Engender blog

GUEST POST: Gender-Based Violence Policies at the Local Authority Level Part 2

Today we're publishing the next in a series of blogs from two student placements Engender is hosting from the University of Strathclyde Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods course. These blogs explore women's representation and decision-making around women's equality in local authorities across Scotland. You can see other blogs in the series here.

In 2020 Jennifer Robinson graduated with an honours degree in Society Politics and Policy from the University of the West of Scotland. She is now undertaking a Masters in Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods with a particular interest in feminist disability studies. She has previously written for the Glasgow Women’s Library and you can find her tweeting about feminism and disability on twitter @JenRobinson95.

As part of my Msc Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods I am undertaking a placement with Engender to research gender equality within Renfrewshire Council and Edinburgh Council. In my previous blog post I explored Renfrewshire council’s gender-based violence policies and funding decisions. In my final blog post I will outline Edinburgh Council’s Domestic Abuse Housing Policy, their council budget and transport policies.

GUEST POST: Exploring how local authorities use Equality Impact Assessments

Today we're publishing another post in the series of blogs from two student placements Engender is hosting from the University of Strathclyde Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods course. These blogs explore women's representation and decision-making around women's equality in local authorities across Scotland. You can see other blogs in the series here.

Katie Young graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in English Literature in Summer 2020, and is now studying a Master’s degree in Applied Gender Studies and Research Methods at the University of Strathclyde. She is passionate about women’s fiction and empowering girls and young women to fight for gender equality in Scotland through volunteering with Girlguiding, and tweets under @katieeey.

Following on from my last blog post on Equality Impact Assessment guidance in West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute councils, I’ve been thinking about what Equality Impact Assessments aim to do, how we can use Equality Impact Assessments as a tool to hold local authorities to account to ensure they consider the impact of gender on their policies and procedures, and what might have to be done to improve equalities work within local authorities. By thinking about policy and procedures in a way that is more gender-sensitive, local authorities are not only able to carry out work that is mindful of and meets the needs of the women and those with other protected characteristics in their communities, but also raise the profile of equalities work in the local authority more generally and highlight the difference that this can make to the lives of local people.

GUEST POST: Empowering women to challenge stalking through technology

Stalking is form of violence against women that is often hidden and subtle, but is no less devastating and traumatic. This week is National Stalking Awareness Week, and Scottish Women's Rights Centre's Natalia Equihua has written a guest blog for us on the FollowIt app for women affected by stalking.

[CN: mentions of stalking, harassment]

Much like domestic abuse, throughout the pandemic we have seen an increase in stalking incidents; this is not surprising given that stalkers are often partners or ex-partners. Not only that, but according to a recent survey by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, online/digital stalking has become more common with 75% of victims experiencing both online and offline stalking since the first lockdown.

Although increasingly we hear of technology being used to abuse women, technology can also be a powerful tool for victims/survivors to challenge the abuse and find justice. This was the idea behind FollowItApp, a mobile app we created at the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre in collaboration with media co-op for women experiencing stalking in Scotland.

To understand what led us to create this app, what makes it so unique and how it supports women in Scotland, it’s important to explore the context of stalking in our country.

Tackling sexual and sexist harassment in the workplace

Engender is working to explore how we can prevent sexual and sexist harassment in the workplace and improve outcomes for victim-survivors as part of a project funded by grant-making charity Rosa. Here, our Policy Officer Mariah Kelly gives an overview of the scale of the issue and the work of the project: