HollabackLDN speaking at “Enabling Women” Event – for International Women’s Day
Join 100 other women to hear from inspirational speakers about how they are making social change and impact in the world, for both women and men, as well as the opportunity to come together to discuss the issues that still face women today, whether at home or abroad, and see what solutions or actions can be collaboratively generated.
We’re stoked/terrified to be speaking about HollabackLDN as part of a series of ‘inspiring women’ talks this coming Tuesday, March 8th at Cityside House in Whitechapel. The event, organised by 8fold to celebrate International Women’s Day will also include speakers from these really exciting projects:
Julia Lalla-Maharajh, Founder of The Orchid Project – a campaign to end Female Genital Cutting by 2025.
Sophie Cox, Founder of Worldeka - a social network and collaborative platform for charities, NGOs, activists and policy makers
Servane Mouazan, Founder of Ogunte – a Social Innovations Development company focussed on women-led social ventures with a talk on making collaboration happen for real social change.
Anne-Marie Lewis of Oasis Open Door – a social enterprise that helps young people in gangs harness their entrepreneurial spirit and set up their own entreprises. Hear about the difference she is making with young girls and women.
Kathleen Cronin from Ignite Leadership on their GirlsCan project which provides girls with inspirational stories from positive, female role models.
It’s FREE to come, you just need to RSVP here.
Reclaim the Night 2010 – A HollaReview
So last week we walked with the 7th annual Reclaim the Night march. For those who don’t know, its an anti-rape march which allows women not only to walk their own streets safely at night but to protest against rape, to fight for safety and for equality and to have their voices heard.
‘According to the British Crime Survey (2001) there are an estimated 47,000 rapes every year, around 40,000 attempted rapes and over 300,000 sexual assaults. Yet our conviction rate is the lowest it has ever been, one of the lowest in Europe, at only 5.3%. This means that more rapists were convicted in the 1970s when Reclaim The Night marches first started than they are now. Did you know that the maximum sentence possible for rape is life imprisonment? Probably not, because rarely are rapists even reported or convicted, let alone with a realistic sentence. This situation has to change.
We march to demand justice for rape survivors.’
Read more about Reclaim the Night here.
HollabackLDN at RTN
It was HollabackLDN’s first time at Reclaim the Night and we all found it amazingly uplifting and inspiring. The 2000 women who marched with us were so positive and strong and the range of ages and cultures there was incredible. Our amazing friend Hannah Whitfield made us a very cool banner which received much praise. Our favourite bits were when we walked down the quieter streets and people were leaning out of their windows to shout their support or joining in the march or when men walked along side, fists in the air, to show their support. The march ended with a rally at the Camden Centre in Euston where there were a number of very eye-opening talks given by women such as Olivia Bailey the National Women’s Officer for the NUS, and speakers from organisations including Southall Black Sisters and Rape Crisis .
We were really inspired by the work done by the women we encountered at Reclaim the Night and were really grateful for all the support people offered to HollabackLDN and our zine Langdon Olgar of which we sold a bunch of copies so thanks to those who bought one. It was a really amazing thing to be a part of and we felt very proud. Being there really brought home how much work there is to be done. Its overwhelming because we, as women fighting for equality, still have a long long road ahead of us, and its kind of scary, but we have had nothing but support since we started and there is no way we’re going to give up. (more…)