Just asking why anyone thinks the nia project is doing anything more or different than any other refuge that is part of WAFE.
nia project is in fact Hackney Women's Aid, the name change doesn't in fact help local women who might google trying to find a local support service. And existed and did good work long before the current CEO.
I am not in any way detracting from the women who happens to be the CEO at this point in time, but have any of you bothered to find out whether the CEO of your local refuge isn't doing exactly the same.
We should neither let someone claim, nor lazily attach to one person the work and service that exists because of any number of women.
In the same way that the Femicide Census is the work of a group of women, who do the research and write the report. Appropriating other people's work is the sort of thing universities get a bad reputation for.
I am connected so declare an interest but nia is different. It works on all forms of VAWG not just DV. It's proudly, bravely feminist and the current board and CEO have put their heads above the parapet in standing up for women only space. Nia is unusual in that it actively intervenes in, or otherwise supports, strategic litigation which is a brave thing to do in a climate that is hostile to NGO criticism of the state. .It was one of the first to develop specialist refuges for single women experiencing multiple disadvantage and one of very few - especially secular - charities to take a clear line on prostitution as exploitation and discrimination. Besides all that nia under previous management nearly closed with unpaid tax and extreme financial difficulty - Karen and her team turned it around during difficult times even as other women's sector all around closed. On top of all that, in her free time Karen started counting dead women which was the birth of the Femicide Census which remains unique. It may be that some of the women on Mum's Net know this and this is why they have been asking for a chat with Karen for a long time. Hope this is helpful information - sorry to have hijacked the thread when i admit I am connected to nia (and proud of it).
I came on to it too late to have my question looked at; I'm just reading it through now. I think it looks powerful. Not perfect - what is? - but head and shoulders above the venal frit shit we get from politicians.I
I hope some journalists and bloggers pick it up tbh.
Looking forward to this.
& thanks to Karen Ingala Smith for doing it & MN for listening to members' requests.