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LATEST NEWS
More on Leveson...
The Guardian is reporting that the Sun's editor, Dominic Mohan, is being recalled to the Inquiry partly on the basis of evidence from EVAW and other women's groups about the media's treatment of women. If so, this is highly significant and will be the first time a major judicial inquiry has looked into these issues, to our knowledge.
February 2012
Blanket ban on criminals claiming compensation is wrong approach
The Government is proposing to reform the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and make criminals contribute to the cost of victims' services. Whilst we welcome a consultation on the complex and arbitrary compensation scheme, we do not support cost-cutting measures that will exclude many victims from claiming compensation and do nothing to plug the gaps in provision for women who experience sexual or domestic violence, forced marriage or other crimes.
See our press release.
January 2012
 EVAW gives evidence at Leveson
On Tuesday 24th January EVAW Co Chair, Marai Larasi, gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry about the inaccurate, prejudicial and biassed reporting of violence against women.
EVAW members Eaves Housing, Object and Equality Now also
gave evidence about the way that women are sexualised and objectified in the
media and subject to prejudice and discrimination.
We called for:
- The PCC to be replaced by a stronger body which will hear complaints from groups as well as individuals; which has powers to investigate on its own authority as well as acting on complaints; which is independent of the press and has representatives of equality groups on it; of which membership is compulsory; and which can impose strong sanctions when complaints are upheld, including perhaps fines.
- This new body to carry out ongoing monitoring of patterns of discrimination.
- Journalists to receive training on the myths and realities about violence against women and how to treat victims.
- A new code of practice to be developed for the way ‘case studies’ are dealt with by the media.
- Regulation of printed materials to be consistent with other forms of media regulation so that if sexually objectifying material would not pass pre-watershed restrictions on the television it should not be printed in unrestricted newspapers.
- Schools to be required to tackle gender inequality and gender stereotypes and deliver media literacy classes.
Read the EVAW
Coalition submission here.
Read the joint Object and Turn Your Back on Page 3 submission. See Object's website for ways of taking action!
A round up of the huge coverage this has generated:
Sarah Green and Professor Roy Greenslade on Woman's Hour.
The Telegraph,
The Guardian,
Suzanne Moore in the Guardian
Rosamund Urwin in the Evening Standard
Roy Greenslade in the Evening Standard,
Claire Short writes about Page 3 in The Independent
Comment is Free,
Channel 4 News
BBC website.
Blogged at Women's Resource Centre
Women's Views on News
Jan 2012
Seasons Greetings to all our supporters!
In a year in which Vincent Tabak was convicted of the murder of Joanna Yeates, Charlotte Church told the Leveson Inquiry of The Sun's countdown clock to her 16th birthday, and Facebook refused to take down ‘rape’ pages, our campaign for a world free from abuse and exploitation of women and girls was more important than ever before.
We have produced authoritative reports and campaigns, met key politicians (including Nick Clegg, Theresa May, Ed Miliband and Yvette Cooper), spoken at national and grassroots events, and used traditional and new media to achieve change. With your support we can do even more next year so please make a donation, however small. Your support is hugely appreciated.
Our latest bulletin gives an overview of the year.
See you in 2012!
Our political leaders must support the Human Rights Act
EVAW, along with 40 other NGOs, is supporting the British Institute of Human Rights in calling for our political leaders to support the Human Rights Act as something to be treasured and championed. A joint letter from the NGOs was published in The Times on International Human Rights Day, 10th December, just days before the UN Human Rights Chief is due to warn the UK that any attempt to overhaul the Human Rights Act will have a negative impact on global democracy at an Equality and Diversity Forum event.
December 2011
 Experts advise the Government that schools must tackle all forms of violence against women and girls
In its response to the Department for Education's review of Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) education guidance for schools, the Department's advisory group on violence against women (of which EVAW is a member) has stated that all schools should be required to address sexual bullying and harassment, childhood sexual abuse, teenage relationship abuse, forced marriage, FGM, sexual exploitation. The group's response can be downloaded here.
