For one night in Portsmouth, we came, we chanted and we made the streets safe for women.

And what a night it was.

This year’s march saw over 250 women, men and children taking to the streets, carrying some of the best banners we’ve seen so far and without doubt, the best dancing. Special mention for White Ribbon volunteers Yaz and Corina, who led the march with some of the best dance moves we’ve seen in quite some time.

While we’re on the subject of credit where it’s due, massive thanks go to Batala for setting the pace of the march with their signature drumming, to all our speakers and performers and to the ever-faithful band of White Ribbon volunteers whose combined efforts make the event possible.

But of course, our biggest thanks go to everyone who attended – because it’s you that make the difference by shouting out that Pompey will not commit, condone or stay silent about violence against women and girls.

This was our fourth march, but the second year White Ribbon has celebrated local activism with its Outstanding Achievement Award. And the winner was Solent Feminist Network – a group comprised entirely of volunteers who have led on and supported some of 2011/12’s biggest campaigns against VAWG.

This year also saw a special award to our very own Chief Executive, Shonagh Dillon – in recognition of many years of activism, campaigning and hard work to make sure the voices of victims and survivors are heard.

The march closed with a fantastic pledge from the night’s compere, actor Kirsty Dillon: “Next year we want the march to be even bigger and even louder – we’re aiming for 1000 marchers to fill the Guildhall Square.”

If you’re not sure whether to be one of them, check out this video and make up your mind.

Convinced? Good. See you in 2013!

Joe Wells becomes an Aurora patron

We are delighted to welcome the fantastic, funny and fabulous Mr Joe Wells as our new patron. After working with Joe last year at the White Ribbon Comedy Night, we’ve been looking for a way to get him involved with Aurora New Dawn ever since – and now we have!

Although Joe never fails to make us laugh, he’s unquestionably serious about the issue of violence against women, with misogyny and discrimination frequently appearing as targets of his razor-sharp wit during his stand-up shows.

Who is Joe Wells?

Joe Wells is not only a brilliant stand-up comedian, but he is also a published writer and public speaker. Initially, Joe’s career began with the release of the book ‘Touch and Go Joe’, later he went to work delivering political stand-up comedy. In addition to stand-up, Joe Wells also hosts a podcast.

Joe Wells, achievements

• The Portsmouth Guide Award for Best Comedy 2014, 2017, 2018 – Winner
• Comedy Central Funniest Student 2010 – Winner
• New Act Of The Year (formerly Hackney Empire) 2011 – Finalist
• Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2012 – Runner Up
• The Guide Award for Best Comedy 2011 – Shortlisted
• London New Comedy Awards 2010 – Finalist
• The Guide Award for Best Comedy 2009 – Shortlisted

Joe Well’s at work

Joe Wells and Amnesty International

In addition to supporting women’s rights, Joe Wells has worked with Amnesty International by appearing on Amnesty TV – Episode 8. Here he is, doing what he does best for Amnesty International, discussing the misrepresentation of the human rights act by tabloid newspapers and how this affected a Tory Party conference speech.

You can also check out the fabulous Mr Wells (though not in a library book kinda way) AND show solidarity for victims and survivors of violence and abuse at Brighton’s Stand-Up to End Violence Against Women in December.

Joe Wells Think Tank

In 2015, Joe worked on a project called ‘Think Tank’ which was a live show and podcast in which comedians had the opportunity to voice their opinions and express ideas to a panel of real-life politicians. This show was held in the square tower in Portsmouth.

What is Joe working on now?

These days, Joe Wells can be found doing stand-up tours of the UK. He performs in a variety of comedy clubs across the nation, regularly performing at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, The Top Secret Comedy Club in London and in his hometown of Portsmouth.

