Louis Theroux: Law and Disorder

Thought-provoking documentary by Louis Theroux, examining the high rates of violent crime in Philadelphia. Theroux goes on the street with the police, observing the seemingly lawless state and the violence which has become an everyday occurence. A stark reminder of the way that gangland can spill out of disadvataged areas and become a widespread problem, as predicted by John Heale in the 'One Blood' book.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00fy4cz/Louis_Theroux_Law_and_Disorder_in_Philadelphia/

Oscar winning performance from Thompson?

This was forwarded to me last week. A truly thought provoking video; powerful, understated and raw.

Not only is it a remarkable few minutes of film, it also demonstrates how much untapped and uncoordinated resource exists amongst even the smaller 'violence against women' organisations (Oscar winning actress, high production values - almost certainly all donated for free).

Also sadly, despite Emma Thompson's support, I have a horrible feeling that only a very small percentage of the UK population will ever see this film - so it will neither talk to those people who could get sex trafficking on the news agenda, nor those men who visit prostitutes and don't realise the levels of sex trafficking that exists

http://www.helenbamber.org./IAmElena.html

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has outlined new plans to clamp down on prostitution - 24/11

It will become illegal to use prostitutes who have been trafficked into the country or who work for pimps or drug traffickers. The plan places the duty on the punter to discover whether the prostitute is controlled by a pimp, a trafficker in human flesh or a drug dealer. Ignorance would be no defence.

The full report is saved: S:\CLIENTS\Home Office\Blog

The plan has raised some concern about the ability to assess whether or not a woman is under duress. She would certainly deny it out of fear of her pimp or of the villains who have bought her into sexual slavery. So would everyone around her. If the punter comes to the wrong conclusion about her, he will be prosecuted for a criminal offence, even though he thought he was within the law.

Additional facts and figures:
-An estimated 100,000 men pay for sex in Britain every year, the vast majority of whom will be targeted by the new legislations.
-The decision to criminalise men who pay for sex with trafficked women is likely to have a widespread impact.
-The Metropolitan police have estimated that 70% of the 88,000 women involved in prostitution in England and Wales are under the control of traffickers.

White Ribbon Day - 25 November

White Ribbon Day is the international day when men wear a white ribbon to show they don't tolerate or condone men's violence towards women.

It's an interesting angle to focus on males to wear the ribbon - as the traditional perpetrator group - this could have an effect on the perceptions of society; if men see other men taking a stand it could encourage the public re-think their attitudes and behaviours.

While the 25 November it is the official day that the United Nations has adopted for the International Elimination of Violence against Women, this is only really put into effect in Australia and New Zealand.

See the Australian website: http://www.whiteribbonday.org.au/

Its also interesting to note the brand partnerships at the bottom of this web page which give the campaign a sense of scale and significance; The Body Shop, The NRL, OptiMedia, Lion Nathan Breweries, Channel 7, Napolean Make Up, DHL, Text 100, Saatchi & Saatchi, Balance Interactive Clothing, New Idea Magazine.

Smoking Ban Triggers Rise in Domestic Violence

The Sunday Express article (27 April, 08) found reported that the smoking ban triggered a rise in domestic violence.

This reinforces our idea that when offenders feel frustrated they often take it out on their wives / partners and could have implications for the tact we take when talking to perpetrators, i.e. don’t make them feel threatened or angry as this may increase violence in the home.

Domestic Violence is Not a Woman's Issue, its a Human Rights Issue

Women's Refuge in New Zealand have launched a new campaign which presents domestic violence as a human rights issue, rather than a woman's issue.



It breaks through prejudicial public attitudes about race and economic inequalities presents the idea that people are equals and there is no reason for one person to abuse another.

Glocalisation

Glocalisation: a term put forward by a report that considers the role of community in relation to consumption. It suggests that as Britain becomes more globalised, the role of the local community is strengthened rather than weakened. This is reflected in consumption of local goods and could be to the advantage of independent outlets.

It’s interesting to see that as globalisation increases, people are reacting with a need for a sense of local community. This could hold relevance for the Community Payback initiative, and might suggest that people will react positively to the opportunity to have their say on how people should make amends for the crimes they have caused.

The full report is saved: S:\CLIENTS\Home Office\Blog

The need for a sense of community is also visible in the surge of popularity in online communities. The idea of the community used to mean knowing the names of your neighbours, relying on them if you needed a cup of sugar. Now people look for a sense of community in the same way, but through social networks online. “Communities” have morphed into interest groups rather than a geographical territory.

UNIFEM and Nicole Kidman launch an internet campaign on ending violence against women

http://www.saynotoviolence.org/ has been launched to actively encourage people around the world to speak out and say NO to violence by signing a 'virtual petition'.



While the idea of an online petition is not a new one, it is a step in the right direction in terms of getting people to actually do something - be it a simple gesture of putting their name to something - to show that they will no longer tolerate violence.

It will be interesting to see what UNIFEM does with the petition once a significant number of names have been raised; will they just let it go stagnant or will they use the millions of names of support in a postitive way e.g. another campaign which holds up a mirror to the public and encourages them to question their attitudes