November 2011
Tell the Government to stand up for women's rights in the UK & across Europe
On International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women we are calling on the UK Government to step up it's action on violence against women at home and abroad:
- We are supporting the TUC's campaign to urge the UK Government to sign the Council of Europe Convention on Violence Against Women.
- We have written a joint letter to the Guardian with the Women's Institute and other women's groups to warn that legal aid cuts are risking women's safety.
- We urge the Prime Minister to take action on Forced Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation and 'Honour-Based' Violenc, following Imkaan's open letter to him setting out how ethnic minority girls at risk of abuse are failed.
Having been launched in 2005 to campaign for more integrated approaches to domestic and sexual violence, forced marriage, trafficing and other violence against women, we warmly welcome the publication of local violence against women strategies in Lambeth and Bristol. We look forward to other local authorities following suit.
November 2011
New Imkaan report on FGM, forced marriage and 'honour-based' violence sent to the PM
EVAW member Imkaan has today written to the Prime Minister urging him to work with key ministers to develop the government's violence against women and girls action plan to eradicate forced marriage, ‘honour-based' violence and female genital mutilation (sometimes referred to as ‘female circumcision') in the UK.
Imkaan has enclosed a copy of its new 86 page report, which was commissioned by the Mayor of London and is entitled ‘The Missing Link: A Joined-Up Approach to Addressing Harmful Practices in London' .
The report is damning in its broad finding that despite the thousands of girls at risk in the UK, there is no consistent approach by authorities to deal with these issues. Health workers including GPs, social workers and teachers receive no mandatory training in this area and there is a real and dangerous postcode lottery of support services for girls and women should they try to find help.
November 2011
NGOs flag concerns over the UK's  human rights record
EVAW is one of 44 NGOs supporting the British Institute of Human Rights' coordinated submission to the UN on it's examination of the UK under the Universal Periodic Review process. Key concerns raised include the UK's failure to sign up to the European Convention on Violence Against Women (VAW) and the lack of progress on a VAW oversight body.
November 2011
In a sexualised world what's the connection between the media and violence against women?
At FEM11 on saturday 12th November, EVAW ran a packed workshop on the role the media plays in providing a conducive context for violence against women to flourish, and conversely how we can use the media to tackle VAWG. We had a fun and lively debate with lots of creative ideas for action. Blogged at Open Democracy, sian and crooked rib and stop whistling, start listening.
November 2011
Funding for sexual violence services welcome, but gangs strategy must be joined up to work on women's safety
Responding to the Government's new 'Ending Gang and Youth Violence' report and announcement of £1.2 million funding over 3 years for sexual violence services for young people, Professor Liz Kelly, Co-Chair of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said:
"We know that girls are particularly affected by gang-related sexual violence, but also sexual violence more generally. It's long been a national scandal that most young victims don't have access to specialist services to support them to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of violence, so we warmly welcome this new funding.
"However, we are concerned that much of the gang strategy appears largely disconnected from work on sexual exploitation or the Government's strategy on violence against women and girls.
"We urge the Government to take stock of issues affecting women at this early stage and ensure that women's safety and equality runs throughout all elements of the anti-gangs strategy. This means, for example, connecting work in schools on youth violence to work tackling attitudes to women; ensuring that there is expertise on violence against women and girls on the Ending Gang and Youth Violence Team; and that the network of 100 expert advisers are trained on these issues."
See our comment in the Yorkshire Post.
1 Nov 2011
New WI report makes case against legal aid reforms
EVAW member the WI has launched a new report and short film about the proposed changes to the legal aid system which would leave many women without proper access to justice and potentially at risk of violence. Read the report and watch the film here, and take action here.
