern and an essay on a topic MSU was currently working on; I chose the media representation of women. I gained some great insight into the issues youth services were experiencing in London and the struggles boroughs faced in tackling such issues. I created a merchandise poster in order to advertise MSU’s merchandise on market stools at conferences and I also created and designed MSU wristbands which I believe young people would be more willing to buy into in order to promote the works of MSU.

I was given the opportunity to sit in on very important planning and strategic meetings that allowed me to make suggestions to contribute to the direction of MSU. I was also given a place on the MSU Girls and Young Women’s Sub Group. This I felt was a very brilliant idea as it allows for interns to have a say on what they feel will work well and gave us the chance to participate in shaping MSU’s future.

Not only did I get to sit in important meetings, I was given the opportunity to participate in a few conferences. The first I facilitated a workshop alongside Fiona Factor and Helen Becket from UOB’s International Centre at the International Centre Conference 2014. The workshop was about engaging young people in the media, the struggles and benefits. This I considered an honor and great opportunity. The second conference was called the Children as Actors Transforming Society Conference in Geneva. This gave me the opportunity to showcase and also facilitate a workshop at an International Conference on the work I have done with UOB’s International Centre in the UK on gangs, CSE and issues affecting young people but also I got to talk about the things I had been doing since the project ended and therefore the projects lasting impact on my life. I was given the opportunity to conduct media speeches and interviews as a result of media reps enjoying our workshop.

Finally, I was given the opportunity to facilitate a speech and workshop at MSU’s ‘Our Version of Events Conference’ which celebrated the International Day of the Girl. This was a very overwhelming experience because I saw so many inspirational women from a variety of different age groups, backgrounds and ethnicities, but, also my Empowerment Girls Group were able to conduct their second workshop alongside myself which was also a very proud moment for me as they nailed it! I loved being in the MSU office and the debates that would conjure regarding new issues in the media, music videos etc as the months went by. I would say the MSU internship program was the best I have completed so far. I would definitely recommend it to those seeking to gain experience in politics, policy, youth advocacy and human rights. I would like to thank MSU for the great experience I gained and for the great result I gained at university based on my report and essay (71%). I will always hold your team with high respect and would love the opportunity to work with you again in a voluntary capacity.

Elizabeth Ackerley

The three months I spent with the MsUnderstood team gave me the best possible start to my career I could have wished for. I developed some very useful technical and admin skills, but more importantly I learned about passion, commitment and drive to make things more equal, and to do it all with a lot of laughter! The experience gave me invaluable insight into the women’s sector, work to safeguard young people, research into gender inequality, how to influence policy, and effective ways of engaging young people, especially girls and young women. During the internship I shadowed other members of the team, attended conferences and roundtables about child sexual exploitation, women and the criminal justice system, girls and gang violence and peer on peer abuse. I was given responsibility of some key admin tasks, I had the opportunity to write my own blog pieces and was supported to speak at stakeholder meetings and help with training sessions.

A big highlight for me was the young women’s conference, ‘Our Version of Events’ at the very beginning of the internship. The day was created and led by young women for young women, and was a celebration of all the invaluable work being done by young women to create positive change and challenge sexism and racism across the media and wider society, and the demonisation of young people. It was hugely inspirational listening to other women in the field talk about their experiences and most of all meeting other women and girls who are passionate about taking up space and making a positive change.

A crucial learning point for me whilst at MsUnderstood is the importance of intersectionality when trying to address gender inequality and violence against women and girls; the recognition that different groups of women experience inequality, prejudice and discrimination in a variety of intersecting ways is now a core part of my feminism. What I have taken away from my experience of working with MsUnderstood and Imkaan is a strengthened desire to expand my knowledge and understanding of intersectionality in all areas of life and to aim to actively make space for marginalised groups of people.

Since leaving MsUnderstood I have started work as a research intern at the International Centre: researching child sexual exploitation, violence and trafficking at the University of Bedfordshire; a role I would not have gained had it not been for the experience of the internship and the support of the MsUnderstood team. I am able to use the skills I developed during the internship, specifically around building professional relationships with others, knowledge of intersectional inequalities, contextual safeguarding and working with young people. I hope to continue to work in this field and develop my knowledge of research and policy and gain more experience of working with children and young people to support them and make their voices heard.

Cassie J-C

Since being an intern at Msunderstood I have applied for an ISVA voluntary role and I have done various training around this voluntary role. The training has helped me to understand sexual violence in a lot more detail for women , the impact of trauma and also to understand the role of the criminal justice system in relation to sexual violence cases. The internship has helped me to understand what is peer on peer abuse between young people and how different multi-agencies must work together more so that the right interventions are used when working with young people. Since training for my new voluntary role and I understand that that safeguarding and interventions are different between young people and adults therefore different professionals should understand this and put in the procedures when working with an adult or young person. In relation to the internship because I enjoyed learning about peer on peer abuse, for this reason I would like to I would like to gain some experience with young people and hopefully study a social work masters in the future.

Jade K Tate

Shadowing the MsUnderstood team, attending MSU training and being invited to conferences as a part of the MSU team has helped me understand a range of issues that can affect young women such child sexual exploitation, harmful sexual behaviours, teenage relationship abuse and serious youth violence. It is very nourishing to be part of a team where issues of gender are constantly discussed with an intersectional approach that takes ethnicity, sexuality and age into account, and all members are encouraged to learn as much as they can. Before working with MsUnderstood I felt passionate about challenging gender inequality but was unsure how to channel this in a constructive way. The internship has shown me that research, policy, supporting professionals and engaging with young people are effective ways to safeguard those who are at risk of being affected by peer-on-peer abuse and gender inequality. As a result I was inspired to apply to be an advice service volunteer for Women and Girls Network (an organisation that supports women who have been affected by gender based violence). Experience gained in the internship has been a vital part of my application and without it I would probably not have been shortlisted for an upcoming interview. Furthermore the internship has helped me to realise my desire to be a caseworker for young women and I am excited to start my journey to achieve this. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know such a guiding, understanding and knowledgeable group of women. As a result I leave the internship knowing I have grown professionally and personally.

Why everything you think you know about gangs is wrong –...

Mon, 27 Jul 2015 13:22:56 +0100

Why everything you think you know about gangs is wrong – video

via guardian #commentisfree

I became a black woman in Spokane. But, Rachel Dolezal, I was a black girl first | Alicia Walters

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 12:15:08 +0100

I became a black woman in Spokane. But, Rachel Dolezal, I was a black girl first | Alicia Walters

theyworkforustoo: Q: As a young woman in the UK, what change...

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 12:06:24 +0100

theyworkforustoo:

Q: As a young woman in the UK, what change would you like to see post-election?

A: compulsory sex and relationships education in schools to include clear guidance about consent

theyworkforustoo: Q: As a young woman in the UK, what change...

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 12:04:16 +0100

theyworkforustoo:

Q: As a young woman in the UK, what change would you like to see post-election?
A: Compulsory media literacy in schools so that people learn to analyse the messages that they are getting

theyworkforustoo: Q: As a young woman in the UK, what change...

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 12:03:33 +0100

theyworkforustoo:

Q: As a young woman in the UK, what change would you like to see post-election?
A: I want to see women of colour in the media, who aren’t ‘ghetto’, subdued or a hypersexualised fetish. Fix media representation of women of colour.

theyworkforustoo: Q: As a young woman in the UK, what change...

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 12:02:56 +0100

theyworkforustoo:

Q: As a young woman in the UK, what change would you like to see post-election?
A: I would like to see survivors of domestic and sexual violence are taken more seriously in the CJS!

"I’m tired of waking up to claims that young people can’t be bothered to vote and therefore the lack..."

Tue, 05 May 2015 17:10:09 +0100

“I’m tired of waking up to claims that young people can’t be bothered to vote and therefore the lack of policies in our interest is our fault. Our collective weariness with an environment that does not seek to include us is often wrongly conflated with the idea that we are politically apathetic. Everyday party rhetoric, in language and content, prioritises the interests of older, middle-class white men and routinely ignores young people. But shouldn’t party politics be adapting to us; the people who will be shaping this country’s future, instead of those who will come to depend on us or already do?”

- Tamara-Jade Kaz in “Young Women in the UK Defy Stereotypes of Political Apathy Through Social Media”
(via theyworkforustoo)

In October 2014, MsUnderstood hosted “Our Version of Events”,...

Sun, 08 Mar 2015 14:01:19 +0000

In October 2014, MsUnderstood hosted “Our Version of Events”, our first annual conference by and for young women, celebrating international day of the girl.

Produced by Alexis L Wood and Dimitris Mastroyiannis

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/our-version-of-events-day-to-give-a-voice-to-marginalised-young-women-9788596.html

http://blog.msunderstood.org.uk/post/105534879560/our-version-of-events-engagement-empowerment

—-
The MsUnderstood Partnership brings together the University of Bedfordshire, Imkaan, and the Girls Against Gangs Project to improve responses to young people’s experiences of gender inequality

We’re ready to vote

Sat, 07 Feb 2015 14:00:56 +0000

by Martha MacDonald

Susan B. Anthony, Bob Moses, Wajeha al-Hawaidar; to name but a few of the men and women who have dedicated their lives to achieving universal suffrage, so that we all may vote. This is not a battle which started and finished with the Suffragettes, or with the black civil-rights campaign, but one that continues today. Women in Saudi Arabia are still awaiting the day in 2015, when, at last, they will be able use their vote for the very first time in their country’s history.

I am 17 and a half years old, and last October marked the second time that I used my right to vote. Jersey, a tiny nine-by-five island, 14 miles off the coast of France; high in off-shore banking accounts, milk and low on…taxes, but more importantly (and perhaps less contentiously) on voting age. In 2008, the States of Jersey, following in the footsteps of Brazil and Nicaragua, decided to extend the right to vote to young people aged 16 and 17. My right to vote is not something that I tend to take lightly. I fully appreciate its levity, and the brazen context in which it was forged. I feel the courage of the Suffragettes drive me as I mark the cross on my ballot paper, bold and unashamed - I would like to disclose that Emmeline Pankhurst did not coerce me into voting for anything or anyone in particular…it was a metaphor.

I have been able to vote since I was 16 and I truly believe it creates more politically minded and motivated individuals. This is why I think that the UK should heed the example of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and lower the voting age to 16. However, over 1.5 million young people my age are still being denied the right to vote across the UK. Therefore, regardless of their interest, politics remains something to be reserved for an exclusive group, something that they must wait until they are ‘old enough’ to participate in on an official level. Despite the fact that, once you turn 16, you are, by law, granted the autonomy to consent to a sexual relationship, make the decision to leave your family home, and be held to justice should you break the law. These legal rights and responsibilities surely demonstrate that turning 16 marks a transition from the dependence and shelter of being a child into the world of adulthood, where you must make choices for yourself, and are trusted to understand the difference between right and wrong. By the age of 17, you are permitted to operate heavy machinery on public roads, but, in the eyes of the law, you are still incapable of making a single political decision that is worth listening to. Yet, the moment you turn 18, after years of political ignorance and insignificance, you are, overnight, now a fully politicised citizen of the UK, whose voice must and will be heard - isn’t it fantastic?

I’d like to make it clear that I fully appreciate this issue does not concern all 16 year olds. Of course, many 16 and 17 year olds are very passionate about politics, and long for the day when their voice will be heard, whose right to vote they consider a privilege which should not be taken for granted. Equally, there are many people over the age of 18 who are acutely unpolitical, and do not use their vote even though they can. This isn’t a collective cry for political freedom, it is a personal one, but one that I know resonates with many, young and not so young people across the UK. Unfortunately, for some young people in the UK and beyond, whether or not they possess the right to vote is of little consequence to them. Yet, from my perspective, this is the issue that needs to be addressed directly, and we can start by lowering the voting age.

