Women's Newsletter - January 2006
Contents of this newsletter:
- Women's group idea of the month!...Get ready for International Women's Day, 8 March
- NUS Women's Campaign Materials Order Form
- Just the Job? - NUS Women's Campaign and TUC Event, 16 February 2006, Congress House, London
- NUS Women's Conference - dates and deadlines for your diarys
- NUS Women's Campaign responds to Government consultation on Public Sector Gender Duty
- New Public Sector Gender Duty - Consultation Events
- News from external organisations and events for you to publicise to your members
- fpa looking for two young people to sit on their National Executive Committee
- Smart Justice for Women Petition
- Calling women’s officers and activists to defend the abortion time limit - Message from Abortion Rights
1. Women's group idea of the month!... Get ready for International Women's Day, 8 March
International Women's Day is fast approaching! Are you and your women's group ready?!
March 8th is recognised by women’s groups around the world as International Women’s Day, with the celebrations usually spreading out into an International Women’s Week. It is a special day for celebrating the significant contributions that women have made and continue to make to society and for recognising the progress that has been made in the field of women’s rights. However, it is also a time for reflection on the challenges that still lie ahead for the women’s movement; for contemplation of the fact that there is still nowhere in the world where women can claim to enjoy the same rights and opportunities as men.
Mark this day with your women's group and use the International Women's Day celebrations to promote the women's campaign and your women's group in your college or university. Have a look at the information about International Women's Day online here and here - this will shortly be updated for 2006.
Remember to order NUS Women's Campaign materials for your union in time for International Women's Day! - see the order form at www.officeronline.co.uk/women
LET US KNOW YOUR PLANS FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY! - Email lizzie.magnusson@nus.org.uk with your plans and we will share them with students and women's officers on the 'your local area' section of www.nusonline.co.uk/women
2. NUS Women's Campaign Materials Order Form
The latest version of the NUS Women’s Campaign Being a Women’s Officer Handbook is available for you to order, in addition to posters and leaflets outlining why we have a women’s campaign and why your students need to get involved.
You can use the order form sent to your union president to order your copy of the handbook and copies of the posters and leaflets - or just email us on www.nusonline.co.uk/women stating how many copies you want and where you want us to send them to. The order form and the Being a Women’s Officer Handbook itself are also available to download from www.officeronline.co.uk/women
3. Just the Job? - NUS Women's Campaign and TUC Event, 16 February 2006, Congress House, London
FREE OF CHARGE
OPEN TO FEMALE AND MALE STUDENT OFFICERS/ACTIVISTS
As part of our priority campaign, Just the Job?, NUS Women’s Campaign and the TUC are holding a one-day event on 16 February 2006. The event will give student officers and activists the opportunity to learn more about the issues facing women at work, from the gender pay gap to part-time workers’ rights to sexual harassment, and sessions on campaign planning so that we can work together to fight for women’s rights at work. This event will also provide a great opportunity to discuss how students’ unions and trade unions can work together to tackle these issues.
This is a FREE event, open to both female and male student officers/activists. A letter, provisional agenda and registration form have been posted to all students' union presidents this Friday. Please ask your president to pass on a copy to you or download a registration form from www.officeronline.co.uk/women
To register, please fill in the booking form and send it back to NUS Women's Unit, 2nd Floor, Centro 3, Mandela Street, London NW1 0DU by Monday 13 February.
To find out more, please email the NUS Women’s Unit on wwww.nusonline.co.uk/women
Looking forward to seeing you there! Click here for the provisional agenda
4. NUS Women's Conference - dates and deadlines for your diary
Here’s a quick reminder of the dates and deadlines you need to put in your diary:
- Close of Amendments:- 5.00pm Friday 17 February 2006
- Close of Registration:- 5.00pm Friday 17 February 2006
- Close of Guest Speaker Ballot:- 1.00pm Friday 17 February 2006
- Drafting Commissions:- Sunday 26 February 2006
- Close of Emergency Motions:- 1.00pm Wednesday 8 March 2006
Conference itself will be held at the Britannia Hotel in Coventry from Monday 13 - Wednesday 15 March 2006.