Reviews of Joe Wells

And here’s what everyone else is saying about Joe:

“Joe Wells is a skilled jokesmith who threads great gags through intelligent political material that, whilst razor-sharp, is never particularly angry or dark. As the first gross gags open up into smarter, topical ones it’s clear that this is a tightly-structured, well thought-out set. Excellent jokes and sly political comment wrapped tightly in a western union online neat parcel which delivers regular, powerful laughs from a delighted audience. He spins new life out of easy targets like bankers and the BNP with some wonderful imagery” British Comedy Guide.

“A star of the future… some of the most surprising and thought-provoking material coming from any comedian in his early 20s” The Guardian.

“A much-needed voice against hypocrisy as well as a wonderfully talented stand-up comedian, Joe Wells uses his comedy to burst a gigantic hole in the sides of homophobia, misogyny and racism while still managing to remain funny throughout” Portsmouth Evening News.

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It’s that time of year again, when hundreds of Portsmouth men, women and children are taking to the streets to end domestic and sexual violence as the city gears up for its 3^rd annual Reclaim the Night march on 23^rd November, which kicks off at 7pm at the Spinnaker Tower.

This year’s march is going to be loud and proud, so get ready to shout!

We’re also asking marchers to wear something white or purple to show your solidarity with victims and survivors.

Local drumming group, Batala, will be leading the march, which will end with a rally in the Guildhall Square featuring local musicians El Morgan and Steph Arburrow.

Reclaim the Night is a symbolic march that brings together women, men and children to enable women to reclaim public space in safety and raise awareness about the high levels of violence against women in the UK and across the world.

Aurora works with victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence every day and we know the challenges they face just to come forward and seek help in the first place. Events like Reclaim the Night show on a local level that victims are not alone and there are people out there who can help.

It’s the one night a year in Portsmouth when women are guaranteed to be able to walk in safety through our streets.

Organisers say this year’s march is even more important due to funding cuts affecting local services.

In February 2011, the Safer Portsmouth Partnership launched a review of domestic abuse, stating it was “as a result of changes to funding regimes and service restructures forced by cuts to public service budgets”. In addition, local services for victims and survivors are reporting significant funding cuts, as well as increased competition for existing funding.

What can we do about this?

Well apart from getting your shout on at the march, Aurora are developing a report for all the services working with victim and survivors in the city. It will outline an alternative approach for Portsmouth to ensure the cuts – and the increased pressure on people in a recession – do not combine to turn the clock back for victims and survivors of violence and abuse, or for women more generally, in terms of combating discrimination and providing opportunity.

It’s never been more important to show our support as a city for victims and survivors of violence.

According to research commissioned by the Safer Portsmouth Partnership, domestic violence is the largest common motivator for violent crimes across Portsmouth, but only a low number of incidents currently result in a court case. In addition, levels of sexual violence in Portsmouth have risen since 2010/11.

Portsmouth has a great track record for supporting victim and survivors. Whilst it’s a very real challenge to the sector to make sure these vital services survive in the current economy, the reality is that we simply can’t allow the last ten years of progress to be reversed.

Our CEO, Shonagh says: “This year it’s even more important that local people take to the streets and Reclaim the Night – we need to shout out our support for victims and survivors and say a loud ‘No’ to perpetrators and the social attitudes and structures that help to create and protect them.”

Are you with us Pompey? We’re coming to take back the streets!

This article appeared originally on Women’s Views on News.

I listened with a howling sense of pain-wracked frustration to the otherwise fabulous Jane Garvey interviewing domestic abuse survivor Tina Nash on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour yesterday morning (interview begins 1 minute in).

I’m used to victim-blaming and its ugly companion, the invisible perpetrator, in mainstream media coverage of domestic abuse.

But I’ve noticed it more and more since I became a Writer in Residence for Aurora New Dawn, an organisation working with victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Mainstream news media often just replicate dominant social attitudes and reflect them back to us with authority. It’s not right, or actually ok, but it’s the reason WVoN exists so I’ve made a sort of angry, activist peace with it. For now.

Listening this morning, though, I felt like Jane Garvey’s feminist teacher, standing on the sidelines and calling, “Come on Garvey, pull your socks up! You can do better than this!”

Here’s why.

I recommend that you listen to the interview before or after reading this. For me the questions are actually worse in context not better, but make up your own mind.

JG: It would be easy to think of you I suppose as a victim, but you’re more than that, aren’t you?

TN: I’m a survivor now.

This would have been a great opportunity to talk about the issue of victimhood, the journey to feeling like a survivor and the difference between the two. Nash herself brings this up several times in the interview after she raises it here.

She talks about how she did not perceive herself as a victim during the abuse even though it was so severe, and about how on many occasions Jenkin, her abuser, would convince her that he was actually the victim in the relationship.

Garvey follows up on none of these.

If you’re learning about domestic abuse for the first time, understanding the dynamic  of victimhood is central. But if you’re a broadcaster doing an interview about an abusive relationship, I would hope – with a little preparation and research – it would be Interviewing 101.

After asking how they met, Garvey begins to sound a little like a barrister building a case that the victim should have ‘known better’:

JG: …he was a man with a bit of a reputation.

Nash obligingly clarifies that she had heard of his reputation, yes, but 10 years before they began dating, at which point Jenkin portrayed himself very much as a changed man.

Four months into the relationship, Jenkin pushed Nash over after his violence to strangers in a nightclub caused him to be thrown out. She banged her head on the pavement. Nash packed www.orderwu.com her things and left.

JG: See, at this point Tina, people will be thinking, ‘Well, that would be enough’. He may not actually have hit you on that occasion but there were indications that this was a man you wouldn’t be close to for any length of time. Why did you keep in touch with him?

Later, Nash talks about Jenkin laughing at the panic room installed for her by the police.

JG: He was laughing at the authorities and…but…in a way Tina I’ve got to put it to you, you allowed him to do that because you kept buying his lost little boy routine, didn’t you?

Finally, Garvey asks a question that is made more offensive to me as a listener by the calm, dignified and eloquent answer given by Tina Nash following it.

JG: For the people listening who think ‘Why did she allow this to happen to her?’ how would you try to explain that?

TN: It was a steady progress, it didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t like I met him on the first night and he hit me and I stayed with him. It didn’t happen like that. I fell in love with him. He made me see a side of him that I didn’t think other people got to see so I thought he must love me. I thought it was completely different with me than he was with everybody else. Silly me, I fell for it.

At this point, I genuinely don’t know how, as one human to another, Garvey felt no inclination to challenge Tina Nash on that last statement. Possibly because almost every question that led up to it has implicitly pointed to how Nash failed to identify, challenge and escape a man who is now serving an indeterminate sentence in a mental hospital. I assume a jury put him there because they had fewer problems than Jane Garvey in identifying that he was the one to blame for his own behaviour.

Instead, Garvey asks:

JG: How many chances did you give him, in fact?

At which point I face-palmed myself so hard I swept my own feet out from under me and fell on my ass.

Given everything we know about domestic abuse, about patterns of coercion and control and about the reality of living – and surviving – an abusive relationship, it’s disappointing that broadcasters still feel comfortable asking variations of: Why doesn’t she just leave?

Chats overheard in the pub? Yes.

Woman’s Hour? No.

Interviews like this not only remove the focus from Jenkin’s actions but also – and if I were a man, this would be far more offensive to me – position the extreme violence of men like Jenkin as inevitable, or somehow to be expected, from all men.

What would I like to have heard? More about what it’s like to make the journey from victim to survivor, for a start, and an acknowledgement of the difficulty of the transition between the two.

Shame, isolation and self-blame are reasons that the Aurora team hear every day from victims and survivors to describe why they feel powerless to leave their perpetrator.

Of course, they also work with victims and survivors who have left and are now in more danger than they have ever been in before as a result – another reason why so many victims stay.

Media coverage of domestic abuse must start to reveal the reality (linked video carries Trigger warning) – and complexity – of abusive relationships, including painting a picture of how commonly it happens. As writers and journalists, we must shift the focus away from victims and move toward asking questions about perpetrators, who might find themselves with fewer places to hide as a result.

Taking this approach in the media would help to build a society where victims feel less isolated and less ashamed of behaviour that, ultimately, isn’t theirs. That alone would go an incredible length of the way to making the journey out of an abusive relationship easier and quicker.

The new edition of the IRIS newsletter has hit the stands and is now available to download from your computer, here.

IRIS is a GP-based domestic violence and abuse programme that provides training to health teams and enables them to refer patients experiencing domestic abuse to specialist support services and advocates.

This issue looks in more detail at what the IRIS programme is, and how it works in practice. There’s also an interview with one of the Southampton IRIS team.

It’s a great issue, but don’t take our word for it, find out for yourself!

You can also find out more about IRIS by visiting their website here.

[Image credit: Sarah Klockars-Clauser, openphoto.net]

We’re delighted to see a high level of media interest in today’s licensing committee meeting to decide whether to impose a nil cap on Sexual Entertainment Venues in Portsmouth.

You can hear Chief Exec, Shonagh Dillon talking to Radio Solent about Aurora New Dawn’s decision to support the nil cap here – Shonagh Dillon on BBC Solent.

Due to the high level of misunderstanding on the implications of the nil cap during the Licensing Committee meeting, the city’s legal advisor intervened on several occasions to reiterate to councillors what the nil cap actually meant.

She explained that such a cap would, in effect, not constitute a ban of lap dancing clubs nor would it necessarily compel  local councillors from refusing planning or licensing permission to new or existing clubs. However, the nil cap introduces what is referred to as a ‘Rebuttable Presumption’, in effect a clear starting point for the local authority to state its position that lap-dancing clubs are not desirable for the city.

If the nil cap were accepted without amendment, the ‘Rebuttable Presumption’ would place responsibility with existing or new clubs to demonstrate their economic and social value to the city and local communities.

Members of the Licensing Committee reached a decision not to introduce the nil cap without amendment, voting by a clear majority to accept the amended Option 2.

This amendment now effectively exempts the 3 existing clubs in the city and 1 with planning permission for a 4th from being refused www.point-moneygram.com ‘renewal, variation or transfer’ of their existing licences, placing them beyond the jurisdiction of the nil cap adopted for applications from potential new clubs.

Responding to the Council’s decision, Shonagh Dillon stated:

“Aurora New Dawn and Portsmouth White Ribbon’s position is very clear on this matter: as long as SEV’s are in existence in communities, we are in a position where women’s bodies can be seen as a commodity to be bought and sold.

We would also respectfully state that whilst SEV’s are continuing to be licensed, Local Authorities will be working in direct contradiction to the Gender Equality Duty 2007 and the UN Treaty for Women. Our campaign will continue with other groups nationally including Object, The Fawcett Society and White Ribbon UK.”

Following recent news that television celebrity Justin Lee Collins has been found guilty of harassment causing fear of violence and sentenced to 140 hours of community work, Chief Executive Shonagh Dillon spoke to The Breeze about the case.

Listen here to Shonagh speaking on the The Breeze.

 

We were delighted to see Aurora New Dawn’s patron, Lauren Atkins from The Malins Group, in The Times today.

Lauren appears in an article about a new generation of women property developers. She talks about why she employs an all-female office and some of the challenges facing women in business.

“I recognised that there were so many talented women out there who didn’t want to work 50 hour weeks in the City because they wanted more of a balance in their lives. And I was more than happy to offer flexibility so that I could harness their untapped expertise.

We are all women with children, some work school hours and some part-time, but we are all incredibly dedicated.”

We’re an all-women team here at Aurora and know firsthand the challenges facing women in the workplace as well as the unique benefits that women bring to the working environment.

These similarities in our working ethos and practice have been really useful to Aurora in helping us explore innovative and dynamic approaches to the challenges posed by the current economic environment.