Worryingly, I feel that the lack of motivation to vote present in some, but not all, young people is only spurred on by icons like Russell Brand who, in interview with Jeremy Paxman, broadcast a message of organised political indifference to a whole generation of young would-be voters. Instead of using his platform as a role model to so many impressionable young people to politically empower and engage with them, Brand has rather perpetuated the myth that voting is ‘not going to make a difference’. This only irresponsibly encourages the feeling of futility and insignificance that prevents so many young people from engaging with politics.

So, if they aren’t going to use their vote anyway, why should we bother giving it to them?

An excellent, but stupid question. Of course, simply lowering the voting age is not the whole solution to politicising an entire generation of young people, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do it. If politics isn’t brought into the forefront of youth consciousness at this early stage, it is obvious that young people will feel disillusioned with the political system. Lowering the voting age is the only way of there even being the slightest chance of increasing the electorate and politicising the next generation, but it isn’t enough. More needs to be done consistently at home, in schools, and at youth centres in order to politically motivate young individuals. And I’m not talking about having some ex-politician try to ‘make politics cool’ by talking about legalising marijuana, or licensing hours, because those are the only things that the youth of today are bothered by. There needs to be serious, contemporary structures in place to prioritise young people’s political education, with the aim of actually making them see the value of their vote, not dissuading them further.

This being said, the recent Scottish referendum saw 100,000 16 and 17 year olds registering to vote for the first time, completely undermining the view that at this age, young people are not mature enough to engage with political decisions. These switched-on and political young individuals clearly demonstrated that they do have a political voice, which they are not prepared to see ignored.

Ultimately, whether or not we are allowed the right to vote should not be judged solely on our age, but our willingness to be heard. Denying so many enriched and intelligent members of society the right to vote only encourages political apathy and feeds this disenchantment with the political system, limiting our capacity to orchestrate change and prohibiting us to rise to the challenges of the future ahead of us.

Our Version of Events: Engagement, empowerment, feminism and hula hooping!

Thu, 18 Dec 2014 17:42:00 +0000

By Liz Ackerley

In October this year, on International Day of the Girl, the MsUnderstood Partnership held our first annual conference - ‘Our Version of Events’ - at the City Hall in London. The idea behind the conference was to inspire and engage young women and girls by giving them a chance to discuss and develop ideas about the issues the MsUnderstood Partnership exists to explore and challenge: namely young people’s perceptions of gender inequality, sexism and racism across the media and wider society, and the demonisation of young people. Attended by more than 70 young women and girls, the day was hugely inspiring and a great affirmation of how young people can and should be the ones leading positive change. The day was created and lead by young women for young women, featuring presentations and workshops from the Girlguiding movement, the Birmingham Youth Empowerment Project, The Greater London Authority Peer Outreach Team and Imkaan’s Young Women’s Team. Tackling a variety of issues including Human Rights, influencing social policy, engaging girls and young women in politics and challenging discrimination in popular culture, one young women said the conference “Made me feel stronger. That my opinion does matter, that a difference can happen.”

This notion of moving forward was highlighted in Jinan Younis’ keynote speech where she emphasised how “it’s clear that things need to change, but when the change that needs to happen is so big it seems hard to imagine how we could ever achieve this. But what I’ve realised through these years is that people listen.” She went on to say “We have the power and responsibility to make a change. My experiences are those of one young woman; if we collated all the experiences of the women in this room, it would be too many to ignore. We all have a voice, and we’re all capable of making a difference.” Listening to young women and girls and giving them the space and encouragement to speak out is what ‘Our Version of Events’ was all about and many girls and young women commented on the event saying they “Felt comfortable to speak out and say my views.” And that it was a “Positive and inspirational day. I learnt a lot - I’m now even more ready to make changes and create a difference.”

One young woman, Lisa Fontanelle, has decided to set up her own event in the new year inspired by the conference. In her own words she explains what the event is about: “I am in the process of setting up an event called WOW, which stands for ‘Women of Worth’. The idea is to celebrate influential women in the workplace and so far we’ve got some really inspiring and successful young women lined up to speak, be it an author, an MP or an engineer. We’re planning to have activities, and there will be a wall of inspirational women throughout history depicted in comic strip form which my friend and I are currently working on.” Lisa said she found the day “a real eye opener” and the Q&A session with our panelists made a particular impact: “Before the conference I thought feminism was all about women who hate men. But listening to people speak at the conference I came to realise that actually it’s about women who want the same rights as men and want to be equal. Feminism should be about us as women empowering other women: we are too quick to bring each other down when we should be coming together.”

One of the main themes to come out of the conference was the word feminism and its meaning for different people. The media paints a confusing picture: some women who come out as feminists are greeted positively as a ‘fresh-face of feminism’, whereas others are slated for being ‘tokenistic’ and missing the point. And the voices of women who seek to advance a more inclusive and intersectional feminism are often very underrepresented and ignored in the mainstream media (See Reni Eddo-Lodge or Kimberle Crenshaw for a wider discussion of intersectional feminism). As it was for Lisa, a highlight for many of the young women and girls who attended the conference was the Q&A session between the young women and girls and the panel members, made up of Akima Thomas (Clinical Director of the Women and Girls Network), Dinah Cox, Baljit Ubhey, Alison Wheeler (Participation Officer for the Office of the Children’s Commissioner) and Carlene Firmin. Both the young women and girls and the panel members commented that they enjoyed the interesting and intergenerational discussion. One of the questions asked was ‘Would you describe yourself as a feminist and why?’ There were a variety of different responses, with the main message being that there is no prescribed model for being a feminist. Despite feminist often being seen as synonymous with man-hating ‘ugly’ women who wear comfy shoes and don’t care about their appearance, what the women on the panel showed us is that feminism can be for everyone. Some feminists shave, some feminists don’t; some feminists wear high heels and makeup, some feminists don’t; some feminists get involved in big campaigns and shouting at politicians, others challenge patriarchal stereotypes in a quieter individual way - there is no right or wrong. Despite the bad press that the word gets, if you believe in establishing and defending equal social, political and economic rights for women then there’s no reason you can’t identify with the word or the movement, it’s not an exclusive club after all!

In an interview following the conference, Dinah Cox describes her feminist roots: “When I was young I read lots of books and in the books the boys did really interesting things, and the girls had shit rubbish things to do so I thought I wanted to be a boy! But then I realised that it wasn’t being a girl that was the problem, it was society’s view of what a girl was supposed to be that was the problem. And so I started to see that other, older women had similar views and that there was this thing called feminism out there and so I read up more and more about this, and saw that by organising and joining with others and giving it a name you empower yourself and the other people around you and so I then I decided that I was a feminist.” Dinah added that for her a central tenet of feminism must be intersectionality: “There’s an important element about race and gender and where they overlap. As a black woman, I think it’s important to identify who you are yourself, and then organise and work with groups of people who share the oppression that you’re under to overcome it. To me it’s not just about being a woman, it’s about being a black woman, about how others identify us and use those things against us, when in fact they are amazing things and they are things we should celebrate and that makes me proud of being a black woman.”

Lisa found Dinah’s comments very inspiring, saying “what she said totally resonated with me. I liked the honesty with which everyone spoke about these issues.” Dinah herself said that on the day her inspiration came from the young women facilitating and attending the conference: “Asaybi (from Birmingham Empowerment Project) was doing such great work in bringing on the men and boys and educating them as well as giving a voice to young women..The Girlguiding movement has changed since my day and seems much more forward thinking…Carlene (Firmin), I think she’s an amazing person and I find her very inspirational.” Carlene’s first boss was Dinah and she in turn learnt a lot from Dinah who really encouraged her to develop and grow her ideas. Asaybi, who was an intern at MsUnderstood said she found the whole day inspiring, “I loved hearing different views on the term ‘feminism’ and how each speaker explained how they are a feminist in their own right [with or without the label]. But what I loved most was hearing all the positive works women and girls have been doing in the UK.”

