International Women’s Day 2013

– Celebrating achievement and looking at what more can be done

Every year International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8^th March. This monumental day seeks to highlight the extent to which equal rights of women have progressed, as well as emphasising the economic, political and social achievements women have and continue to make.

Each year there is a thought provoking theme, to not only celebrate achievements, but to also raise awareness of the issues and discrimination women still experience in the 21st Century. This year the United Nations (UN) core campaign is to end violence against women “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women”.

Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary said “Violence against women is always a violation of human rights; it is a crime; and it is always unacceptable.  Let us take this issue with the deadly seriousness that it deserves”.

Violence against women continues to be a huge problem in society and can have serious adverse physical and mental affects on the individual and their families.  In the UK, the cost to society totals around £20.1 Billion, which includes human and emotional cost, cost to public services and cost in lost economic output. 

How widespread is the abuse?

The British Crime Survey 2006/2007 established that every year 1.5 million women experience at least one incident of domestic violence abuse, which is nearly 30,000 women a week. Over a lifetime, it is argued that one in four women in the UK will experience domestic violence.

Anyone can be targets of violent domestic abuse, married or unmarried couples, opposite or same sex partners, however, figures show that approximately 77% of the victims are predominantly women. This could be due to a whole range of factors, including cultural differences (i.e. men considering themselves too superior or 50% of men believing that domestic violence is a private affair), life experiences, psychological and emotional issues.

The Home Office Statistical Bulletin: Crime in England and Wales 2006/2007 highlighted that 2000 women are raped a week, resulting in 100,000 every year, and half of these rapes are committed by a current or former partner.

Lesley Abdela, Journalist at the Guardian “Stop looking the other way” wrote that, “Violence against women is a pandemic more extensive than HIV/Aids. It is the main cause of death and disability globally for women aged 15 to 44 – rape and gross bodily violence cause more death and permanent disability than cancer, motor vehicle accidents, war and malaria combined”.

Worryingly, Lesley comments that between one and two women are killed each week by a current or ex partner, and that this number is actually 20% higher than the number of youngsters knifed to death in London or in British cities. 

The affects

Domestic violence against women can have serious implications. As well as the damaging physical health problems that can arise from abuse, there are also notable adverse affects to an individual’s mental and emotional wellbeing; these include post-traumatic stress disorders, depression and anxiety. Moreover, many women turn to taking drugs, alcohol, smoking or overeating as a response to and a way of dealing with the abuse. Statistics reveal that abused women are 15 times more likely to misuse alcohol and 9 times more likely to take drugs than women generally. This can lead to greater physical and emotional problems.

As mentioned above, there is a large economic cost to society as women who are abused often take time off work. Statistics from the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, states that each year one in ten victims of partner abuse takes time off work as a result of the abuse.

Then and now

Until 1990, it was legal for a man to rape his wife.  The idea that domestic violence is a “private family affair” is still widely believed and is one that needs immediate eroding.  Domestic violence is a crime, and if ignored can lead to greater problems for the victim, their families and society as a whole.

International Women’s Day, is a fantastic opportunity for everyone around the world to acknowledge the great achievements of women and the contributions they have made socially, politically and economically, but it also an opportunity to make evident the problems women continue to face world wide.  Through the media, policy makers and the government, we can help to reduce and end domestic abuse and to also ensure a strong support network system is in place to offer advice and guidance to those who have suffered.

For more information on International Womens Day click here

For further information on violence against women click here 

Visit the Women's Health website here 

  

British Women - Unhealthy Lifestyles Have Led to Higher Rates of Cancer!

Data from the World Health Organisation, found that Britain has higher rates of potential fatal disease than the USA, Australia, Germany and Spain.  The statistics reveal that British women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer because of their unhealthy lifestyles.  Cause for concern for?   

A project called GLOBOCAN, set up by the WHO, collects figures on the incidence of and deaths from the most common types of cancer for countries across the world.  The data which was used and analysed for a recent study by the World Cancer Research Fund, found that Britain is the 12th worst of the 50 countries in terms of rates of all cancers among women, and is rated 11th worst for breast cancer.  The figures show that although Belgium is the worse with 109.2 cases per 100,000 women in 2008 with breast cancer, Britain is not far behind with 89.1 cases per 100,000.  There are around 46,000 breast cancer cases per year in the UK, of which a quarter die.

