Until August 2003 all of WOMANKIND Worldwide’s programme work was with partners outside the UK.?
Our main focus continues to be on the rights and needs of our overseas partners, however, we are acutely aware that we do not have all the answers.? In the areas of civil and political participation, and violence against women the UK has its own problems, and that there is much we can learn from work going on elsewhere in the world.
Early in 2003 WOMANKIND received funding to run a four-year education programme for secondary schools to address issues of violence against women., and in August 2003 work began on our Challenging Violence, Changing Lives programme.
We are continuing to look for other ways of making links between the experiences of women and men living in the UK and the experiences of our partners.
Case Study
Challenging Violence, Changing Lives is a four-year programme which started in August 2003. In the first year, WOMANKIND commissioned research at the University of Warwick to create an overview of existing work with young people in England and Wales on violence against women and girls. The report can be ordered from this website.
On the basis of the reports findings and with considerable support from some of the existing school-based initiatives we have produced two schools packs: a campaign pack for years 9 and 10, available free to schools, and a whole-school pack for years 7 to 11, which in initially being piloted in 11 schools in England and Wales. The impact of the pilot work and its accompanying training package is being evaluated.? In the longer term we intend to lobby for the inclusion of work on violence against women and girls to become an integral part of young people’s educational entitlement at Key Stages 3 and 4.
www.respect4us.org.uk
To tackle violence, transform attitudes and inform young people WOMANKIND and Redmoth have developed a new and exciting website called ‘Respect4Us’. This on-line game tests participants’ knowledge about respect, responsibility, and violence. Participants interact with the different scenarios scoring KNOWLEDGE, RESPECT and SKILL according to what they do and what they know. Great images, snap shot situations, probing questions and challenging scenarios combine to create a journey that tests and questions the attitudes of young people.
Everyday young women and men in the UK are experiencing and living in fear of violence. The British Crime Survey for 2003/4 reports that 5.4% of men and 2.9% of women interviewed had experienced violence over that period, but that this figure rose to 15.9% of young men and 7.8% of young women aged between 16 and 24. Whilst men are at more risk of certain kinds of violence, women are at greater risk of other kinds. In 2004/2005 in England and Wales 12,867 women and 1,135 men reported being raped. A unique new website called Respect4Us looks at the issues and situations of violence for young people in the UK.
UK Schools Programme
Check out the Flash activity at www.respect4us.org.uk 