Routes to Solidarity Projectsupporting ethnic minority women in their struggles, and aspirations

Archana Choksi and Sandhya Sharma : Project Officers

Supported by:

Why women?

Women are under represented in all areas of public life.

Politics • 21.4 (1.9%increase)• 30.8% local councillorsPublic appointments• 32.6%Public Sector• 12% - senior police officers• 20.1% - local authority chief executives

Women’s representation in local decision making

Urban Forum, Oxfam and Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) research:

• Where are the women on Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs)?

• What women’s issues are being raised?

• Are LSPs engaging with women’s organisations?

• How are LSPs supporting women’s representation?

Where are BME women?

40% of BME women Live in Poverty in UK

74% of Bangladeshi, 59% of Pakistanis and 28% of Indian children grow up in poverty

BME women’s representation in public and political life:

• 8 BME female MPs (total 26 –4.6%)

• 6.9% - public appointments

• 0.8% - Local Councillors

Where are BME women?

Despite major developments*, • nine major pieces of discrimination legislation• around 100 statutory instruments and • more than 2500 pages of guidance and statutory codes of

practice

BME women in the UK are

Poor, Powerless and Passed Over* (e.g. Sex Discrimination Act, the legislation of abortion, criminalisation of rape in marriage, Domestic Violence: Break the Chain, Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act, Gender equality duty, gender equality, gender main streaming, indirect discrimination, NAPs, Equality Bill, creation of Commission for Equality and Human Rights, Voices 4 change….)

Why?

• Multiple discrimination • Politics of fragmentation • Policy impact on the sector – prevent, community

cohesion • Lack of strategic approach to development of the sector

Strategic leaders’ board Yorkshire forward Joint regional board

Spatial planningRegeneration and housing

Works and skillsTransport

Hull & Humber ports city region

North YorkshireLeeds city region Sheffield city region

Local authorities

Neighbourehood and communities

Leeds Initiative assembly

Leeds Initiative executive

Going up a league board

Narrowing the gapLeeds strategic plan

Strategy and development Children Leeds, Harmonious communities, Neighbourhood policy

BME communities

BME women

National Policy

DeliveryChildren’s integrated strategy boardHealthy Leeds, Safer stronger Legi board, Resource board

VCFS infrastructure organisationsConsultation /representati structureson

Independent board

Can BME women influence policy?

“One of the biggest barriers historically has been that BME women have never actually been seen as either having a voice or wanting to have a voice, its strange because I really feel that people never thought that black women wanted to change the world” - Amina Lone (activist and RTS participant)

Outcomes:• Women have improved knowledge/understanding of their

rights, and exercise greater leadership in economic, social and political spaces

• Increased capacity of BME groups to work together to influence decisions that impact on their work, and their service users at a local, regional and national level

• Policy-makers at different levels are better informed, and put in place policy solutions that benefit BME communities in England

Routes to solidarityActivities

• Training• Mentoring• Lobbying• Policy conference• Policy Round tables• Briefing papers• Community cohesion

projects

Progress so far…... there was a magnetic connection from the very first day…. the

spirit that was there, the oneness, the commonness of what women were doing; it gave me some life back…it was like an awakening. I realised that yes, I am a true activist, but I hadn’t realised this until the training

(RTS trained 59 women / women’s organisations (22)

Routes to solidarity is about space….its women taking a risk saying that we still believe in a sense of solidarity and working together..

(BME women’s solidarity forum/ NE BME women’s network)

Progress so far…. (cont)

I feel like I have really done something…we have gone directly to national powers, we have gone higher to bring change and to voice women’s needs”

(testimonies to EHRC triennial review)

We can no longer sit on the margins, we have to sit on boards… take strategic roles

(BME regional Policy Forum)

Project contact details:

Kirit Patel, Race Equality Programme Co-ordinator: 0161 860 2815 kpatel@oxfam.org.uk

Archana Choksi, Project Officer (Leeds): 07879 115 502 achoksi@oxfam.org.uk

Fiona Davison, Business Support Officer: 0161 860 2811 fdavison@oxfam.org.uk

Supported by: