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Speakers List For Million Women Rise 8th March 2008 -
(In Alphabetical Order)
Akima Thomas,
An inspirational teacher and holder of truths
Women and Girls Network offers a space for the recovery for women who have experienced violence. They offer a comprehensive and integrated range of services, which aim to promote total and sustainable recovery, including individual counselling, group work, a helpline and young women and girl’s project.
Angela Davis,
Angela Davis has been an activist and writer promoting women's rights and racial justice while pursuing her career as a philosopher and teacher.
Awet Yohans,
Young People Speak Out /FORWARD UK: Female Genital Mutilation
The Foundation for Women’s Health, Research and Development
FORWARD is committed to eliminating gender-based violence against African girls and women, particularly Female Genital Mutilation and child and forced marriage.
Caroline Lucus,
Caroline is an outstanding inspirational speaker on issues ranging from abortion, protection and action for rape victims, climate change and the environment, energy policy and Green politics, to supermarket dominance, food and farming, and sustainable living.
Dil Afroje Chowdhury, Women Watch Bangladesh (WWB)
“Women Watch, Bangladesh, is working for women rights and the capacity building of women entrepreneurs.
Emma Burnell, Women's Environmental Network is the only organisation in the UK working consistently for women.
Empowering women to make positive environmental change.
Farrah Bokhari,
End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes. Leading children’s rights organisation campaigning against the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the UK and on its international aspects
Gona Saed,
Middle East Centre for Women’s Rights
Expose and aims to eliminate all forms of violations of women’s rights within the Middle Eastern communities in the UK and the Middle Eastern countries.
Isla Arendell, Women’s Institute
Isla Arendel will be speaking from the Nation Federation of Women's Institutes Isla will relate points as to what the WI are doing to combat violence women face.
Jane Gregory,
Living at the Women's Peace Camp at Greenham Common taught me the importance of loving the world around me and making connections. Currently I am actively involved in Bradford Immigration & Asylum Advice & Support Network's Women's Club, Bradford Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the protests at Faslane nuclear submarine base, the anti capitalist social movement to try and prevent further climate chaos, I am one of the Co-ordinators of Bradford Rape Crisis & Sexual Abuse Survivors Service and the Vice Chair of Rape Crisis (England & wales)
Jean Bintabreeze, Poet
Jean Bintabreeze is joint-editor of Critical Quarterly in London where she works as a lecturer and performance poet. She has performed her work throughout the world, touring in the Caribbean, North America, Europe, South East Asia and Africa.
She will be reading a survivors truth and message: Lisa and her four children somewhere in London.
Jenni Moss, Kalayaan Justice for Migrant Domestic Workers
Migrant domestic workers are often unfamiliar with the UK system and unsure of their rights in this country. Often they speak little or no English and made vulnerable by their dependence on one employer for information about their status in the UK, their job, their housing and their immigration status.
They can face physical, psychological and sexual abuse, discrimination, low pay and long hours. Employers often use passport retention as a means of control.
Kay Smith, Million Woman Drummer
I live and work in London and I am currently a Disability Employment Adviser. I caught the drumming bug 3 years ago. It quickly became a passion and an increasingly important part of my spiritual journey.
Many of us have had experience or know of someone, who has experienced violence in their lives. It is important for me to be present at this gathering to support the ongoing struggle against violence against women. Together we are strong.
Lucia Matibenga Dignity! Period,
Millions of women and girls across Zimbabwe face unnecessary suffering and hardship, ACTSA campaigns to ensure that women are afforded their most basic human rights.
Lindsey German is Convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, which she helped found after the events of 11th September 2001. She has been an active socialist for over 35 years and has a lifelong commitment to women’s liberation and anti-racism. She was part of the original National Abortion campaign in 1975, as well as the fight for equal pay. She has written several books on women, most recently Material Girls (2007), which argues that women are still a long way from liberation. She was one of the tens of thousands who marched to the Anti-Nazi League Carnival in Victoria Park in 1978, and sees it as one of the turning points in beating back racism in London.
Lynne Franks,
She is the founder of SEED - Sustainable Enterprise and Empowerment Dynamics - a provider of women's learning and coaching programmes on economic empowerment, sustainable business practices and community leadership, as well as a global on and off-line women's support network.
Maryam Shafique,
16 year old Maryam Shafique is a lyrical artist who writes about her own childhood experiences and those of other young people in her community.
Maureen Bailey,
Head of Women's Issues Network at Ministry of Justice
“remember, it could be your sister, brother, mother, or friend so don’t be afraid to talk about the issue.” On domestic violence.
Michelle Springer-Benjamin,
Michelle is a Women's Social Leadership Champion 2007 and works for the National Society for the Protection of Children.
Mussurat Zia,
“Honour” killings
Mussarat Zia, who works for Lancashire Police's hate crimes division, specialising in so called honour crimes, said: "People don't want to talk about so called honour crimes, they want to sweep it under the carpet."
NASWUT, National Association of School head teachers and Women's Union of Teachers - on how violence is being combated among boys/young men in the school.
Nicola Harwin, National Women’s Aid
Nicola Harwin CBE is Chief Executive of Women's Aid Federation of England. Nicola has over 30 years experience of providing local and national domestic violence services, and has played a key role in responding to legislation and policy affecting abused women and children.
Pragna Patel, Southall Black Sisters
The Southall Black Sisters, a women's rights group, who campaigned for Ahluwalia's release from Bullwood Hall prison talks about Women with no recourse to public funds campaign.
Ruthanna Barnett,
Ruthanna Barnett works to empower women using a rights-based approach and considers that informed choice is key in enabling women to make changes in society. She believes that the shared experiences of women and girls provide the understanding necessary to build the foundations of an equal and peaceful society. She is currently coordinator of Lancaster and District Women's Aid.
Sawson Salim Kurdistan Refugee Women’s Organisation,
Founder of the Kurdistan Refugee Women’s Organisation (KRWO), came to the UK ten years ago, she realised that Kurdish women suffered many of the same family pressures as they do in Kurdistan. This led her to start the organisation KRWO based at Caxton House Community Centre.
Sawsan highlights domestic violence and immigration as two of the main problems for Kurdish women.
Shahida Choudhry,
Domestic Abuse Coordinator Stepping Stones Birmingham
Since 1987 I have been closely involved in the area of domestic violence, having started working at the Crisis Centre Women’s Refuge as a volunteer offering a childcare facility, later as a Project Worker within an Asian Women’s Refuge in Birmingham, a committee member for Jyoti Ashram, a volunteer counsellor for the Rape Sexual Violence Project and more recently as a Domestic Violence Project Coordinator for Barnardo’s children’s charity.
Sue Ingram,
Following in the step of her great great great aunties Millicent Garrett Fawcett (founder of Fawcett Society) and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1st UK woman Dr, London's hospital for women and 1st woman mayor) is such a privilege.
Suzanne Sibilin, Women In Prison
Women in Prison (WIP) were founded in 1983. An ex-prisoner, Chris Tchaikovsky gathered together a group of women who were worried about the numbers of disturbed and minor offenders held in Holloway Prison, London, and concerned, too, about the standards of safety and care maintained in the prison. But, in 1983 there were already plenty of organizations in the UK, which claimed to campaign for better conditions for all prisoners, though only one of them, Radical Alternatives To Prison, had seriously campaigned against the rebuilding of Holloway Prison in the early 1970s. WIP therefore based its case for a new and distinct campaigning group especially for women.
Teresa Mackay, Transport and General Workers Union - will speak of initiatives taken up within the union to combat violence women face and because she is from Ipswich she will relate points about those murders and action against these crimes.
U Turn,
To support vulnerable women, particularly street sex workers, in the East End of London, and help them to exit prostitution.
We do this by outreach, three nights a week, to meet the women where they are working, and by provision of holistic services at our dedicated Women's Centre in Bethnal Green. We are currently refurbishing another building in Newham to provide similar services in that borough.
Val Lunn, Solace Women's Aid
Women's Aid is the national domestic violence charity that helps an average of over 250,000 women and children every year. We work to end violence against women and children, and support over 500 domestic and sexual violence services across the country."
Women from Palestine,
10 Palestinian women coming to Britain to talk about their lives for International Women’s Day. Women from all over the Palestinian West Bank bring their stories to enrich twinning links all over England. The Britain Palestine Twinning Network is organising an exciting speaking tour at the time of International Women’s Day in March 2008.
“We hope on our visit to build relations with women and societies in U.K ,and to exchange experience” writes Wasfia Othman, a social worker and chair of a women’s committee in Beit Leed, a village near Tulkarem. Her village has a new relation with people in Pendle, Lancashire, one of about thirty places in England now with friendship links with Palestine.