‘Our Version of Events’ was a celebration. It was a celebration that there is growing recognition and support of the need to address gender-based violence against girls and young women. It was a celebration of the girls and young women who campaign tirelessly for positive change and who are getting somewhere with their goals. It was a celebration of youth, identity and what being a girl or young woman in today’s society really means. And it was a celebration of what is to come - watch this space.

Here we are at @MsUnderstoodUK conference campaigning for our rights! #girlzrule #OurVersion14 pic.twitter.com/trqN7ETcYw

— BeSexPositive (@BeSexPositive)
October 11, 2014

Lisa Fontanelle and friend at the conference.

@MsUnderstoodUK #OurVersion2014 loving the talks, discussions and hoola hooping!!! pic.twitter.com/35lFZkwQOS

— Paris Black (@Paris__Black)
October 11, 2014

Paris, a previous intern shows off her hula-hooping skills!

The Q&A session in the main chamber of the town hall

More than just a condom demonstration

Mon, 03 Nov 2014 15:47:00 +0000

By Liz Ackerley

“Are you all comfortable when I say the words oral sex?” Drawing the words out with an almost sadistic smile on his face, this was how a former teacher of mine once addressed our year 9 class. His question was followed by nervous giggles and embarrassed coughing and left us squirming in our seats as we tried to look anywhere but at his incredibly tight trousers. Needless to say, we were not exactly thrilled by the idea of discussing the topic with our RE teacher. This, and a cartoon video of a sperm meeting an egg, was the extent of my sex and relationships education at school. A handful of other classes were at least treated to a condom demonstration, but sexual consent, pornography, LGBTQ relationships, violence against women and girls, what constitutes a healthy relationship and online safety? Not a mention. Sadly this is not unusual, as the government deem only some aspects of Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) important enough to be compulsory in comprehensive schools; namely those that are part of the national curriculum for science and therefore do not explore healthy relationships or issues related to gender inequality. And in private schools and academies SRE can be missed out altogether.

So why is it so important that schools, in partnership with experts in the field, provide comprehensive and appropriate SRE for all their pupils? Three recent initiatives can tell us more about the desperate need for effective and inclusive SRE in schools:

Petition for compulsory sex and relationships education in schools by the End Violence Against Women coalition and the Everyday Sexism Project

The End Violence Against Women coalition and the Everyday Sexism Project have teamed up to create a petition calling on the party leaders to “Commit to making sex and relationships education in schools compulsory, to include sexual consent, healthy and respectful relationships, gender stereotypes and online pornography.” The petition focuses on the damaging, highly sexualised and sexist culture in which children grow up and how popular culture can have a huge impact on children and young people’s perceptions of what constitutes a healthy sexual (or non-sexual) relationship. We live in a world where media such as music videos, advertising and films continually portray women as sexualised and dehumanised and often show men as aggressive and even abusive, therefore normalising these gender stereotypes and perpetuating gender-based violence. The petition argues that SRE needs to be an essential part of the curriculum to challenge negative stereotypes and to increase knowledge and awareness of positive sexual relationships.

The End Violence Against Women and Girls Coalition Prevention Network

Alongside the petition, this network, made up of a number of organisations that have broad specialist and frontline knowledge on the situation for women and girls in this country, have recently released a factsheet designed to support schools in England to prevent violence and abuse of girls. The factsheet references a 2013 Ofsted report that found that 40% of schools had weak Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education and that consequentially pupils in these schools “had gaps in their knowledge and skills, most commonly in the serious safeguarding areas of personal safety in relation to sex and relationships.” The factsheet references several facts pertaining to the levels of violence amongst children and young people and how disproportionately this affects women and girls. Containing information about child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation, domestic violence and teen relationship abuse, female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage, online abuse, pornography, rape and sexual assault, ‘sexting’, sexual harassment and stalking, the factsheet aims to fill in the gaps in the knowledge and skills these children learn at school. The factsheet underlines how a whole school approach to SRE and gender equality could really help to challenge the normalisation of gender-based violence and prevent abuse. This would be achieved by acknowledging the extent of violence against women and girls, challenging notions of male sexual entitlement, preventing abusive attitudes and behaviours, unpicking harmful stereotypes that place responsibility on girls to protect themselves from violence, and addressing the gendered environment in which young people form attitudes and navigate relationships.

