We track Marcia Banasko's incredible journey!

Marcia Banasko is an extraordinary young woman on a mission. She is going places - both metaphorically and physically. Her passion ..... the role, place and ultimate empowerment of young women in the world. Her personal challenge ....fighting the war of inequality and helping to change global attitudes and culture in relation to young women and their ability to be a powerful force for change. Every inch a young a woman and leader - as well as dynamic, go-getting and articulate - Marcia is wholly focused on her life goal of helping young women across the world. Her secret dream ... working for a leading women's organisation such as UN Women.

So where can Marcia be found today? Right now, she is a communications intern at the global HQ of World YWCA - Platform 51's parent organisation - based in the heart of Geneva. Marcia arrived in Geneva fresh from Platform 51 in Knowsley in the UK where she was a project worker working with young women and girls. Steeped in running development workshops for young women as well as overseeing the young women's radio talk show she had developed at KCC Live, Marcia was already successful with a degree in international development from the University of Liverpool behind her.

In her role as Platform 51 project worker, Marcia flew to Zurich in July 2011 to attend the World YWCA Council and International Women's Summit. She formed part of the YWCA GB delegation which included three Platform 51 service users besides herself. [As an aside, one of those same service users, Kayleigh Devlin, went on to become our first service user Platform 51 Trustee, taking up her appointment in April 2012! It must be something about Zurich!]. For Marcia, her time in Zurich triggered an interest in applying for the World YWCA Geneva internship programme. Life moved fast after that as by last October Marcia had heard her application was successful and by December 2011 she was successfully kicking off a year's internship as a Communications Programme Associate in Geneva.

On a day-to-day basis, Marcia's communications role at World YWCA encompasses primarily content development for the website and the global newsletter 'Common Concern' as well as  social media management. But that's not all ...!  Since arriving in Geneva - where she has had a little time to learn French, bar hop, visit vineyards and go skiing in the mountains - Marcia has also taken part in CEDAW [the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women] in Geneva and spoken on a panel at CSW [the Commission on the Status of Women] in New York. Whilst in New York, she also led the Young Women's Caucus which is the young women's focus and lobbying group at CSW. Not only that, Marcia recently had the extraordinary opportunity to be part of the World YWCA team in Nepal at the World YWCA Asian Young Women's Leadership training. Read more about Marcia's trip to Nepal here. Attending a European rights training event in Prague in the Autumn is also on the cards before Marcia completes her internship this December.

On a final point, one key insight has really struck Marcia during her time in Geneva. The poignant realisation that whatever the language, skin, or country, young women all over the world have strong similarities. They are the same people with the same thoughts and feelings, just living in different circumstances. While in Nepal, Marcia came across girls who had sadly experienced domestic violence and gathered the strength to do something about it. She was able to draw direct comparisons with the cases of young women she had met in Liverpool who were also victims of domestic violence. This realisation must also have helped the young women in Nepal who would at least be able to feel that they were not alone in their struggles and could draw strength from realising the significance of their own personal strength in these distressing circumstances

And so what's next for the intrepid Marcia? A natural next step for Marcia is to fulfil her ambition to study gender and development at the LSE in 2013. Developing her communications career and building on the communications expertise she has gathered while in Geneva is also a must-do. Platform 51 wishes Marcia the very best of success in her career plans for 2013! We are fully confident she will do a fantastic job whatever she does! Bonne chance Marcia! Working for UN Women is not far off! 

Update on Platform 51’s involvement

Human trafficking has a devastating impact on the physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing of victims. Health care professionals have a crucial role along the entire pathway - from identification and intervention, to provision of immediate help, as well as longer-term support and rehabilitation.  However, NHS staff awareness of the role that they can play in tackling trafficking and responding to victims is low. 

The Department of Health recently made a commitment to improve the health service response as part of the government's UK Human Trafficking Strategy 2011-2013.  Platform 51 is proud to be taking a lead role in this partnership with the Department of Health to promote greater awareness of human trafficking and provide health professionals with guidance on how to identify and respond to victims appropriately.

This one-year project started in November 2011. To date, Platform 51 is proud to report that it has secured the support of key stakeholders including the Royal Colleges, NSPCC, the UK Human Trafficking Centre, the Poppy Project, Salvation Army and Ministry of Justice, amongst others

Human trafficking can take place for a variety of purposes, including sexual exploitation, forced labour, domestic servitude.  The victims include adults and children of both genders. Many victims may go on to suffer poor mental health, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy/abortion, and in many cases, drug and alcohol problems. Many of those affected continue to present in healthcare settings, but may have little or no engagement with any other services. For this reason, the health sector can play a vital role in tackling this issue. Hence, why our leadership of this Human Trafficking Project, in partnership with the Department of Health, is so critical.

We will continue to update you on our progress with the Human Trafficking Project at various intervals across the year. Keep checking back on our website as well as our social media channels for more updates.

A female making her way to the top in Parliament?

Platform 51's woman of the week is Angela Eagle - Labour MP for Wallasey, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and the first ever British Parlimentary member to come out.

Platform 51 think it is high time to congratulate a woman who has been reelected in the same constituency, Wallasey, since 1992. This is however merely one of her great accomplishments.

Whilst studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University, St. John's College - the same college at which Tony Blair, amongst many other notable names, studied - Angela Eagle was Chair of the Fabian Society [1980-1983]. This is a society formed around socialist principles with the aim of advancing democratic socialism by implementing gradual change rather than being radically revolutionary.

She had experience of working in the British Industry and of the British Health Service before becoming a Parliamentary officer. Her positions in Parliament have varied - she has been Minister for Green Issues and Regeneration [1997-1998], Exchequer Secretary, HM Treasury [2007-2009], Shadow Minister for Treasury [2010] and is currently Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. She is also the MP who was famously told by David Cameron to "Calm down, dear" - a comment which sparked outrage as the comment was (correctly in the view of Platform 51) deemed sexist and patronising.

Platform 51 are immensely pleased to see a woman playing a huge, influential role in Parliament. The global participation rate of women in parliaments worldwide is under 20%. Although that percentage is nearly double what it was in 1995 - Platform 51 believe women's voices are not heard enough. The lack of women in support of equal rights for all in Parliament is shocking to say the least, particularly as we are repeatedly - and patronisingly - told that woman and men have equal rights and that minority groups such as women and LGBTQs have basically got it all.

Platform 51 co-signs joint letter to Michael Gove

Leading sexual health groups, unions and religion and belief organisations - including Platform 51 - have together recently written to Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove, to ask that he issues guidance to prevent groups making false claims about abortion and contraception in schools. The letter, issued in late April,  particularly focuses on the behaviour of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), Lovewise and Life, and was coordinated by Education For Choice (EFC) and the British Humanist Association (BHA). EFC and the BHA recently uncovered falsehoods spread by SPUC in schools through secret recordings, and are aware of similar inaccurate claims made by the other two groups.

Other than Platform 51, the letter was co-signed by the BHA ,  EFC,  Brook, FPA, Abortion Rights, the Women's Health and Equality Consortium, Rape Crisis England and Wales, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the National Union of Students, the National Union of Teachers, the Trades Union Congress and the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.

The letter reads:

'We are writing to express our concern about the false claims being made by groups invited to give lessons in schools on abortion and contraception, and to urge you to take action to prevent these claims being repeated. In particular, we are referring to the work of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), Lovewise and Life.

To be clear, it is not the anti-abortion ideology of these groups that we are challenging. What prompts this letter are issues of fact: many of the claims these groups make are simply false. For example, there is no evidence that abortion can increase the risk of breast cancer or infertility; no evidence that hormonal contraception can cause an abortion; no evidence for a medical condition called 'post abortion trauma', or indeed that abortion causes more distress for women than carrying an unintended pregnancy to term.

SPUC and others have been repeatedly making these claims for a number of years. We believe it is time for the government to intervene. The Secretary of State for Education has the power to issue guidance on sex and relationships education to ensure that children are protected from inappropriate teaching materials and all state-funded schools must have regard to this guidance. This must surely include preventing materials that present false claims. We believe you should exercise your power accordingly and issue guidance to prevent lessons which can cause harm to young people - such harm would be caused if they are deterred from using contraception because they have been misinformed about its efficacy, or because they believe they will be infertile following abortion.