“It’s great to see Lauren and the Malins Group receive the recognition they rightly deserve. Lauren is a consummate professional woman working in the private sector, and we’re delighted to have her as our Patron,” said Aurora’s Chief Executive, Shonagh Dillon.

“Her knowledge of how the private sector and the voluntary sector can best work together is a fantastic and a much valued resource for us in the current climate. Equally, I hope that we contribute to the broader social goals of the Malin’s Group, which I know are very close to Lauren’s heart.”

The article can be read on The Times website – paywall warning!

Congratulations to Lauren and the Malins Group on the feature.

Lauren Atkins is our patron and her company, The Malins Group, is an official corporate partner to Aurora New Dawn.

After our highly impressive results when trying our hand at wheelchair basketball earlier this year, we  were keen to build on our legacy of extreme sports.

So off to the dragonboat races went The Perpinators – a team of men, women and children raising money for Aurora New Dawn

Let’s be clear from the start that dragonboat racing takes a lot of co-ordination, stamina and enthusiam.

Suffice to say that The Perpinators overflowed with stamina and enthusiasm…

…but the coordination was another matter.

You wouldn’t think that coordinating a team of about 16 rowers would be that hard, would you?

We didn’t.

Turns out we were all wrong – it really is that hard.

We didn’t make it through to the finals, but we certainly didn’t come last – unlike our attempt at wheelchair basketball.

We’re taking this as an enormous step forward.

Next stop, the Great South Run, where some of the Aurora team will be raising money for us.

Don’t forget, if you’re interested in taking part in any of Aurora’s events, drop us in line on 023 9247 9254 or email us at info@aurorand.org.uk

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

Maya Angelou

On Friday 27th April, the Aurora team made our way to the Royal Beach Hotel for our very first AGM.

Each member of the team – from the frontline IDVAs, ISVAs, and admin officer to the management team and Chair of the Board – spoke movingly about their individual experiences of Aurora’s first year.

We were delighted that so many agencies, organisations, groups and individuals came along to the AGM – the function room was filled to capacity and all seats were taken. We were surprised to find that so many people came along, several had to stand!

After the speeches, the team relaxed and mingled with our guests and we were all very pleased with everyone’s positive feedback about the day.

One of our guests told us, “I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to hear the F-word spoken so many times in a row – I think it’s more and more rare to hear it openly spoken these days…”

She was, of course, referring to the word ‘feminist’ – a word that Aurora holds very dear and which is at the centre of our work.

Although everyone seemed to enjoy the speeches, there was no doubt that everyone loved the catering – the key to a successful AGM is definitely to be found in the quality and quantity of the cake…

 

Speeches from the day

SHONAGH DILLON, CHIEF EXEC: “This has been simultaneously the most challenging and the most rewarding year of my career to date. I cannot overstate how privileged I feel to work alongside survivors of abuse; I am humbled by the trust they place in us, and always overwhelmed and inspired by their bravery.”

Read the full text of the Chief Exec’s speech

OPERATIONS MANAGER: “Aurora’s Facebook page recently received over 120 likes in the first 48 hours of going live, and is proving a fantastic way of connecting us with others. It’s not often you can say you spent some of your working day facebooking and tweeting!  We’re certainly having great fun with it at the moment but, most importantly, we hope it makes the Aurora service accessible and helps us to connect with our clients and partner organisations in real time.”

Read the full text of the Operations Manager’s speech

VOLUNTEER CO-ORDINATOR: “What I will take most from supporting survivors at court was not necessarily about the result, but about the survivor having the opportunity to stand up to the perpetrator and say ‘what you did to me was wrong’. Survivors were constantly surprising me, and I believe themselves, with the strength and determination that they had in relation to taking back the control that the perpetrator had taken from them.”

Read the full text of the Volunteer Coordinator AGM speech

MARAC and Probation IDVA: “I believe the major success of the [probation] project which, within its first four months had a 100% take up rate from clients, has been down to the existing relationship and…how the service is offered to clients.”

Read the full text of the MARAC and Probation IDVA’s speech