Women’s Week pushes boundaries

International Women’s Week took hold of Warwick University last week, with a range of events and a strong publicity campaign that included a ‘living room’ in the Piazza lined with facts about women and domestic abuse.

The campus was brimming with events and facts, all dedicated to women. Students found out that women are more likely to get raped by a former partner than a stranger, that only five per cent of rape cases make it to the criminal court of justice and that society can sometimes blame women for rape because of what they wear.

Addressing this particular issue was the Mock Trial on the Case of Rape where the Law Society re-created the 1999 ‘Jeans Alibi’ Case. The original case involved a trial in Italy where the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned a rape conviction because they believed the victim’s jeans could not have been removed without her consent.

The International Women’s Week webpage says that, “as the purpose of [International Women’s day] is to celebrate women’s achievements and at the same time raise awareness of the inequalities that women still suffer, globally and in the UK, an amalgamation of women’s and human rights societies on the Warwick campus have decided to spread the celebrations and events over an entire week, which promises to make it a very vibrant and informative seven days.”

For many, the highlight of the week was the Vagina Monologues, a play written by Eve Ensler, where different women share their experiences, all of them relating to the vagina. Different monologues addressing issues such as the physical aspects of the vagina, sexual slavery and orgasms.

Psychology students Eleni Alevantis and Lucinda Harvey found the performance very powerful, saying, “it strikes a nice balance between the sensitive issues and the more humourous ones.” The proceeds from the £5 admission tickets went to the Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC).

One of the more controversial events, entitled ‘Real Men are Feminists’, attracted the attention of many. The founders of the White Ribbon Campaign, a male-run feminist charity, could not be present but this did not hinder debate.

Male and female students spent an hour discussing the significance of the word ‘feminism’, whether men should be allowed to be involved in the cause, and what to do about gender discrimination. What many believed to be the struggle for women was overcoming the gender divide, and different opinions were raised on whether feminism needs a new name.

Upcoming Welfare Officer Sami Wannell and Union President-elect Andrew Bradley both gave their insights on the topic.

Fran, the Women’s Campaigns Coordinator, said, “the publicity was aweome…[and] the response was really good.” She highlighted the “massive publicity push” and the “high profile events” as the reason for the success of most of the events. She admitted some were not well attended but was quick to explain that this showed them how to improve for next year.

She added that it was a “huge effort” to organise but that this year there was a large number of people involved from different societies and not just a “core group.”

Other events held during the week dealt with prostitution, women in politics, domestic violence and women in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.