On the 4th March 2003 BWHAFS commemorated International Women's Week at the Walter Newby Centre in Bethnal Green.

The day was intended to raise awareness and stimulate discussion about International Women's Day and the new amendment to the FGM bill for women of the local Somali community.

In the morning speeches were made and women were given the opportunity to have henna painting and massages. This was followed by a lunch with traditional Somali food. In the afternoon workshops were held. At these, the women, affected by the new amended bill were able to voice their opinions, queries and suggestions.

Helen Pankhurst of WOMANKIND Worldwide, in her speech, talked of the history of the suffragette movement in East London, of the stark statistics of female poverty in the world and of the work that the East Africa Four Literacies Programme is doing. Her speech follows.

International Women's Day Celebrations
4th March 2003
Walter Newby Centre
Speech by Helen Pankhurst


Thank you, for those of you expecting 2 speeches one from Maggie and one from me, you will be glad to hear that I will speak for both of us, leaving time to show you a video before Zenaib and one last talk before lunch.

Also please hold onto your seats because, all within 15 minutes or so, I would like us to go back in time some 100 years and then back again and then overseas to a number of countries in Eastern Africa and then back again. Ready?

· 100 years ago, the WSPU was formed in Manchester by women who were fed up with men making all the public decisions and who wanted 'Votes for Women'. Those women, nicknamed the Suffragettes, were led by Emmeline Pankhust, my great grandmother.

· In the East End of London, Sylvia Pankhurst, her daughter and my grandmother, worked with thousands of East End women, to ensure that the voice of poor and working class women was represented in the women's struggle. The East London Federation of the Suffragettes was active in many parts of the East end, particularly around Ford Road in Bow. After years of agitation, imprisonment, forced feeding, hunger strike and endless demonstrations, 85 years ago women got partial franchise and only 75 years ago women finally got the vote on equal terms with men.

· This historical and local heritage of women is important because they have a direct impact on the choices that we as women make in accepting fate or working together, to make this a better world for all.

· In celebrating International Women's Day we can pay tribute to women who have stood up to defy what is expected of them by custom and disregard what others think of them in order to champion women's concerns and rights.

· Apart from that heritage, I wanted to talk to you a bit about WOMANKIND Worldwide, the organisation that I work for, so hold onto your seats as we come forward in time to 14 years ago almost to the day when WOMANKIND was born. It was launched on International Women's Day in 1989 in WhiteChapel, still in the East End.

· It is a small charity based in the UK but working with partner organisations in around 16 different countries to address women's rights and development.

· The countries are as far apart and as distinct as Zimbabwe, Peru, India and Albania, but the position of women is depressingly similar.

· The statistics are stark: 'Women work two-thirds of the world's working hours, produce half of the world's food, and yet earn only 10% of the world's income and own less than 1% of the worlds' property. Almost a quarter of the global population lives in extreme poverty - on less than the equivalent of $1 per day. 70% of these people are women' [WD Indicators, 1997]

· Another set of statistics can be drawn on to highlight the particular problems that women face. For example internationally VAW causes more deaths among women aged 15-44 than traffic accidents, malaria, cancer or war.

· Also, although the exact statistics vary from country to country and there are some differences particularly around customary forms of violence the figures regarding women experiencing violence at some point in their lives is staggering. In the UK the figure on domestic violence is one in four.

· One of the initiatives we have supported at WOMANKIND, through funding from Comic Relief and DfID is the East Africa 4 Literacies Programme which has brought together 12 organisations working in Somalia, Somaliland, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Egypt.


Time to move with your seats to Eastern Africa

· The purpose of the programme has been to tackle discrimination against girls, looking at issue such as FGM, Early and Forced Marriage, HIV-AIDS, unequal access to education, economic rights, civil participation and in general all forms of violence against women.

· One of these partners is the Black Women Health and Family Support, and the work they do in Somaliland. And this year we have been privilidged to have Shamis from BWHFS as the Chair of the Programme.

· The programme has provided small funds for initiatives of the charities themselves in their own communities, such awareness-raising about women's rights, education support through scholarships to girls or access to credit and saving schemes.

· The programme has also involved joint annual meetings in the different countries to share experiences, reflect and plan joint initiatives. For example, one of our Kenyan partners is currently taking part in the 'Commission on the Status of Women Conference' in New York. The programme has also undertaken research, exchange visits across partners, etc.

· Another initiative has been the production of personal testimonies of women from the Eastern Africa region, which we are launching as part of the Celebrations for International Women's Day. The booklet, copies available, is called Communities and Customs: Change for Women in the 21st Century? It gives a voice to the reality of women's experiences in the region today. I would like to take you more specifically to the village of Boash in Egypt to hear about the story of Sattouta (p14) and then to Northern Sudan to hear the story of Niemat from Dongola (p. 56)

· There is much more to say about the programme. For example, through the International Women's day joint initiative idea we have linked up not just with BWHAFS but also with two other organisations in the UK, Akina Mama Wa Africa and AFFORD. Together all four organisations are involved in a range of activities the details of which you can find on fliers.

· These initiatives link up with an idea we had of trying to link the programme with people of the region or those interested in the region, who wanted to hear more about what life was like for young women (in the region) and pursue possible links. For example, with a pen pall scheme where young girls living here could write to young girls in Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, etc. If you are interested in getting involved in the UK network for the programme please find me or Edward and give us your details and we will be in touch.

· I would like to finish by showing you a production of a video. It was produced by GemTV one of the partners of the programme, young Ethiopians, who produced a video with the community as the actors enacting a real story that happened of a forced marriage or marriage by abduction. This is the kind of material we feel needs to be produced to show and discuss both at community and policy level to ensure that long held practices are addressed and the life of young Eastern African women improved.


· Thanks for listening to me and for taking the journey back in time in the East End, travelling to Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

· Remember to take copies of the personal testimonies booklet

· Also find me or Edward during the day if you want further links to the programme.

· I hope you have a thought provoking day as well as a celebrating women internationally.

Thank you


Link to:
East Africa 4 Literacies Programme
WOMANKIND Worldwide