Webchat with Femicide Census co-founder Karen Ingala Smith, Wednesday March 4 at 1pm

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with Karen Ingala Smith on Wednesday 4 March at 1pm.

Karen is Chief Executive of nia, an East London charity providing services for women, girls and children who have been subjected to sexual and domestic violence, including prostitution. nia supports over 1000 women and girls in North East London face-to-face every year and as many through their helpline for East London Rape Crisis. Karen says: “As CEO, I have ensured that nia has maintained an undaunted feminist commitment to woman-centred service provision during an unfavourable economic and political climate. I have almost 30 years’ experience in the women’s sector encompassing frontline delivery, operational and strategic management and governance.”

Karen has been recording and commemorating UK women killed by men since 2012 in a campaign called Counting Dead Women. She is co-founder of The Femicide Census in partnership with Clarrie O’Callaghan, supported by Freshfields LLP and Deloitte LLP. Karen says: “The Femicide Census is a unique source of comprehensive information about women who have been killed in the UK and the men who have killed them. It enables analysis of men’s fatal violence against women with the aim of contributing to the increased awareness about the reality of that violence, a tool for research and policy, challenging impunity and state failure, and ultimately the reduction of the number of women harmed and harmed and killed by men.”

Karen is a doctoral candidate on men’s fatal violence against women at the University of Durham. She thought some of you might find it useful to know that she and her partner could not have children; she has written about coming to terms with that here.

Karen has also asked us to share the following with you:

“I'm very much looking forward to the webchat tomorrow and to discussing the Femicide Census, Counting Dead Women, men's violence against women with you and perhaps nia, the charity I work for/specialist women's services. I understand that there may also be some questions around transgender ideology and I'm happy to discuss that but hope that our main focus will be men's violence against women.”

“nia has a Prioritising Women policy. As an organisation we prioritise women and do not use the terms sex and gender interchangeably. It should not need saying, but in case it does, I believe in universal human rights. On a personal level, I refrain from using the terms transwoman or trans woman. For the purposes of the web chat I have agreed to use the term 'males who identify as trans women' for those to whom this term is applicable, should the need arise.”

Please do join the chat on Wednesday at 1pm or if you can’t make it, leave a question here in advance.

As always, please remember our guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil. Also if one topic is dominating a thread, mods might request that people don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point. (We may suspend the accounts of anyone who continues after we've posted to ask people to stop, so please take note.) Rest assured we will ALWAYS let the guest know that it's an area of concern to multiple users and will encourage them to engage with those questions.

Many thanks,
MNHQ

Hi Karen

No question, just huge applause and THANK YOU.

Hi Karen,

Thanks for coming

What is the best way for women and girls to protect themselves from male violence?

Firstly, thank you. Thank you so very, very much.

Secondly, what can we do, to try to ensure the continued existence of women's single sex provision?

Thank you, just thank you. Please know that people like you have got me onto FWR onto Twitter, got me making a fuss, got me complaining, researching, learning, telling other people unapologetically what I think and taking part in this fight. You have done that and through your work and commitment changed lives.

Oops no question

Hi Karen

Why is Women's Aid Federation and other women service providers so reluctant to make any sort of public statement about women only services when even the Tory Government has pointed out that the law allows it. And of course is the basis on which both WA and RC were founded in the 70s.

Thanks

PS - wouldn't it be a sisterly act to name the women who actually do the work of collecting the statistics published in the annual Femicide Report. There is no reason this would distract from you having originated them.

Hi Karen

Thanks for the work you do and thank you for speaking up for women.

I know, like me, you originate from up north. Are there any orgs up this way that share nia's values and priorities or are you a lone voice in your sector? Any future plans to expand beyond London?

Just posting to say thank you for all the work you do.

Thanks @LilyMumsnet

How do we get the police to take this seriously?

Hi Karen,

I'm particularly interested in issues around women and disability. As a disabled woman and mother of a disabled child, with disabled women friends, some who are mothering disabled children, I've seen how far too many have experienced domestic abuse. Disabled women and mothers of disabled children can find it especially hard to access services for women, and often need creative solutions and support that doesn't seem easy to come by, if at all. It's often harder for such women to end harmful relationships or leave abusive partners, particularly when a partner/husband is also her carer, and standard information and service provision often doesn't recognise the additional difficulties that come with disability.