Girlguiding campaign: Girls Matter, our Calls for Change

Of course the voices that really need to be heard throughout this discussion are those of young women themselves: enter the Girlguiding movement. Girlguiding is the largest charity for girls and young women in the UK with over half a million members and they have recently produced a campaign to call on politicians to make young women’s voices a priority in the 2015 election. Their campaign comprises of 8 demands, including; wider representation in government and in policy consultation; an end to sexual bullying and children’s exposure to sexualised content in the media; an increased focus on girls rights in international development; and modernised SRE and gender equality to be taught in all schools. The campaign has been sparked by the results of their annual Girls’ Attitudes Survey, which found that girls are growing increasingly frustrated about the amount of sexual content in the media and sexual harassment on the streets and in the playground and want to bring about positive change by petitioning the government to pledge their support and respect these demands in politics.

All three initiatives urge the government to introduce compulsory, modernised Sex and Relationships Education as a means of protecting young people from harm and encouraging healthy and happy relationships. Some may argue that schools are not the right place to teach SRE, see MP Philip Davies’ recent comments for example. However, given that young people spend vast amounts of their childhood and teenage years at school and come to school to learn, it seems bizarre not to include this vital information and give young people a chance to explore these issues in the classroom. There is also the issue that a worryingly high amount of sexual violence and sexual harassment is perpetrated within schools and therefore the message that this is not ok needs to be given out consistently with a whole school approach by these institutions. It goes without saying that violence against women and girls won’t end with schools enforcing SRE as a single solution, but tackling harmful attitudes and promoting respect and consent in relationships would be a big step in the right direction.

Girl’s needs and experiences within a school environment

Tue, 16 Sep 2014 15:34:00 +0100

by Montana Ali and Mahrukh Malik (guest bloggers)

For many years, abstinence has been traditionally taught to young girls as a method of protection and self-discipline. However, some say that this method is worn out and unpractical in this day and age. As teenagers’ hormones increase and puberty kicks in, the average age that girls are beginning to have sex is decreasing. In 2012, a total of 5,131 girls under 16 (aged 13-15) got pregnant in England and out of those, 59.8% had abortions. This is proof of why contraception should be taught to young girls in schools, to firstly, prevent any unwanted babies being killed and also to give young girl’s the power to make the right decisions for their bodies.

It is ignorant for parents to still believe that their children are not participating in sexual relationships at young ages. The age of consent in the UK is 16; however, a NHS survey found that 27% of women are having sex before they reach the age of consent. Teenage parent and Doctor, David Rivera says that “teenaged sex has been around as long as there have been teenagers”, therefore, instead of parents trying to encourage their children to stay abstinent we should be educating young girls on the types of contraception available to them.

If we don’t educate girls about contraception they are likely to go behind their parents back and find out on their own. In 2012, parents were shocked to find out that school nurses had given birth-control implants and jabs to girls aged 13 and 16 more than 900 times in the past two years. By providing young girls with information on contraception we can be sure that they are being given the right information. However, it appears to be fair to educate young children from the age of 11 on the use of condoms and protective sex from the male’s side; yet neglecting female methods of protection. This reinforces patriarchal behaviour and influences males from a young age to believe they are superior to females as they have been educated with a choice on using protection or not. This is evident in schools as male students begin to take charge within classrooms and playgrounds and feel that sex is mainly their decision as well as whether or not to use protection. With this mind frame they go on to develop sexist view points, treat females differently both within and outside the school environment even to the point where they may feel as if domestic violence is acceptable.

There are many advantages of teaching girls about Contraception. For instance, contraception puts more power and control into females as they are able to make their own decision for their bodies. It also puts less dependence on the male to put on a condom which allows the female in the relationship to gain a sense of control that historically men would have regarding sex. By equally educating children once they enter secondary school on protected sex, it allows children to become well-informed regarding issues such as rape and the importance of such issues being tackled.

