12 May 2014 - The attempt by British police to get Muslim women to inform on
their friends and relatives as part of a counter-terrorism programme, repeats
the police errors of the past and endangers any woman involved, says Yasmin
Rehman
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MOVING IN THE SHADOWS - BOOK
UK - VIOLENCE IN THE LIVES OF
MINORITY WOMEN & CHILDREN
Edited by Yasmin Rehman, freelance consultant, Liz Kelly,
London Metropolitan University, UK and Hannana Siddiqui, Southall Black
Sisters, UK
In the UK
the number of people who came from a minority ethnic group grew by 53 per cent
between 1991 and 2001, from 3.0 million in 1991 to 4.6 million in 2001. Whilst
much has been written about the impact of these demographic changes in relation
to policy issues, black and minority women and children remain
under-researched. Recent publications have tended to focus on South
Asian women, forced marriage and 'honour' related violence.
Moving in the Shadows brings together for the first time in a single volume, an
examination of violence against women and children within the diverse
communities of the UK.
Its strength lies in its gendered focus as well as its understanding of the
need for an integrated approach to all forms of violence against women, whilst
foregrounding the experiences of minority women, the communities they are part
of, and the organizations which have advocated for their rights and given them
voice.
The chapters contained within this volume explore a set of core themes:
the forms and contexts of violence minority women experience; the continuum of
violence; the role of culture and faith in the control of women and girls; the
types of intervention within multi-cultural and social cohesion policies; the
impacts of violence on British-born and migrant women and girls; and the
intersection of race, class, gender and sexuality highlighting issues of
similarity and difference. Taken together, they provide a valuable resource for
scholars, students, activists, social workers and policy-makers working in the
field.
- Contents:
Moving in the shadows: Introduction, Liz Kelly; Part
I Perspectives: At the intersection: Black and minority ethnic women and
the criminal justice system, Sharon Smee; Multi-faithism and the gender
question: implications of government policy on the struggle for equality
and rights for minority women in the UK, Pragna Patel; Violent
intersections: re-visiting the traffic in women and girls, Jackie Turner;
Sexuality and South Asian women: a taboo?, Shaminder Takhar. Part II Forms
and Contexts of Violence: Two steps forward, one step back: the fight
against female genital mutilation in the UK, Makeba Roach and Comfort
Momoh; ‘It’s all about stopping you from getting on with your life’:
post-separation violence in the lives of Asian and African-Caribbean
women, Ravi K. Thiara; Criminal gangs, male-dominated services and the
women and girls who fall through the gaps, Carlene Firmin; Possession or
oppression: witchcraft and spirit possession accusations as a form of
ritual abuse of children and women, Emelie Secker and Yasmin Rehman; Lost
for words: difficulties naming and disclosing sexual violence in Hindi,
Swati Pande; ‘True honour’: domestic violence, forced marriage and honour
crimes in the UK, Hannana Siddiqui; ‘It begins with Sister’: polygyny and
Muslims in Britain, Yasmin Rehman. Part III Interventions and Responses:
Finding a voice - African and Caribbean heritage
women help seeking, Ava Kanyeredzi; Women seeking asylum - failed twice
over, Debora Singer; Working trans-culturally with domestically violent
men, Phil Price; Challenging domestic abuse in the Arabic speaking
community: the experience of Al-Aman, Mohamed Abdalla Ballela; A fuss
about nothing? Delivering services to Black and minority ethnic survivors
of gender violence - the role of the specialist Black and minority ethnic
women’s sector, Marai Larasi; Index.
- About
the Editors: Yasmin Rehman is a freelance consultant and doctoral
candidate at SOAS, University of London, UK.
Liz Kelly is Roddick Chair on Violence Against Women at London
Metropolitan University, UK.
Hannana Siddiqui works for Southall Black Sisters, UK.
- Reviews:
'This wide-ranging collection sensitively and
expertly engages with and illuminates the fraught dilemmas at the
intersection of gender, violence and religion that have become so
important for both practice and theory.’ Sylvia Walby, Lancaster
University, UK
'This book makes an important contribution to the body of knowledge on
various cases of violence against black and minorities women in the UK and
feminist activist responses and interventions to them. It includes
contributions by some of the most important activists in the field and
uses the cutting edge theoretical framing of Intersectionality and
situated gaze feminist theories and the construction of violence against
women as a continuum.’ Nira Yuval-Davis, University of East London, UK
'Collectively, Yasmin Rehman, Liz Kelly and Hannana Siddiqui have over 90
years experience of working on violence against women issues… In this
book, the trio have successfully brought together contributions from an
impressive list of activists and researchers. The result is a volume of
work which seeks to enhance the reader’s understanding of key issues
affecting Minority women and children experiencing violence within diverse
communities within the UK…
Overall, the book explores a number of core themes including the different
kinds and forms of violence experienced by minority women; the continuum
of violence; the role of faith, gender and communities in controlling
women and girls and the intersection of race, class, gender and sexuality.
Most importantly, the book provides suggestions for positive change to the
lives of Minority women and children in the UK…
The Publicity material for the book states that it provides a valuable
resource for scholars, activists, social workers and policy makers. I
would go further and say that this book should be read by every
politician, police officer and judge as this will greatly assist in saving
lives and creating justice.'
The Source: the Women’s Resource Centre Newsletter