What: A woman poet and journalist will join local, national and European politicians to champion the economic, social, cultural and political contributions made by women to mark International Women's Day on 8 March. With Islington Council and the Women's Resource Centre, they are asking women in Islington to mark it with them by attending a celebratory event. <br> <br>Where: London Art House, 2-18 Britannia Row, N1 8PA<br>When: 7 March, 2007 6.30pm to 8.30pm<br><br>You are in invited to send a photographer and/or reporter.<br> <br>The celebratory International Women's Day event will give women a chance to network, listen to inspirational poetry and find out about women's contribution to the abolition of slavery. Baroness Ludford will also share her experience of working in a male dominated environment. <br> <br>Cllr Watt, Deputy Council Leader of Islington Council, said: "I would like to see even more women getting involved in public roles so they can help influence important decisions that are made about theirs and other people's lives. Politics at every level is still dominated by men but things are different here in Islington - 54 per cent of the borough's councillors are women.<br><br>"I am asking women from all walks of life to set themselves a challenge to achieve over the next few months. It could be as simple as coming to the celebratory event on the 7 March, taking steps to learn new skills by doing a course, becoming a magistrate, school governor or getting involved in a local community group." <br> <br>Cllr Lucy Watt joined Cllr Marisha Ray, Executive Member for Community Safety, who was keen to mark International Women's Day in a more personal way, on a visit to Islington Women's Aid in Hornsey Road, N19 last week. At the heart of their visit was a desire to find out more about the services offered to women who are affected by domestic violence and discover what changes have been made on the domestic violence* front. They found as many as 600 women contact the organisation for help each year. As well as helping women, specialist support**is given to about 300 children who are affected by domestic violence.<br> <br>In a discussion with Monica Tuohy, Interim Director for Islington's Women's Aid, Cllr Ray reflected: "International Women's Day is about celebrating achievement so it may seem strange to focus on domestic violence, which has not been eradicated. What strikes me as significant, is that people's attitudes towards it are changing.<br> <br>"The help that women get is more sophisticated with counselling services for women mainly based in the community. There is a real focus on helping them if they wish to move on and making a life for themselves and their children, without necessarily going into a refuge." <br> <br>Islington Council invests as much as half a million pounds every year on community based services that help women who are in violent relationships and the children who are affected by this. An important development in dealing with domestic violence is the advocacy service. It works closely with women who face the greatest risk of being injured by their husbands or partners. For example, the advocacy service provided by Islington Women's Aid offers one to one help to women to help them gain more control when dealing with domestic violence. It helps them speak up for what they want, as well as work with them to look at the choices they have.<br> <br>Some of the money the council has invested has been used to research the danger signs that trigger violence against a woman, such as pregnancy and football teams losing. Women between 25 and 35 are also the most likely to be in a violent relationship. This knowledge has been used to develop:<br> <br>-Training courses for front-line staff like social workers, teachers and health visitors. They are now routinely trained to look for signs of domestic violence. Detection rates are good and as a result services are moving towards prevention. <br> <br>-Workshops used by schools to discuss domestic violence so it is less of a taboo subject and young people's attitudes towards it are challenged.<br> <br>Monica said: "International Women's Day is a great way for us to focus on our achievements as well as discuss our aspirations for a better future. There have been some positive steps in addressing domestic violence but we have a long way to go. <br> <br>"Offering a range of services to women, children and men affected by domestic violence is imperative; survivors need good quality advice and support. 'Excellent' interventions are a must. Islington Women's Aid can always do more but we need financial assistance. Please email us at mail@iwauk.org if you are interested in supporting us."<br> <br>Women who are affected by domestic violence should contact Islington Women's Aid Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm on 020 8269 2121. They can also contact the 24-hours national domestic violence line on 0808 2000247. In an emergency women should always contact the police.<br> <br>Ends<br><br><br> <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009