Contraception within the school curriculum however is not the only topic girls feel excluded around, the curriculum itself poses issues. I think it is fair to say that since the 1988 Education reform act girls have been more accepted in the education system. It showed clear indication of women being given more chances to achieve with the introduction of coursework for example. However, it can be believed by many feminists that education is reproducing gender inequality and widening the current gap that already exists throughout society. It’s evident that there was a clear increase in career ambitions by females. This could have been influenced by two things, educational success from coursework or more modern socialisation from parents and the media. So perhaps education is an agent of secondary socialisation that actually helps to enforce patriarchy.

It seems as though the education system is patriarchal and dominated by men, just like the work force is. The ‘hidden’ curriculum is a major source of gender socialisation; within education, various subjects are aimed at a certain gender group. Although concepts such as “GIST” exist, standing for: girls in science and technology, which was brought about to attract female students into subjects that have been historically dominated by men, the current gap in gender inequality still seems to exist. It’s been noticed that on events such as induction days and open days where students are to pick subjects, those that are stereotypically more ‘fitted’ for males are spoken about by male teachers which make females less likely to sign up.

Similarly, subjects like food technology and textiles open day sessions are headed my female teachers, making male students feel as though they would almost be judged as being far too ‘feminine’ if they were to sign up to such a subject. For example cooking would be aimed at girls doing house work. While most schools now title this course – ‘Food Technology’ the subject is still designed to ‘snare’ girls into adopting a mode of behaviour a patriarchal society accept and that the gap between girls and boys is still there in today’s society. The gap is fuelled by the fact subjects are seen as more masculine such as resistant materials and physics are valued significantly higher in the world of work than humanitarian based subjects which females are more guided towards. It can be argued that this underlying sense of gender labelled subjects should be changed in order for female students to achieve the highest they can and progress onto higher education with an equal position to males.

With both the introduction of female methods of contraception to sex education and a change to the education system regarding the labelling of subjects, schools can become more flexible in regards to meeting the needs of both genders.

The application process for our internship placements are now OPEN! see...

Thu, 29 May 2014 14:22:17 +0100

The application process for our internship placements are now OPEN! see http://www.msunderstood.org.uk/ for details of how to apply -

Child Protection All Party Parliamentary Group SEMINAR SERIES ON CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE Recommendations for the prevention of child sexual abuse and better support for victims

Thu, 01 May 2014 15:24:34 +0100

Child Protection All Party Parliamentary Group SEMINAR SERIES ON CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE Recommendations for the prevention of child sexual abuse and better support for victims:

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/policyandpublicaffairs/england/consultations/APPG-CSA-seminars_wdf102423.pdf

Just published last week - MsUnderstood gave oral evidence to this

Police fail to recognise that abuse often lies behind women's offending

Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:18:26 +0100

Police fail to recognise that abuse often lies behind women's offending:

Carlene Firmin: The Prison Reform Trust and HMIC highlight links between women’s offending and domestic and sexual violence, yet the criminal justice system still isn’t joining up the dots…click on link to read more

One of the monthly columns written by Carleene Firmin, Head of the MSunderstood Partnership

This is extreme sexual bullying. Girls are told if you want to hang with us, you have to do this

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 16:27:38 +0100

This is extreme sexual bullying. Girls are told if you want to hang with us, you have to do this:

Carlene Firmin is recalling the worst case she has ever come across. A 20-year-old woman, whom she met in a refuge, had had two relationships with gang members as a teenager. They broke both her legs and her collar bone. Slashed her with knives. Beat her. Her baby was stillborn at eight months and she can no longer have children due to internal injuries.

Is the government doing enough to tackle girl gangs? - video As...

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 16:24:23 +0100

Is the government doing enough to tackle girl gangs? - video

As a new reports warns that girls in gangs lead “desperate lives” - Cathy Newman asks activists Jennifer Blake and Carlene Firmin if enough is being done to help young girls and teenage women.