PM announces action on sexualisation but schools are missed out
Following the Bailey Review on the Commercialisation and Sexualisation of Childhood earlier this year, the Prime Minister has announced action to tackle this issue including:
- An opt-in to blocking internet porn for new customers of TalkTalk, BT, Sky, Virgin and a child protection app for smartphones
- Parentport - a single website for parents to complain about products, ads or services
- Guidelines restricting outdoor ads with sexual images near schools and a voluntary ban on ads near schools for lap-dancing clubs etc
- A ban on peer to peer marketing of under 15s
We welcome these initiatives but, as we argued in our response to the review, think they should be much bolder, and rooted in women and children's rights. Sexualisation goes beyond just young people, it provides the context for a culture in which violence against women and girls flourishes.
One of the holes in these plans is work in schools and empowering young people to deal with the messages they are bombarded with depicting women as sex objects. Brook has published research showing that young people are being failed by inadequate sex education. Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) and Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) education are the ideal places for young people to discuss issues around sexualisation, sexual consent and healthy relationships.
In a letter to EVAW, Rights of Women and Rape Crisis England and Wales following the Justice Secretary's comments about rape, the PM says he believes young people should receive high quality SRE. So why are we still leaving this to chance?
October 2011
EVAW at Party Conferences
End Violence Against Women Coalition board and staff members attended this year's party conferences where  we met Shadow Home Secretary and Minister for Women, Yvette Cooper and Conservative Party Co-Chairman Baroness Warsi. We put questions to Ministers about the role of schools in dealing with issues like forced marriage and sexual harassment, and women's safety in relation to the Olympics.
October 2011
Women's groups welcome teenage relationship abuse campaign
The End Violence Against Women (EVAW) Coalition today welcomed the launch of a new Government campaign, This is ABUSE, to tackle abuse in teenage relationships, and called for an ongoing investment in this kind of initiative to challenge attitudes which condone violence against women and girls.
A Yougov poll for EVAW last year found that 1 in 3 girls experience unwanted sexual contact in UK schools and our short video, We Are Man, is aimed at tackling young men's attitudes to sexual violence.
September 2011
Funding cuts by local authorities risk women’s safety and support - new research
Local Authorities are ignoring Ministers’ warnings that violence against women services should not be a soft target for funding cuts and are risking women’s safety and support, according to the TUC, End Violence Against Women Coalition and Women’s Resource Centre.
Research published by the False Economy campaign shows that numerous support services for women are having their funding cut or withdrawn. These services are essential for women to access safety, justice and to rebuild their lives.
August 2011
Seb Coe promises action on women's safety and the Olympics - EVAW campaign success
Following the EVAW Coalition's call for action by Olympics organisers LOCOG, its chair Lord Coe has written to EVAW promising to put information on the law on domestic violence, rape and prostitution in athletes' packs, and that the Games leaders will champion women's equality publicly as a central part of London 2012's legacy.
This follows publication of our report on the connections between major sporting events and violence against women in July which was covered on BBC London news.
We are in ongoing discussions with the police, the GLA, the Westminster Government, the key London boroughs and sports bodies. Watch this space for how to get involved and take action on women's safety.
August 2011
Steps to Safety marks Welsh Government's progress on violence against women and girls
New visual report shows what progress the Welsh Government has made since launching its strategy The Right to be Safe last year. This innovative report has been published by the Wales Violence Against Women Group and is a launched on the day Welsh politicians debate women's safety.
July 2011
EVAW launches ground-breaking 'A Different World is Possible' report and hard-hitting 'viral' film, 'We are Man'
EVAW has launched a ground-breaking report, 'A Different World is Possible', calling for the government, local councils and schools to take action to prevent violence against women and girls before it begins. We also showcase 15 pioneering prevention projects and launch a funny and hard-hitting online film aimed at young men called 'We Are Man'. More information here.
Click here for our press release.
Click here to download the full report and here for the summary.
Click here for the report showcasing promising practices
Media enquiries: Sarah Green, 07984 717 817
Take Action now! Use our template letters and campaign postcard to ensure schools play their part in creating a safer world for women and girls.
Click here for resources for schools and teachers.
June 2011
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against women and girls. 
1 in 4 local authorities in Britain don't have Rape Crisis Centres, specialist domestic violence projects or support for BME women. We believe women have the right to support wherever they live. Click 