My question is in 3 related parts:
a. Are there any resources or research links relating to disabled women and domestic abuse?
b. Is there any good practice guidance for organisations working in the VAWG sector for reaching, engaging and working with disabled women?
c. How does nia address this?

Thank you

I am very grateful for the work you do, thank you

I wanted to ask the same as a PP, about organisations with similar values in the north of England, and also want to take the opportunity to add my own thank you for the work that you do. It’s very much appreciated.

Hi Karen, another massive fan of yours. Thank you for everything you do.

What do you think we can/should be done about the increase in easily available violent pornography, porn which promotes fantasies about rape and violence, and the hosting of content by places like Pornhub that may just be actual filmed rape? Sadly I think most men who use porn simply don't care if its consensual or not, but I'm constantly saddened to see women saying they don't mind if their partners use it, or who only seem to care if it effects their sex life. How can we get more women to take porn use more seriously? Do you think we will ever get to the point where finding out your partner uses porn is so shocking and disgusting that most women's gut reaction would be to leave?

Sorry that was about 12 questions in 1. I'd also like to second the other poster's question about how to help women recognise they're in an abusive relationship.

Hi Karen
Do you think the Labour Party has stopped taking violence against women seriously?

Thank you, Karen

Hi Karen thanks for coming on to MN I admire so much of your work, counting dead woman in particular, but Nia too.

I appreciate your bravery in not backing down on using specific terms in relation to gender identity and sex. We need more women like you, we really do.

The UK has recently had to come to terms with massive safeguarding failures with regards to grooming gangs who target young girls across the UK. The reasons why this has happened are a minefield but nevertheless it's there, high profile cases have obviously been Rotherham, Rochdale, Leeds and many others outside of London.

I understand Nia is based in East London, and is not operating nationally, but do you see Nia reaching out to other problem areas particularly those prone to grooming gangs? Is London's East End suffering from this problem?

It's a real shame that web chat guidelines limit your questions to just one
So I'll just hint that my other Qs would be similar to
ByGrabtharsHammerWhatASavings !

Hi Karen,
Do you think it would be useful to build a question about domestic violence to into all investigations into suicide? Including inquests and the confidential enquiry into suicides.

I was horrified and saddened at the estimated number of women who end their lives because of dv that seem to be 'missing' from the stats.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you Karen, for all your work, it must be heartbreaking for you to add names every week, and I admire your strength. Thank you

Hi Karen

Since my first post was a comment I’m hoping I can get away with a question too.

It took me years to realise that I was being controlled by my ex. How difficult do you think it is, in general, for women in particular to recognise patterns of coercive control and why is this knowledge so important?

Thank you Karen

The MN repeated warning that the danger is highest when a woman is leaving is so often seen here, and it is awful to see in the statistics just how many women are killed in the first month up to the first year after leaving a dv relationship. I know it's a huge subject, but what do you feel are the most key things that need to happen to stop this? How do we help?

There seems to be a growing body of evidence that austerity and cuts to pubic services has impacted upon women more heavily overall. Including (with particular reference to DV and VAWG) the effect of cuts to refuges, legal aid, failure of probation services to accurately assess high risk male offenders and general cuts to support that the most vulnerable women need.

Have you seen evidence of this in your work? How do you think women can best ensure that this evidence is taken seriously and ultimately the situation be redressed?

Also thank you for all that you do. Your work is so important.

Can a robust risk assessment process, ever be a safe replacement for single sex provision of women's services?

Hi Karen
A real biggie. Appreciate you can’t hold the answer, or the world would have been put to rights already), but what are your thoughts on how we can truly deal with male violence, as a global problem?

-And adding my voice to Stumbledin’s suggestion that it would be a nice sisterly act to name all the women who contributed to the Femicide Census. They are all awesome.

Thanks for your amazing work. I have two teenagers - a girl and a boy, and from a feminist perspective find hanging around teens is simultaneously uplifting and terrifying.
How hopeful do you feel for the next generation who are about to start their adult relationships, and what do you wish you could teach them?