CHANGE-MAKER NEWS JAN – MAR 2013

Hello Change-makers,

A big thank you to all of you for your support so far!

We have had a really busy few months in Change-maker HQ so thought we'd give you a quick update!

Launching You Can Change This.

We celebrated the launch of our campaign with two conversation cafe events in Glasgow on 20^th February and Dundee on 27th March. We had two brilliant, passionate speakers; Talat Yaqoob, sharing her thoughts on being a Muslim women and a Feminist; and Chief Inspector Graham Goulden discussing the invisibility of men in violence against women campaigning. We also had some really great open discussion about all various topics within the remit of violence against women including ‘Forced Marriage’, ‘The impact of Domestic Abuse on Children and Families’, ‘Sexual Violence’, ‘The Islamic Perspective on Violence against Women’, ‘The Law and Your Rights’, ‘Reporting to the Police’, and ‘Engaging Men in Ending Violence against Women’.

Check out our website for all the pictures from the events!

Guests at the event also got a sneak preview of our two campaign films featuring some well known Muslims speaking out about violence against women. We have seen the impact of violence against women on women and families in our communities and we decided it was time some well known faces in our communities took a stand against this issue. Some of the stars of our films include Humza Yusuf, Aamer Anwar, Habib Malik, Atta Yaqub and Anas Sarwar. Thanks to all the change-makers who took part!

 

These films are now available to watch on our website and on YouTube ! We really feel that these short films have the potential to make a big impact and break down barriers both within Muslim communities and in the wider community of Scotland. We believe that they will be a useful tool in helping to break the silence and challenge damaging attitudes which condone or ignore violence against women in our communities. Please share on social media and let us know if you would like to use this resource as part of your events or campaigns and we will happily support you to do so!

In other ‘You Can Change This’ news...

On the 1^st of March we held a joint event to end violence against women, with Kitaba and Islamic Studies trust. We had an audience of over 120people and it was great to see more men in the audience too! 

We also had a fantastic day at Amina MWRC’s ‘Inspire Change’ conference last week. The event was attended by over 100 women from all over Scotland. We got together to talk about Human Rights, Violence against Women, Inspiring Young People and how everyone has a part to play in making change happen. Great day and everyone left feeling very inspired!

We have now had over 200 people make our promise and become You Can Change This Change-makers:

“As a change-maker I promise to oppose all forms of violence against women. I will not engage in, or tolerate, violence against women under any circumstances. I promise to do what I can to break the silence which allows violence against women to thrive in my community by sharing the ‘You Can Change This’ campaign.”

If you haven’t already you can make your promise online today!

 

 

Speak soon,

Change-maker HQ

You Can Change This

Amina the Muslim Women’s Resource Centre