Although high levels of breast cancer rates may be attributed to better detection methods such as new technological advancements and increased awareness, experts claim that lifestyle choices also plays a significant factor.
Meg McArthur, Senior Policy and Information Officer for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, says that “Breast cancer is thought to be due to a combination of lifestyle, genetic and environmental factors and although some risk factors cannot be changed, women can reduce their risk by drinking less, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly.”

Currently international studies demonstrates that Britons now eat and drink more than their counterparts in many other countries.  Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics shows that 56 percent of women over the age of 16 drinks more than double the recommended daily allowance of alcohol every week, while 24 per cent of women in England are classified obese.

Therefore, experts claim that the high number of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK could be avoided if women adopted healthier lifestyles, including drinking less alcohol, eating better and doing more exercise.
Sarah Woolnough, director of policy for Cancer Research UK said "We do know that up to half of all cancers could be prevented by changes to lifestyle such as giving up smoking, keeping a healthy weight and cutting down on alcohol"

The National Cancer Director, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said "We want to vastly improve cancer outcomes - that’s why we will shortly be launching the first ever Government awareness campaign for cancer, to promote earlier diagnosis and to save more lives.”

Raise awareness for women's health! 
In aid of International Women’s Day this year, the Royal Society for Public Health will be running a programme on the 8^th March on "Women’s Health and Well-being".  The event will raise awareness of interrelationship between lifestyle and health, while educating participants about the steps they can take to empower women to improve their physical and mental health.  For further information or to attend the programme please contact Nicolette Smith or by phone 020 3177 1625. 

Generations of Women in Crisis - A Call for Help!

A new report " Women Like Me: Supporting Wellbeing in Girls and Women" carried out by Platform 51, formerly the YWCA, reveals that three-in-five (63 percent) of girls and women, have been affected by mental health problems in England and Wales.  That is the equivalent of 15.2 million girls and women.  Girls and women are almost twice as likely as boys and men to suffer from depression and almost one third have taken anti depressants.   

The research includes national polling conducted by Opinium LLP and focus groups with Platform 51 service users.  The researchers carried out a nationally representative survey of 2,000 girls and women aged 12 and over in England and Wales.  It found that generations of women experience low-level mental health problems that negatively impacts their lives and hinders their potential.  This may include depression, stress, low self esteem, self harm and suicidal thoughts.

The report states, that these mental health issues are often triggered by traumatic events such as, emotional and physical abuse, relationship breakdown, bereavement, unemployment and debt.  However, the study indicates that many women, who are experiencing or have experienced difficult situations, may appear to be functioning normally and coping adequately, when in reality they are struggling. 

Mental health problems can have a profound impact on women’s lives and can also be detrimental for their families, their colleagues and the wider society.  Statistics show that 44 percent of women with mental health problems took time off work, with one in four taking off at least a week a year.  Isolation from friends and family was shown to be a common behaviour with 48 percent staying in bed or at home and as a result more than a quarter (28 percent) had lost friends.  In addition, 27 percent admitted to regularly drinking in order to get drunk and one in five (21 percent) had built up debt. 

Although mental health issues in girls and women is not a new concept, evidence from a 2009 NHS report demonstrates that women's mental health is worsening.  Therefore, as the report identifies, the current approach is not working and more needs to be done to address the problem. 

The group called on ministers to review the “over-reliance” on anti-depressant drugs to treat mild and moderate mental health problems and to make counseling and psychotherapy more easily available to women.   

Penny Newman, Platform 51's chief executive, said:
"Millions of girls and women are not getting the support they need. Women are often the linchpins of their families and their communities, and if three in five of them aren't functioning at their best they lose out, their family and friends lose out and so does wider society.
"Working with girls and women every day for over 150 years we have seen time and time again how often mental health can hold women back.
"Policy-makers need to act now to address this unseen crisis in women's mental health and provide a range of effective interventions. We must put an end to the dependency culture that has built up around prescription drugs, giving women more choice and control over the support they receive.”

International Women’s Day is on the 8^th March this year and the RSPH are running a Programme on Women’s Health and Well-being.  The event will raise awareness of interrelationship between lifestyle and health, while educating participants about the steps they can take to empower women to improve their physical and mental health.  For further information or to attend the programme please contact Nicolette Smith or by phone 020 3177 1625.