We therefore hope that you will make clear in future guidance on related matters that materials used in lessons which cover abortion and contraception must be based on fact insofar as they relate to medical and health matters. No group should be permitted to make claims for which there is no evidence.'

Education For Choice's Lisa Hallgarten commenting on the letter, said, 'Schools which invite these kinds of speakers in are letting their pupils down badly. It is poor educational practice to invite guests in to deliberately misinform young people; and it is poor pastoral care to deliberately promote fear and stigma about a common and safe medical procedure.  It is time for Gove, School Governors and Head Teachers to take action to stop this happening.'

BHA Head of Public Affairs Pavan Dhaliwal commented, 'It is well past time that evidence is a criterion when deciding which groups are invited into schools to give talks on abortion. A number of groups opposed to abortion are doing daily talks in schools on sexual health, and in doing so, these groups are not just expressing ideological opposition, but presenting claims that are simply not true. You would not want someone giving a talk in science that claims the earth is 6,000 years old, or in geography claiming that the earth is flat. So why should we be so accepting of people making false claims in sex education? We urge the government to take action to end this situation.'

Please check back here regularly for further progress updates on this key issue.

The Clinks RR3 Task & Finish Group launches its Recommendations

The Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3) at Clinks [the organisation which supports voluntary organisaitons that work with offenders and their families] has recently undertaken a swift action-planning exercise looking at routes of girls and women into the Criminal Justice System.

Platform 51's Jessica Southgate from our Policy, Campaigns and Communications Team was part of the membership of the 'RR3 Task and Finish Group: Breaking the cycle of women's offending: A System Re-design' and representing Platform 51 on this task force.

The Task and Finish Group proposes a fundamental transformation in the way that criminal justice services are designed, commissioned and delivered for girls and women at risk of offending, underpinned by a gender-responsive approach. This could be operationalised through a system re-design that draws upon the specialist expertise of women's community support services and learning from current desistance research.

The headline recommendations of this report outline a framework for delivering a system re-design and these are followed by a series of interim recommendations to address the immediate challenges to current custodial and community provision. These two sets of recommendations should not be viewed in isolation but as complementary and overlapping. It is the narratives of the current system, for example the intergenerational harm experienced by children of prisoners that call for a fundamental rethink. More in depth and contextualised recommendations can be found in the full paper. Click here to read more ....

Literary genius never failing to impress

Platform 51's woman of the week this week is Bidisha - internationally acclaimed writer, critic and broadcaster.

Bidisha's career began at a very early age of 14 - where evidence of her talent became apparent as she launched an arts fanzine as part of engagement of the Riot Grrrl movement. One year later, she was writing for a variety of journals i-D, Dazed and Confused and NME.

In her first year at Oxford University, her first novel Seahorses, was published. During this time she also managed to write for the Big Issue as well as other magazines whilst juggling her demanding degree work at the same time.

She has been editor of Sybil, a feminist magazine and currently works with Mslexia, a quarterly magazine that hopes to provide information and inspiration to women who write. This leads us to what she calls a priority in her writing: gender. Bidisha proudly calls herself a feminist (woo!) and insists on drawing parallels between physical and psychological harassment.

Today, she is not only a writer. She's a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4 on shows regarding women, theatre and discusses events from the past week. She has been on the judging panel for several different awards - most notably the Orange Prize for Fiction and this year she will be a judge for the Polari Prize for debut gay and lesbian literature. She has recently been engaged with Palestine, doing outreach work in refugee camps in Palestine as well as refugee camps in the UK. Her newest book that was out in March earlier this year is called Beyond the Wall: Writing A Path Through Palestine, and is a reportage on her time spent in Palestine.

Platform 51 is so intrigued by Bidisha's ability to manage so much in such a short space of time. We are so impressed with how she immerses herself in projects she believes in and how she is capable of immersing herself in such a wide range of topics i.e. fashion, daily news, arts, finance.  We are certainly excited to see her as part of the up an coming Liverpool's Writing on the Wall Festival (WOW) 2012, an organisation that coordinates projects and events that celebrate writing in all its forms.

... and commits to increase impact and reach

Platform 51 has announced the appointment of three new Trustees who will join the organisation and help meet its ambition to play a greater and more distinctive role in helping vulnerable girls and women to meet their potential.

The three new appointments are:

Carla Stent, Chief Operating Officer at Virgin Group, who has extensive experience in banking retail and travel

Neeta Patel, CEO, New Entrepreneurs Foundation, with specialist experience in launching new ventures and the author of 'Creative Business - the making of addictive stories'

Kayleigh Devlin, a former Platform 51 client and a graduate of  the University of Northampton with a Joint BA in English literature and Education studies

Commenting on the appointments, Platform 51 Chief Executive, Penny Newman said:

"We are currently at a turning point in our history and we are really excited to be joined on the next part of our journey by three accomplished and passionate women. Between them they bring a varied range of skills and experience that we are keen to capitalise on as we take this next big step.

"We are very ambitious for each of the girls and women we work with, supporting them on their journey, whether that's supporting them to go to university, move into employment, develop their aspiration and confidence, or become a more self-assured parent. Now we are keen to be ambitious as an organisation and to increase our impact and our profile over the next year."

New Trustee Kayleigh Devlin said:

"I am excited at the opportunity to help steer an organisation that can be such a catalyst for change; taking women from one place and completely transforming the way they feel about themselves and their lives. I've seen through my own experiences over the last three years the impact a stable and safe space can have in helping women to grow. I've laughed and cried with these women over and over again and Platform 51 is truly my second family.

"I hope I can help Platform 51 continue to grow as a movement, to enable more vulnerable women to come out of the shadows, to empower themselves and to find the beauty in life again." 

Trustee Carla Stent said:

"I am excited and feel very privileged to be joining the Board of Trustees of Platform 51. The organisation is building on its 150 year history, whilst still remaining very relevant to modern society. The charity's objective to support women and girls take control of their lives by building their self-esteem and confidence, is vitally important. Women are the backbone of society - a secure and confident woman will provide a safer and more positive environment for her children & community. This helps to breaks the cycle of isolation and deprivation. Platform 51 is playing a crucial role in this space."

Trustee Neeta Patel said:

"The work that the organisation does has such a tremendous and positive impact on the lives of so many girls and women. They do great work and I have followed the organisation for many years, so I am particularly honoured to be invited to become a trustee. I look forward to meeting the staff and working with Penny, her management team and fellow Trustees to continue to build a powerful, impactful and a sustainable organisation."

'I am a woman and I have the right ....'

April 24^th 2012 marks the 69^th World YWCA Day. We celebrate this day alongside World YWCA since World YWCA is our parent organisation and, critically, both Platform 51 and World YWCA have a common and passionate interest in the rights and lives of young women and girls. Whether in Geneva [the HQ of World YWCA], Jakarta, Lima, Nairobi or Oxford [the HQ of Platform 51], YWCA women and girls will be symbolically connected on April 24 2012 through one common vision and purpose as YWCAs worldwide mark World YWCA Day with their own unique celebrations.

Remarkably, this special day has been marked each year since 1943. The theme for World YWCA Day 2012 - 'I am a woman and I have the right' - encourages a focus this year on women's rights and the collective power of the YWCA to bring about change in the lives of young women and girls. The theme also serves to launch World YWCA's advocacy campaign which will be undertaken across the next 4 years.  

In her World YWCA Day video message, World YWCA General Secretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda [see featured pic], urges friends and colleagues across the world to spend time giving thought to this year's theme - 'I am a woman and I have the right. We are women, we have the power' - and to celebrate the Day.

"We need a day where we can come together to celebrate who we are. To share our experiences. To encourage each other. To reflect on the issues within our communities. To reach out to friends. To reach out to neighbours. To connect.on those issues that are confronting us at each moment and to reflect, connect, share, embrace and reach out as we consider this year's World YWCA Day theme".

World YWCA's Gumbonzvanda also calls for World YWCA Day 2012 to become a catalyst for change.

"I invite you on this day to take specific action. You can take action in your family and in your community on World YWCA Day. Just wake up and tell yourself 'I am a woman, and I have the right' then reach out to your community. Go to your YWCA and say, 'We have the power, and the power to change'. I invite each YWCA to take specific action on World YWCA Day and to join the World YWCA in the collective action that we are all involved in".

The 2012 World YWCA Day theme which addresses advancing women's rights - in particular, sexual and reproductive rights, freedom from violence and women's rights to equitable participation in decision-making - is central to the work of the YWCA movement and its newly adopted strategic framework for 2012-2015. This framework encourages YWCAs across the world - the YWCA movement is present in 125 countries globally - to work from a human rights based approach. A human rights approach in delivering on its mission to develop the leadership and collective power of women and girls around the world to achieve justice, peace, health, human dignity, freedom and a sustainable environment for all people. 

To find out more about World YWCA Day activities around the world click here. To learn more about YWCA GB click here. 

Check back next week to read more about one particular World YWCA member, Marcia Banasko, a former Platform 51 participation worker from our centre in Knowsley and now a communications intern at World YWCA's Geneva HQ. We recently visited her in Geneva to learn more about her story and thoughts. Don't miss out! Read more next week. Marcia won't be in Geneva next week. She will be in Nepal as part of the YWCA Asia young women's training seminar leading on the communications front. That's the kind of extraordinary girl Marcia is!

Running thousands of miles over decades

The London Marathon takes place on Sunday, so to mark this annual event, Platform51 thought it was the perfect time to make Paula Radcliffe our woman of the week. The long-distant runner is one of the very few, well-known female athletes in Britain and she has undoubtedly provided many girls and women worldwide a role model and living proof that there is a place for women in the competitive world of sport.

Paula's success has been a result of dedication and lots of hard work. She began running before she was even 10 years old - an unlikely choice of entertainment for a child with asthma and anaemia. However these disabilities did not stop her. In fact, they may well have spurred her on to fulfil a desire and a dream that would eventually become reality. She holds the world record for a female participant to run the marathon (which was subsequently set in London) - a record of two hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds. She has been unbeaten in 9 years and as of yet no other female runners have even come within minutes of this record.

Paula Radcliffe's career has spanned over decades: rising to fame when she was just a teenager, she has participated in 4 Olympics and will be taking part in London 2012 later this year. She's won several awards to celebrate her success, including BBC Sports Personality of the Year and she also has an MBE. Furthermore, she has an autobiography called Paula: My story so far. What a load of achievements!

Paula Radcliffe is still relatively young - at only 38 years of age, it is rare for people to be thinking of retirement. However, in the professional sporting world, it is rare to still be in action by this point in one's life. But it seems like Paula will continue running until her legs won't carry her any longer! Platform51 are completely astounded by her resoluteness and drive to do as she pleases and we completely congratulate her on this. We also wish her the best of luck on Sunday and will be watching the race, no doubt from the edges of our seats.

Remembering one of the finest photojournalists

Platform 51's woman of the week is Eve Arnold - renowned photographer and journalist. Coming up to what would have been her 100^th birthday, Platform 51 think it is time for us to celebrate her success - not only as a first class photojournalist, but also as one of the first female photographers to have risen in an the art world that had been dominated by men. She provided a radically different lens in which to view the world and was extremely successful in doing so.

Growing in Philadelphia, Eve's original life plan was to study medicine. However, after playing around with a camera it was obvious she had a talent - a talent she would nurture and a talent that would become an integral part in the documentation of some of the most prominent news stories of 20^th Century America. She followed the McCarthy trials, photographed starts such as Malcom X, Marilyn Monroe, Queen Elizabeth II - to name a few. Her interests did not lie only with the glamorous and the fortunate. She also documented the lives of those less fortunate, including shots of Vietnam and the Civil War.

However, it seems that Eve Arnold took an interest in capturing life in all shapes and sizes - events that were noteworthy, but also just those of common, everyday life. She once said "It's the hardest thing in the world to take the mundane and try to show how special it is." She succeeded in her task and her photographs truly are mesmerising. And they certainly did not go unnoticed: honoured with photography awards in America and Britain, as well as several honorary degrees from various universities, she was also awarded an OBE.

Eve Arnold did not only stand out because of her sex, but because of her radical way of documenting things. In one of her first projects, she photographed a catwalk (where the clothes drastically opposed the clean cut, haute-couture that was the fashion at the time) that took place in Harlem (an area most well-known for it being a ghetto). This is symbolic of her work in general, as she completely subverted the clichéd, an essential theme running through her entire work.

Platform 51 is amazed by someone with such sheer determination to create. She was not purely an excellent photographer, she also wrote and documented so much that she has several books published. Her achievements do not stop there though: she even created a film called "Women behind the veil", that takes a look into a Muslim society in which the hijab plays a huge role in the lives of women. Eve Arnold died in January at the age of 99 - after a long and very fruitful life, and she leaves her legacy behind, not only in the actual prints of her work, but in the inspiration she has instilled within so many.

Potential priest turned environmental activist

In light of the past few weeks' strange weather, we have decided to make Tamsin Omond our woman of the week. Tamsin is a young environmental activist who has been at the heart of campaigns against man-made climate change in Britain for the past five years.

Tamsin Omond was subject to the best education - having studied at Westminster School and then Cambridge University, her intentions were to become a priest. However, a turn of events led to her becoming a principle member of environmental activism soon after her graduation. Her activism profile began with 'Plane Stupid' which is a network of groups that take non-violent direct action against the expansion of the aeroplane industry. It is a combination of regional anti-aviation groups and hence has no official leader of formal hierarchy: a structure that completely diverges from ones that are so common in our society. When Tamsin was part of this organisation, she took part in her first high-profile protest which took place on the roof of Parliament. Its aim was to express disagreement over the expansion of Heathrow airport in 2008. She was one of five to let down banners hanging from the roof and she also threw down paper aeroplanes made from information regarding the expansion plans - information that was gathered under the Freedom of Information Act. Although she was arrested for this, her bail conditions were ambiguous and mocked at. The security of Parliament was also scrutinised because of the relatively easy access the activists had to the roof.

Since then, Tamsin has created her own group called 'Climate Rush', a group needing to "take responsibility now to prepare for the future." Tamsin says she got lots of her inspiration to fight for a cause she believes in from the Suffragettes and has often been referred to as 'the Green Suffragette'. There has even been a film made linking Tamsin's efforts to those of the Suffragettes many years ago.

Platform 51 admires Tamsin's determination and commitment to environmentalism - she continues to take direct action. She created her own independent political party 'The Commons' and stood for election in the constituency of Hampstead and Kilburn, where she stated that if she were to win she would donate 1/3 of her salary to the local community and would do community service at least once a week - although she only received 0.2% of the votes, it was a brave and evidence of her dedication.

Not yet thirty years of age, Tamsin has placed herself at the core of environmental activism. She has a book published 'Rush - The Making of a Climate Activist', occasionally writes for newspapers about climate change, human rights and Christianity and manages a leading organisation that stages regular protests. It seems like Tamsin Omond's career is only just lifting off and it is quite possible that she succeeds, like the inspirational suffragettes, in making a difference to our future.

First Iranian & Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize

Platform 51's woman of the week this week is Shirin Ebadi. She is a qualified judge, lawyer and university lecturer. Her achievements include winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 (the first Iranian and first female Muslim to win the prize), having books published but most notably, she fights for democracy and perseveres for changes in laws that degrade children and women.

Ebadi's life story is encouraging to those in favour of human rights for all. Platform 51 is blown away by the sheer determination for social equality she demonstrates. After graduating with a degree in jurisprudence, she soon rose to fame by making history: she was the first woman in Iran to become president of a city court. Unfortunately, only a few years later the new Iranian government forbade women to be judges and so Ebadi was demoted to secretary - secretary of an organisation she once managed - and it would be another 15 years before she would practise law again.

She never gave up her and fought against the struggles: in her time out as lawyer she wrote books, including a memoir 'Iran Awakening: A memoir of Revolution and Hope', outlying her beliefs and the obstacles she has found and continues to find in her path. She also founded and is president of Iran's non-governmental leading human rights organisation, Defenders of Human Rights Centre. Furthermore, she and five other Nobel Peace Prize winners have created the Nobel Women's Initiative to support women's groups around the world to campaign for justice, peace and equality.

She has continuously campaigned for the status of women and children to improve both socially but more directly, she has sought to improve their status in legal terms. This has involved helping draft the text of law against physical abuse of children - a law that was eventually passed in 2002.

She has featured in Forbes magazine's list of the 100 most powerful women in the world and it is without question that Shirin Ebadi has played a huge part in a social shift towards democracy and open-mindedness in Iran. However, she is incessantly faced with opposition - she currently resides in England as Iran proves too dangerous a place for those who criticise the government to live in. Her most prominent struggle that she will continue to face is those who interpret the Muslim faith as a means of seeing women "cloistered" rather than an active part of daily life. She does not give up, however, and the fight for equality continues, not just in Iran, but worldwide.

WHEC Bristol conference to set the scene on 30th March

This Friday 30^th March, the Women's Health and Equality Consortium [WHEC), a leading consortium of women's organisations - Platform 51 is the lead partner - providing expertise on improving the health of all women and girls in England, will set the scene on the new health landscape. WHEC's Senior Policy and Research Officer, Zoe Palmer, will present the keynote update at the free event which takes place in Bristol at the city's Council House. WHEC are Strategic Partners of the Department of Health.

The event kicks off at 10.30 am with registration and refreshments prior to the opening address at 11.00 am by the WHEC event Chair. Lunch will be provided and the event will close 2.30 pm following discussion and then closing remarks by the Chair.

Other speakers at the event will include Layla Ismail, Community Programme Coordinator at Refugee Women of Bristol who will discuss experience of engaging local processes; Cezara Nanu, Head of Platform 51's Bristol centre, who will discuss engaging local process to meet the health and wellbeing needs of girls and women; and Dawn Taylor from Bristol Rape Crisis who will address how to influence and understand local health structures. 

WHEC's Zoe advises, "In December 2010, the Government announced major reforms to the NHS and since then, announced further reforms to public health systems and how services will be delivered and commissioned. Our event will aim to explain what these reforms look like to date, how to engage and influence local structures including priority setting through the Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) and health and wellbeing strategies drawing on shared experiences.

She continues, "The reforms to the NHS are never far from the headlines but what often gets missed is the impact that they will have on individuals - people are confused about what the health service in their area will actually end up looking like; many do not understand how their day-to-day lives will be affected and those that do, do not know how to influence the changes.

The voluntary sector in Bristol has an important role to play in ensuring that the reforms are communicated to local people and that they are made in a way that benefits those living locally. There is a particular need to communicate with women because: women are more likely to use NHS services, more likely to work in the NHS as well being more likely to face health issues that require a gender-specific response"

For further detailed information, see also this link to the Health and Social Care Bill.

DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS EXCITING EVENT! Get in touch with Zoe Palmer at WHEC to find out more and get a registration form by emailing Zoe at zoe.palmer@platform51.org.

EVENT DETAILS :

Date :              Friday 30^th April

Timing :           10.30am - 2.30 pm

Venue :            Bristol Council House, College Green, Bristol

One multi-talented woman!

Sandi Toksvig is Platform 51's woman of the week. Comedian, presenter, broadcaster, author... Sandi Toksvig's talents are abundant and have not gone unnoticed - winner of several awards for her political satire and broadcasting skills, Platform 51 think it's about time we highlight just how much we respect her.

Primarily a comedian, Sandi Toksvig's comedic abilities began when studying at Cambridge University where she was an integral member of Footlights, a prestigious theatre club for university students. Her ability was recognised by her college, Girton College: not only did she gain a First-class degree, but she also earned herself prizes for remarkable achievement.

Following her graduation, she has gone on to various different routes in the media, including presenting children's shows and documentaries, she is often found as a panelist on various political shows, has acted in plays, written a musical, written books for children and adults, is a regular columnist for various publications, hosts a radio show - the list goes on.

She has also become involved with several universities - having stood as a candidate for Chancellor of the University of Oxford, in opposition to tuition fees, she is currently Chancellor for Plymouth University. She has also been involved in lots of charity work. However, her sexuality has been a barrier for her in some cases - charity Save The Children appointed Sandi as organiser of their 75^th anniversary celebrations but dropped her in 1994 after she came out as a lesbian. She is currently in a civil partnership and has three children, from a previous relationship with a woman. That Sandi is so successful and a very prominent figure in the media, suggests that in the past 15 years, there has been a positive shift in the way in which homosexual relationships are viewed.

Platform 51 are blown away by Sandi Toksvig's wit and intelligence. We were lucky enough to hear her open Fem '11 in November, where she challenged patriarchy in our society, using children's stories to explain her arguments. She stated, for example, that if Rapunzel, the fairy tale princess, had long enough hair for a man to come up and save her, surely she had enough hair to make herself a rope and climb down herself. Toksvig claimed that from a very young age, we are grooming generations with the notion that female dependence on men is necessary and normal. She also drew attention to patriarchy being a modern social construct, highlighting the oppression of women that is coming about as the coalition government make cutbacks that will have a negative affect on women more than on men.

Platform 51 really hope to be hearing more from Sandi Toksvig and we are extremely grateful to her for all the laughs and information she has provided us with, which are always a stimuli for deeper thinking regarding the status of society and the status of women in society.

We urge the Government to go even further

'Exclusion usually happens because of a child's behaviour. Schools, Academics and Ministers have recognised such behaviour often originates in troubled home lives which spill over into school. We were keen to know how schools exclude, why, using what systems of escalating sanctions, in whose interests, listening to whose evidence, with what consistency of approach and with what results'.

OCC, March 2012

Platform 51 welcomes the Office of the Children's Commissioner [OCC] report 'They never give up on you', published on 19^th March, with a focus on exclusions and the impact of this on young people's lives.  

From our work with girls and women, we know that some girls drift out of the system through unofficial exclusion or self-exclusion.  Under-performing girls can also fare worse in terms of teacher attention in the classroom and we know that their experiences can go under the radar.

We urge the Government to go beyond the OCC's recommendations and look even further into the significant impact of unofficial exclusion on girls.

For the full OCC report, click here. For an Executive Summary click here.

Championing feminism in a country where male-chauvinism reigns

Platform 51's woman of the week this week is Fawzia Koofi - a Muslim female politician trying to break the extremely sexist mould of Afghanistan's society. She is dedicated to woman's rights and is determined to improve the rights of women in Afghanistan - the country deemed to be the most dangerous place for a woman - even though this means putting her life at risk on a daily basis.

Life has not been easy for Fawzia. Her birth was a source of resentment for her parents, who regretted giving birth to a daughter. However, Fawzia is alive and is continuously fighting for equal rights. When young, she was determined to study - begging her parents to allow her to go to school - a rarity for a woman in Afghanistan.

Fawzia Koofi has been courageous and successful. She is only 36 years old, but has worked for the UN, with the primary interest of working with vulnerable groups such as women, children and Internally Displaced People (people who have had to flee from their homes, but have not left the country). She is now a prominent politician in Afghanistan and will be running for presidency in the 2014 elections and if she wins, Koofi would be Afghanistan's first female president.

Her debut as a politician started with her promotion of education for women and children, where Koofi supported an equal-access to good schooling for all. She continues with this, and whilst it is becoming more common for women to be educated, in rural areas in particular, girls are mistreated and even killed for attempting to educate themselves. Women are at a particularly high risk of harm and repression in Afghanistan, where it is custom for them to be forced into marriages, to be beaten, or be subject to "honour" killings. Koofi is currently trying to approve a law in parliament which would criminalise violence against women. However, many people in Afghanistan view equal rights between men and women a Western idea rather than a matter of human rights, and are therefore suspicious of it.

Koofi's fight will not be easy - but she is determined to break this gender barrier that is so deep-rooted in Afghan society, confident that the society is "now ready for change." She said recently "My vision for Afghanistan, for my daughters and all the girls and women of Afghanistan is a country where they are respected as a human being regardless of their sex, regardless of their ethnicity, regardless of their religion. Because this was something I was suffering - discrimination and injustice - the whole of my life, even today." Her vision is one that Platform 51 completely agrees with, and we will be following Fawzia Koofi's campaign, hopeful that she is successful.

Plaform 51 urges authorities to act on the recent APPG report

"It is illogical to think we can treat all of our social problems and small misdemeanours with the blunt end of the law. At the more serious end, girls' problematic behaviour is often a signifier that they have welfare needs which need addressing, including poverty, substance misuse or domestic violence and abuse. But the majority of girls are just young, and are simply pushing the boundaries".

Baroness Corston, Chair, APPG on Women in the Penal System

Last week, on 7^th March 2012, the All Party Parliamentary Group [APPG] on Women on the Penal System , chaired by Baroness Corston issued a report 'Keeping girls out of the penal system'  - in conjunction with the Howard League for Penal Reform - which revealed that, contrary to common misconception, girls are actually less violent and committing fewer crimes.

Platform 51, as an organisation concerned with the welfare of girls in the UK, supported this report by co-signing a letter published in the Guardian the same day the APPG report was published. The letter urged authorities to act on the report and improve their response to girls who come into contact with the criminal justice system by recognising their specific needs.

Our Chief Executive, Penny Newman OBE, co-signed the letter alongside the Chief Executives of the Howard League for Penal Reform, Barnardo's and Getaway Girls amongst others.  Earlier, our Director of Policy, Campaigns and Communications, Rebecca Gill,  had provided oral and written evidence to the associated inquiry. Equally, our Platform 51 work in this area has been profiled as a case study in the APPG briefing.

Here is a brief excerpt from the letter to the Guardian co-signed by our Chief Executive :

'Most of these girls do not require sanctions and interventions. Resolving behavioural issues quickly and informally would avoid this and be more effective. For the few who do need intervention, single gender projects have been shown to support girls who are truanting, living in chaotic families or experiencing abuse. These projects boost self-confidence,  help resolve problems and can prevent girls from getting caught up in the revolving doors of the penal system. Government, local authorities and the police need to recognise the specific needs of the girls so that the criminal justice system does not become a permanent fixture in their lives'.

We will continue to provide updates on our website regarding treatment of girls who come into contact with the criminal justice system, and our associated campaigning activities in this area,  in the months to come.

Show us your glad rags...!

We kicked off our Platform 51 Glad Rags campaign on International Women's Day last Thursday, March 8^th. So far, we've had a great response and we're delighted to be continuing the campaign right through until the end of march in support of our mental health campaign.

So what's Glad Rags?! Well, it's our YouTube campaign in support of mental health which is asking young and old women alike to post 2 minute videos on what item of clothing, make-up or jewellery makes them feel good inside and out. We've also got celebrities, bloggers and the political community supporting the campaign with more of their videos to come. A video from ex-Atomic Kitten Natasha Hamilton kick-started our campaign on International Women's Day where she talked about why she felt good wearing bright red lipstick. And today, in the second week of our campaign, MP Gloria de Piero talks about the good vibes she has about the red dress she wore to kick-start her political career. We also have videos from fashion bloggers, Platform 51 girls and supporters and other girls and women joining in the campaign.

So why not take part and submit your video?! Just click on the Glad Rags link on our website home page, or go straight to our Platform 51 YouTube channel, and upload your 2 minute video.

We have much more to come with more politicians like Louise Mensch, more celebs and fashion bloggers and more girls and women with stories to tell. Keep watching and send us your video submission too!

Finally, don't forget to sign up for Platform 51's e-newsletter to get the latest updates about our work to give women a better future and how you can get more involved in our campaigns and fundraising. We would be also delighted if you would consider donating. From as little as £2 a month you could help a woman experiencing mental health problems get counselling to help her talk through her problems and improve her confidence. Donate today!

Gender is her agenda!

The excitement of this week comes to a close with the wonderful Mariella Frostrup as Platform 51's woman of the week. The PR-executive turned presenter turned writer has a book published, is a judge of the Man Booker Prize, the Orange Fiction prize for Fiction, the London Film Festival, she has her own book published - and she is also widely known for her 'sexy voice'. But her most admirable achievement is how she has placed herself at the heart of gender inequality and co-founded The Gender Rights and Equality Action (GREAT) Trust.

This past week, the world has been celebrating societal changes that offer women hope of reaching equality with men. It is, however, undeniable that women bear the brunt of poverty, power and oppression much more than men and so the fight must go on.

Mariella Frotstrup is at the heart of this fight - having been active in the charity sector for several years, presenting events and organising fundraising initiatives. Recently, however, she has been more prominent in issues surrounding gender equality. She has travelled profusely to Africa to gain a better understanding of differently structured communities, which have helped her gain a deeper understanding of how gender inequalities blatantly prevail worldwide. She has been an ardent campaigner for women's rights and she was one of the driving forces behind the creation of The GREAT Initiative.

Mariella is adamant that "the tangible possibility of changing this world for the better is within our reach." Platform 51 completely agree and are eager to see a rise in the number of women running for a seat in governments in Africa as well as a decrease in violence and an equal quota of boys and girls in schools. With initiatives such as GREAT being launched - there is hope and we are very grateful for continuous action like this taking place on an international level.

Yesterday evening, Mariella spoke at Cambridge University as part of their celebrations of International Women's Day about why gender is on her agenda. Tickets sold out very quickly and even though we missed the event, we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for what the next exciting and admirable thing she comes up with!

Peacefully leading women in to action

Today is the 101^st International Women's Day and to celebrate the success of women over the past year, our women of the week today will be the three female Nobel Peace Prize winners of 2011: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman.

These three women were praised for their mobilization of female groups and their rallying of women to involve themselves in the peace-building and political reformation of their subsequent native lands.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the current Liberian president, is the first ever woman to be elected as head of state in Africa. 72 years old, with 30 years of experience of politics in Liberia, Ellen has been a major force in the redevelopment of Liberia's military regimes and economy. In her time as a political activist, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been imprisoned, rallied against undemocratic policies and governments to support equality of all kinds, being particularly devoted to creating gender equality in not just Liberia, but Africa as a whole.

Ellen's political success could not have been achieved alone: she was supported by Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian political activist who rallied hundreds of female activists to support Ellen's campaign. Leymah's involvement in Liberia's political and social state began years ago and she has continuously urged women to become a central part of the political structure of Liberia by ensuring women's participation in elections. She also co-founded the Women Peace and Security Network Africa.

Similarly, Tawakkol Karman has led rallies of women against the corrupt rule of President Ali-Abdullah Saleh. In Yemen, where Tawakkol protests, the rules for women are extremely strict - with women not being able to leave the house after 7pm. However, this is changing and Tawakkol's position at the heart of the pro-democracy movement can be acknowledged as nothing other than positive. She has shown an urgency for women to express themselves, founding Women Journalists Without Chains, a non-governmental organization that, as well as providing women with a platform to speak out from, ensures women are represented fairly in the press.

All three women have faced jail. They have faced serious threats to their personal wellbeing. They have placed themselves at risk so as to improve the lives of millions: as a result of their courageous work, societies are being remoulded for the better. Platform 51 is overwhelmed by the energy of these women, and completely agree with the words of Leymah Gbowee "truly women have a place, truly women have a face and truly the world has not been functioning well without the input, in every sphere, of women."

Risked her life to save those of others

Only 2 days to go until International Woman's Day and at Platform 51 we are continuing our countdown with a woman of the day every day this week! Today, we are paying our respects to Marie Colvin, the war correspondent who was killed only 2 weeks ago in Syria. Platform 51 want to celebrate her remarkable work as a journalist -her dedication to her job shone through every one of her stories and she will be missed by the political world, the reporting world and by the public.

One of Britain's most renowned war correspondents for nearly thirty years, Marie Colvin was American. Brought up in New York, she went on to study Anthropology at Yale and then English Literature. From that point onwards she never turned back and pursued journalism, the job that would eventually be the cause of her death on 22^nd February 2012.

Marie Colvin always reported from the frontline, covering the effects wartime had on civilians. She said "I feel I have a moral responsibility towards them, that it would be cowardly to ignore them. If journalists have a chance to save their lives, they should do so." And this is exactly what Marie did. Some 1500 women and children from Sri Lanka are still alive thanks to her persistent publicising of events to the world. Often writing with a focus on women and children, Marie's writing was clear evidence of her empathy towards those directly affected by large-scale violence.

The notion of danger never deterred Marie - and she never gave up broadcasting events to the world, regardless of potential peril. Her efforts have been acknowledged - she won foreign reporter of the year in 2001 and 2010, was given the International Woman's Media Foundation award for her invaluable work and the list goes on.

Platform 51 are in awe of Marie Colvin's commitment to her work. With her trademark black eye-patch she wore to cover a war wound, her continual placing of herself in danger to broadcast information to the rest of the world are things that rendered her one of a kind. This kind of respect for humanity and social awareness are qualities we can all learn from: these are qualities that are absolutely necessary if we are to become a more conscious society.

Democratic icon

International Woman's Day is only a few sleeps away, and to celebrate, Platform 51 will have a Woman of the Week every day this week! We have chosen Annie Lennox as our Woman of the day, because she is not only an extremely capable singer and songwriter, but a political activist and a campaigning philanthropist.

She is an artist who uses her musical abilities to raise awareness about social issues she (and we!) believes need tackling. She is wonderfully talented - has won 8 Brit Awards, 4 Grammy Awards, an MTV Music Award and in 2011 was awarded an OBE for her "tireless charity campaigns and championing of humanitarian causes."

She has spoken at the House of Commons urging the British to support and provide help to those much much less fortunate in Africa, she established the SING Campaign, releasing the song Sing in 2007 - a collaboration of 24 female artists including Madonna and the Sugababes, of which the proceeds went to the HIV/AIDS organisation Treatment Action Campaign. A gay icon, a supporter of the democracy all over the world, a mouthpiece for hope, she was an obvious artist to be asked to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 2007.

Last year, in celebration of the 100^th Anniversary of International Women's Day, Annie Lennox brought together a new platform for a debate on gender equality, called EQUALS. This coalition is a partnership of national and international charities including Amnesty, Oxfam, Fawcett Society to name a few This year, Lennox will be hosting an evening filled with music on Friday 9^th March in London, as part of the Southbank Centre's Woman of the World festival. Acts will include Katy B, Jess Mills and Emeli Sandé. As well as music, there will be special guest speakers to talk about the inequalities women still face today. This proves to be an amazing night and tickets can be bought here!

Not only has Annie Lennox sold over 80 million records world-wide, she has played an integral role in the restructuring of world politics and traditional, out-dated ways of thinking. It is thanks to campaigners with influence, like herself, that we can hope for changes in society and Platform 51 are extremely proud to be able to congratulate her today.

Excitement builds at Platform 51

This week on Thursday 8^th March it's going to be International Women's Day 2012 [IWD 2012] and everyone at Platform 51 is now getting very excited! We have lots of events and activities planned around the UK at our centres as well as our first ever YouTube campaign for IWD called 'Glad Rags 2012' and a special Platform 51 Women of the Week initiative with not just one Woman of the Week but four!

From Tuesday to Friday this week, we intend to celebrate some amazing women in our Women of the Week feature. From Annie Lennox and the fantastic work she does for EQUALS through to the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winners, Mariella Frostrup who gives a lecture on IWD in Cambridge this Friday and the heroic as well as the outstandingly brave foreign correspondent Marie Colvin, who was tragically killed in action just a few days ago.

We would love as many people as possible to engage with our Glad Rags campaign which supports our mental health work at Platform 51. So check the site this Thursday 8^th March and do join in! All you have to do is upload a short 2 minute video that tells us about a clothing item, piece of jewellery or favourite lipstick that simply makes you feel good when you wear it. Whether that's for confidence-building, pure comfort factor or it's an item of clothing that has special emotional significance. Check the YouTube site regularly as we will have a whole host of video uploads from former Atomic Kitten, Natasha Hamilton to Marie Claire magazine, women MPs including Gloria de Piero and many of Platform 51 staff as well as lots of the general public. Get videoing now and join us!

Around the country, our team in Bristol is celebrating IWD 2012 by hosting a conference on Employment and Education, our team in Knowsley is taking over KCC Live radio station for the day, the Cardiff team are holding women's workshops and offering reiki and reflexology sessions, the Plymouth team will host an evening celebration in our local centre and the Truro team will be holding a conference to gather the views of girls and women. And there's more! In Doncaster, is holding a major event at the local centre 'Promoting Happiness and Positive Mental Health', our girls in the Midlands at Bilston and Warstones are holding fundraising quizzes and our London West centre will host dance activities and an Olympic workshop.

As you can see, we're really going to town for IWD 2012 and next year we intend to run some even bigger and more exciting initiatives for IWD 2013! Join us on Twitter and Facebook  - and don't forget to upload your video to Platform 51's 'Glad Rags 2012' YouTube campaign - and keep us posted on your thoughts and activities around IWD 2012.

Finally, if you would like to learn more about how you can help support our activities to support vulnerable women and girls, then check out our website fundraising page here and also sign up for our Platform 51 e-newsletter here. For as little as £2 a month, you could help a woman experiencing mental health problems get counselling help to talk through her problems and improve her confidence. Why not donate today here !

Happy International Women's Day 2012! Have a great week!

Queen of re-structuring fashion stores and much much more!

Platform 51's woman of the week - on the eve of the week that International Women's Day kicks off - is Mary Portas, known for her highly influential position as regards all things retail and branding. This is not, however, all she is known for - she also writes a column - Shop! - in the Telegraph magazine and has presented several recent documentaries about the retail industry and her role in it.

Mary Portas is very definitely an inspiration. From her first Saturday job in John Lewis, to revolutionising Harvey Nichols into a modern fashion brand - Mary was noticed early on for having a talent. She rapidly became known for her eye-catching window displays, some of which were regarded as pieces of art and tourist attractions in London, such as Autumn Intrusion.

Soon however, she was moving on and launching her own business - Yellowdoor - a retail and brand strategy agency that advises huge businesses such as Louis Vuitton.

Mary has soared to success and is now acknowledged as an expert in brand communication. But her proficiency in the field of strategy and marketing are not limited to clothes - as part of the BBC's 'Mary Queen of Shops' documentary, Mary worked her extraordinary magic with independent shops including a bakery and grocer!

Mary's drive is highlighted in her recent simultaneous launch of two business ventures- a television series Mary Queen of Frocks (which is still available to watch on 4OD!), and her own shop, selling her own merchandise in London's House Of Fraser where she hopes to provide 'women - not girls' affordable high-street fashion. This desire and ability to design comes as no surprise following her 2011 very successful shoe range for Clarks.

Recently she was commissioned by the coalition government to lead an independent review into the success and failings of Britain's high streets - to which David Cameron's response will be made public in the next coming months. Check out this video here to hear what David Cameron has to say about Mary.

Hard working, talented and vibrant with a sharp fashion sense of her own including her signature flame-coloured haircut - Platform 51 think that Mary Portas deserves all the credit she receives. We love that this energetic woman has not been dwarfed by her own success and repeatedly provides innovative ideas that keeps the retail industry thriving: quite necessary in this current economic climate. Hats off to Mary!

We take part in the EQUALS Debate Starter films!

