Yesterday evening we held a reception at Scottish Parliament to officially launch the project film and engage those in government with the project messages of recognising and celebrating the achievements of the Women’s Aid movement across its 40+ years of history while looking to the future and all that we still need to work towards in order to eradicate domestic abuse.
The evening was well attended by MSPs, with representation from across the political spectrum, and representatives from a number of services and offices including local Women’s Aid groups, the Law Society of Scotland, Children and Young People’s Commissioner, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Police Scotland, Zero Tolerance, Engender and a number of others.
The evening was sponsored and opened by Mairi Evans, MSP for Angus North and Mearns, who connected the celebration of past achievements of Women’s Aid, including being instrumental in securing legal protections for women, children and young people, with the history being made right now with the proposed bill to create a specific offence of domestic abuse. Marsha Scott, CEO of Scottish Women’s Aid, then briefly introduced the Speaking Out project, making a point to remind us of the value in looking back and reconnecting with the movement’s roots.
A choir composed of Women’s Aid workers, both past and present, and local community women’s choir members sang a selection of songs including ‘The Lament of the Working Class Hero’s Wife’ written by Lynda Peachey and friends during a power cut in one of the first women’s refuges in Edinburgh in the 1970s. ‘Raising My Voice, Raising Your Voice’, an original piece composed for the event by song leader Penny Stone and featuring traditional Women’s Aid slogans such as ‘Break the silence, end this violence’ and ‘Women supporting women supporting women’, was also a favourite (lots of feet stomping out the beat!).
The Speaking Out project film was introduced by filmmaker Helena Öhman and two volunteers who took part in filming oral history interviews, Emma Baker and Kim Nicoll. They commented on how privileged they felt to be entrusted with the stories of the women interviewed and with creating a medium to share those stories. It was especially lovely to have a few of the women interviewed for the film with us last night and to see how positive their reactions to the final creation were. The film really captures the feeling of women coming together to support one another. It’s incredibly moving and inspiring to watch. The film is now available to view here so if you haven’t seen it yet, do set aside 30 minutes and grab a cup of tea – I promise you’ll feel uplifted for the rest of the day!
We are looking to use the film to engage people with the project so please do share it. We are also happy to talk to groups that might be interested in screening the film as part of an event (perhaps in combination with a guided discussion about the history of Women’s Aid and the themes outlined in the film). Please get in touch with Emma Gascoigne to discuss.
It was a wonderful opportunity to bring the history of Women’s Aid to Parliament and to share the stories the project has been collecting with policymakers. Thanks to all who attended and made the evening such a huge success.