The motions deadline has passed and you can download the motions booklet from www.officeronline.co.uk/events/nationalevents
For more information about NUS Women's Conference, go to www.officeronline.co.uk/events/nationalevents/271456.aspx
You have until 17 February to get those amendments in!
5. NUS Women's Campaign responds to Government consultation on Public Sector Gender Duty
As you may know, the government is putting forward plans for a 'public sector gender duty', these are proposals to require public authorities to design their policy, employment and services with the different needs of women and men in mind. NUS Women's Campaign has responded to a consultation document on this subject, entitled 'Advancing Equality for Men and Women: government proposals to introduce a public sector duty to promote gender equality'. NUS Women's Campaign welcomes the proposed legal requirement for public sector bodies to actively promote gender equality. We call on the Government to name education bodies in the list of public sector bodies required by 'specific duties' (not just a vague 'general duty') to promote gender equality.
To view the full response, go to www.officeronline.co.uk/women
To view the consultation document, 'Advancing Equality for Men and Women: government proposals to introduce a public sector duty to promote gender equality', go to www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/legislation/index.htm
6. New Public Sector Gender Duty - Consultation Events
The Equal Opportunities Commission are holding a series of events in February and March to facilitate discussion about the proposed new public sector gender duty and its implications. This is a chance for you to have your say about the Government's proposals and how they will affect the educational institution you are based in.
The dates and locations are as following:
- 15 February 2006 - Birmingham
- 20 February 2006 - Bristol
- 21 February 2006 - Leeds
- 2 March 2006 - Croydon
7. News from external organisations and events for you to publicise to your members
Please note that whilst NUS Women's Campaign has been careful to check the suitability of these organisations as contact points for student officers, it cannot be held responsible for the work or advice of any external organisation.
(a) fpa Contraceptive Awareness Week 13 - 19 February 2006
Every year fpa (Family Planning Association) runs Contraceptive Awareness Week to highlight contraceptive methods and choices. This year is about long-acting reversible methods of contraception which include the IUD (previously known as the coil) IUS, the implant and the injection. These are methods women don’t have to think about using everyday or before sex.
The campaign aims to make women more aware of their benefits. Click www.fpa.org.uk/news/caw06.htm for more information.
You can help fpa make CAW2006 a success by forwarding an ‘e-postcard’ to all students at your university/college (and everyone you know!). Contact Julia Scodie for an email of campaign images, key messages, and link to fpa’s website. Email julias@fpa.org.uk or call 0207 923 5206 stating your name, university/college, contact details and estimated number of students who’ll receive it.
(b) fpa looking for two young people to sit on their National Executive Committee
The fpa (formerly known as the Family Planning Association) is looking for two young people to sit on the National Executive Committee. Anne Weyman, Chief Executive of fpa, has asked Jo Salmon to forward some information to you about the role that fpa NEC members would be expected to play:
“fpa is looking for two people who are under 25 to join our National Executive Council (NEC). As fpa is a charity, the members of the NEC are the trustees of the organisation and are responsible for Governance and overall policy and strategy. The NEC meets four times a year and there are usually three half-day meetings and one full-day meeting, so this is the minimum time commitment.”
For more information about fpa, visit their website - www.fpa.org.uk - or contact Anne Weyman on annew@fpa.org.uk
(c) Calling women’s officers and activists to defend the abortion time limit - Message from Abortion Rights
Woman’s right to choose abortion is now under concerted attack. The anti-choice lobby is using the focus of later abortion in order to win support for the chipping away of our crucial reproductive rights. The few women who need later abortion have compelling reasons and need the protection of the law. Contrary to media myth, there have been no medical breakthroughs that reduce the age of viability for foetuses or that would warrant a reduction in the time limit.
NUS Women’s Campaign is actively supporting the national pro-choice campaign, Abortion Rights, in its campaign to defend the time limit on abortion. Abortion Rights urges everyone to send the postcard ‘would you turn the clock back on her rights?’ to their MP and to distribute postcards as widely as possible through stalls and pro-choice public meetings on campuses. For postcards and more information about supporting the campaign, please contact Abortion Rights www.abortionrights.org.uk
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