Today sees the launch of the EQUALS Big Inequality Debate which features Starter Debate videos on the EQUALS website questioning such gender equality issues as :

Why do so many women hate their bodies so much? Do men still get a better pay deal than women? Is it more risky to be a woman in a warzone than a soldier? Do lad's mags encourage sexual violence? Do women do more housework than men? Are women who take their clothes off for money empowered or exploited?

The Starter Debates are a key part of EQUALS activity for International Women's Day where this they year they want to ask a new generation of young people whether they think men and women are really equals. And if not, what would being equals, equal? The debates are two minute films long and anyone can join and upload a two video of their own on an issue that affects them in everyday life or one that is a global subject that more people should be thinking about. The whole point is to get people talking and debating. Check out the EQUALS site for more if you are interested!

We are delighted to have taken part in this venture with EQUALS, and Platform 51 girls - Kealy and Pauline - feature in two of these starter debate videos. Check them out here ......   !  Kealy talks about her experience as a young mum in 'Young Mums' and we get to see her two cute kids while Pauline discusses body image in 'My Feminist Body'.

Roll on International Women's Day next week - and gender equality ....

Blossoming star - out, sober and flourishing

To celebrate the final week of LGBT history month, Platform 51's woman of the week is Jessie J. This versatile music artist that has risen to fame in less than 2 years is openly bisexual and ironically shuns those who comment upon her sexuality as a source of gossip stating "Whoopie doo guys, yes, I've dated girls and I've dated boys - get over it."

Born Jessie Ellen Cornish, Jessie was brought up in the vicinity of London - and therefore lucky enough to be on the doorstep of the West End's Theatreland. At the young age of 11, she landed a role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Whistle Down the Wind' which sparked the beginning of a long, eventful musical career.

A few years later, she was accepted as a student of the BRIT School -the only free Performing Arts School in Britain, and graduated with the likes of Adele and Leona Lewis.

In 2011 she was granted the Critic's Choice BRIT Award, was the British Artist with most YouTube hits, was nominated for 5 Mobo Awards, and this year was a nominee for 2 BRIT awards. It was only a year ago that she released her first album 'Who You Are' - and has managed to claim two number 1 singles in this short space of time.

For somebody who began her career as a songwriter for artists including Miley Cyrus, Jessie J has come a very long way. Having supported Chris Brown in concert and having been due to support Katy Perry in concert (which she had to cancel because of injuries) she is undoubtedly a star in her own right. Next week she embarks on a World Tour (her third tour yet!), beginning in New Zealand.

Jessie will be one of four judges on a new BBC singing competition that is set to rival The X-Factor called The Voice. Filming began a few months ago and is soon to be aired on television. Jessie also has an exciting adventure planned: she will be shaving off all her hair to raise money for charity, a move inspired by her time in hospital after having broken her foot falling off stage. She says adamantly that she needs to "use being someone that people know to do something good for the world."

Platform 51 are blown away by the courage and confidence of Jessie J and her arrangement of an original blend of soul, RnB and hip-hop. The fact that Jessie neither drinks nor takes drugs is great evidence that confidence does not rely on the help of intoxicating substances. We can't wait to hear more from Jessie and we're really grateful and proud that she has arrived on the public scene. Good work Jessie J!

Rapper redefines cultural tradition + paves the way for change

Today we are honoured to present Sister Fa as our woman of the week. She is a Senegalese hip-hop artist who uses her music to raise awareness of the dangers surrounding Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

Sister Fa underwent FGM when she was three years old and the painful memory stays with her today. Through her music, she draws attention to the fact that FGM is (the majority of the time) a violation of human rights, in that the victims are forced to undergo the traditional procedure. She encourages female empowerment by urging women to educate themselves so that together, women in Africa can campaign for a societal and cultural change.

FGM is no longer legal in Senegal or in many other African countries - but this law is often ignored. However, it is slowly becoming more acceptable to not carry this procedure out and is becoming acknowledged as psychologically and physically harmful to the victim.

FGM is a large part of many societies and is most commonly practised in poorer, underdeveloped areas where utensils are unclean - resulting in infections and sometimes death. Sister Fa is often faced with difficulties as she speaks out against this tradition, but she continues with her music, hoping to install thought-provoking seeds for change - particularly in the minds of young people. And her campaigns have proved successful: her home village Thionck Essyl has abandoned the practice of cutting young girls.

Platform51 praises Sister Fa for her continuous, brave battle in speaking out against those infringing women's rights. It is so important that women unite over this issue all over the world - and it is particularly reassuring that women who have been victims of this procedure speak out, rather than accepting defeat by archaic patriarchy.

Why Page 3 should be consigned to the dustbin of history

Earlier this week, we published a new Platform 51 poll - at the time that Sun editor Dominic Mohan was recalled to the Leveson inquiry to answer further questions about Page 3 - which revealed significant support for banning The Sun's Page 3.  The research showed that 42% of women would support a ban. Incredibly, The Sun's Mohan managed to describe Page 3 as both 'innocuous' and simply 'a part of British society'. We would robustly disagree. It's anachronistic and pure objectification.

Read on below to see what our Director of Policy, Campaigns and Communications has to say on this topic in today's Huffington Post. Please also follow all our commentary on our @platform51 Twitter stream. See here for what the Guardian Greenslade Blog has to say about Page 3 and its mention of Platform 51\s campaign.

Unusual suspects want to ban Page 3

On Monday Dominic Mohan was recalled to the Leveson inquiry where he defended Page 3 as a "British institution". Unfortunately he missed the all important word 'was'- it was a British institution - and not a particularly good one at that.

Platform 51 commissioned a nationally representative poll over the weekend which showed that almost twice as many women would support a ban on topless pictures of female models appearing in daily newspapers as would oppose it. In a country where many people feel uneasy with the word 'ban', these results are certainly striking.

The word and the question can conjure up ideas of banning all pictures of naked women in national newspapers even when they may be justified in the context of an article such as a feature on how to check for breast cancer. Those who oppose Page 3 are unlikely to be concerned with this - what people are concerned about are images presenting women as nothing more than sex objects.

It is easy to assume that it's just women who feel uncomfortable with Page 3, but that isn't the case - almost a third of men said they would support a ban too.

One of the charges levelled against those who oppose Page 3 is that they are being prudish or don't get that's it's just a bit of harmless fun. Strikingly, when Clare Short dared to first raised the issue of a ban on Page 3, 25 years ago, The Sun's response to her concerns was to accuse her of being "fat and jealous."

Thankfully these results suggest that things have moved on since then. It is in fact the group in society that is usually considered to be the least prudish and uptight that shows strong opposition to Page 3 and would go as far as banning it; the research shows that many more young people, both men and women in the 18-24 age group are in favour of a ban than 45-54 year olds.

From our work with women and girls in Platform 51 centres, we know that provocative, titillating images of women like those on Page 3 can make them uncomfortable, negatively affect their self-esteem, limit their aspirations and expectations and can have an impact on how some men treat them. We know from working with younger girls and women that these images can have a big impact on them growing up.

There is also a concern that children have access to these images unfiltered and unmediated and the impact this has on how girls view themselves, and how boys view girls. Whilst there are organisations like Platform 51 who support girls and women to build their confidence and self-esteem, it would be easier if these images were not there in the first place.

These serious objections to Page 3 are perhaps well rehearsed. But what our polling shows is that many people, far from viewing 'institutions' like Page 3 as harmless fun, in fact see Page 3 as an outdated 'institution' which is, frankly, a bit embarrassing and needs to be consigned to the dustbin of history.

A lesbian activist in a homophobic country

To mark LGBT history month, our woman of the week is Kasha Nabagesera - a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans (LGBT) activist, continuously working towards the aim of decriminalising homosexuality in Uganda.

Kasha Nabagesera is a trained accountant, she has also an impeccable set of credentials in human rights and is also a lesbian. The fact that she publicly declares herself as a lesbian in Uganda means that she, amongst thousands of others, is victimised, harassed and generally is seen as an unfit member of society.

For years Kasha has struggled for equal rights, with the focal point of combatting lesbian and gay discrimination. In 2003 she set up Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG) - a human rights organisation that presses for the acknowledgement of same sex relationships. FARUG raises awareness in the media, conducts seminars and workshops and challenges LGBT stigma on a local, national and international level.

Kasha has become of the first lesbian people to openly talk about her sexual orientation in the Ugandan media, acting on behalf of the gay community, tackling homophobic beliefs not only in local community but nationwide. In 2009 she was one of the two gay campaigners that sued Ugandan newspaper Rolling Stone for publishing photographs of people they claimed to be gay under the propaganda fuelled headlines 'HANG THEM.'

It was revealed only yesterday that an anti-gay bill was soon to be debated by government ministers - the bill would lengthen the punishment for being gay from 14 years in prison to life sentence.

Last year Kasha Nabagesera was presented with the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders - one of the most prestigious peace awards - following FARUG's HATE NO MORE campaign.

Recent news that Uganda are considering resurfacing an anti-gay bill proves how difficult Kasha's work must be and what an amazing asset she is to the notion of equal rights, not only in Uganda but all over the world.

Platform 51 poll reveals significant support for ban

• Almost double the proportion of women (42%) would support a move to ban topless models as oppose it (24%)
• Amongst men and women, younger people aged 18-24 (41%) and Londoners (43%) would be most supportive of a ban

7th February 2012:Today, a new poll, commissioned by women’s charity, Platform 51, reveals that over two fifths of women in the UK would support a ban on the use of topless images in daily newspapers.

As Dominic Mohan is recalled today to defend The Sun’s Page 3 in front of the Leveson inquiry, the research shows that 42% of women would support a ban.

Platform 51’s research also shows that 41% of younger people (aged 18-24) would also support a ban, compared to 28% of those aged 45-54.

Regionally, 43% of Londoners and 42% of those in the North East would also support a ban.

Commenting on these latest figures, Rebecca Gill, Platform 51’s Director of Policy, Communications and Campaign, said:

“Today’s figures reveal that many more women are in favour of a ban on Page 3 than against it.
“Everyday we help girls and women across the country to build up their confidence and self-esteem and we see how they are affected by such photos, both in how they feel about themselves and how men see them.

“These figures are particularly timely with Dominic Mohan being recalled in front of the Leveson inquiry on this issue. We hope that the inquiry will listen to women’s views.”

Check out our @Platform51 Twitter stream and the hashtag #leveson to keep up to the date with this story.

Platform 51's campaign to keep Care to Learn proves successful

We are delighted to announce that Platform 51 has been successful in campaigning to keep Care to Learn for another year. This means that teenage parents are supported to continue in their education and training for 2012/13. Excellent news for young mums and their children!

Along with organisations including NUS, TUC, Gingerbread and Daycare Trust, Platform 51 strongly opposed the Department for Education's plans to change the scheme and campaigned in Autumn 2011 to make sure it was retained.  See our open letter to Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, expressing our concerns at the proposals here. Platform 51’s response to the DfE consultation can be found here.

Care to Learn provides non income-assessed support for childcare and associated travel costs to enable young parents in England who are under 20 when they start a course to complete their education and gain qualifications to help them enter employment.

Platform 51 knows firsthand from the work we do with young mums the dramatic and significant difference this support can make to their lives. Research has also shown Care to Learn to be crucial in allowing young parents to continue their education. It also has an important role in reducing the numbers of young parents who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Changes to the scheme would disproportionately impact young mothers, who make up 99 per cent of Care to Learn claimants.

Platform 51 will be keeping up the pressure to repeat this success again next year. We want to ensure more young mums can benefit from this vital scheme in future.

Revolutionising, normalising education surrounding sex

This week we proudly present Lisa Hallgarten as our woman of the week. She is the director of Education For Choice - an organisation enabling young people to access impartial information regarding pregnancy and abortions.

Lisa has long been campaigning for young people to access the facts on sexual reproduction. In all of her work, she stresses her belief in choice and that the only way someone can make a personal choice is once they've been offered neutral information. This is one of the reasons why she condemns anti-abortion 'charities', as they do not often provide scientific evidence as information, but rather use ideology as a reason to 'educate' vulnerable women, relying on morals rather than facts. Furthermore, Lisa stresses the necessity of voluntary organisations to provide support and structure for the mother and child before and after the birth, particularly at the moment as cuts are being put in to place in the health and social sector. Lisa highlights flaws in the actual structure of anti-abortion groups, as they do not campaign for better sex education, neither do they provide realistic and long-term support for the mother and child.

Education for Choice has recently become a project within Brook, a young people's sexual health charity. This move is bound to be extremely positive, as both organisations are closely allied in their thinking and action, and Brook will undoubtedly benefit from Education For Choice's specific knowledge on teaching about choice, pregnancy and abortion. This recent partnership will hopefully mean wider access of impartial education to both young girls and boys.

Brook's recent campaign Sex:Positive is about demanding a modern and current policy for teaching sex and relationships education in schools. This would ensure all schools have properly trained teachers, will dedicate time to educate students on safe sex (a quarter say they have never received it) which will hopefully be tailored to suit heterosexual, homosexual and asexual relationships.

The necessity for programmes such as these has been made all the more apparent by the recent threats to neutral education in the U.K. Platform 51 think it is absolutely vital that there are sensible and practical campaigners like Lisa Hallgarten to fight for our rights, our freedom of education and our freedom of information.

Campaigning for a fairer press

Anna Van Heeswijk, member of organisation Object - Women not sex objects, is our woman of the week. She has played a prominent part in the news this week following her involvement in the Leveson Inquiry, where she argued that the media was largely responsible for on-going negative attitudes of women in society today.

Anna joined Object in 2008, with the aim of overcoming sexism by combatting a general view of women - a domineering view that women have little to offer other than their looks. Anna tackles this idea in other ways: she regularly rallies outside strip clubs, often attracts media attention through persistent protesting and her lobbying of the government. All this proves she is dedicated to changing negative societal views of women

If this were not enough proof that she is dedicated to changing negative societal views of women, this week she called upon the Leveson Inquiry to ban sexualised images of women in pre-watershed media and in newspapers, to which anyone of all ages could easily have access. Anna drew attention to the difference in men and womens' representation in tabloids such as The Sun and the Daily Mail: she argued women posing naked contrasted to men shown in suits suggests men are the only active and productive members of society whilst all women are good for is the shape of their bodies.

This determination that Anna Van Heeswijk demonstrates offers a possibility of a freer press in the near future - a press that provides objective facts rather than insinuations that often lead to women being put down.

Photo courtesy of Observer Magazine

Comedy to tackle societal and political issues

Following Blue Monday this week (supposedly the most depressing day of the year) and in preparation for Blue Monday Mark 2 [the alternative date proposed for Blue Monday], we have chosen comedian Josie Long as our woman of the week to brighten you all up. This young woman has been a successful and prominent member of the stand-up business for over 10 years and has recently begun merging societal issues and comedy which has proven to be an innovative and light-hearted way of voicing her liberal, political agenda.

Brought up in London, Josie became known in the comedy circle whilst still at school. She briefly abandoned this past-time to pursue further education at Oxford University, and since graduating has become one of the leading female stand-up comediennes in Britain.

Last year Josie featured in a video for 'YoungMinds' - a charity attempting to reduce the stigma around mental health, particularly amongst young people. She starred alongside Isy Suttie in YoungMinds' The Happiness Project, stressing the validity of young peoples' voices, acknowledging that she had once had her own difficulties but most importantly the video encouraged young people to speak out about their feelings so as to improve their mental health. What Josie also stresses is that those with mental health problems can improve their state by taking part in activities which could well alleviate such problems - simple things ranging from eating good food and exercising regularly.

More recently, Josie Long set up her own charity Arts Emergency Service, with the aim of financially supporting those from unprivileged backgrounds to study arts degrees. Her comedy has a much more political slant than previously: she uses her shows as a means of campaigning against the rise of tuition fees. Furthermore, Josie tutor s students in London and organises a monthly event for students to win money that would go towards the paying of their degree.

Josie Long is a prime example of effectively attempting to implicate change and Platform 51 think she is admirable for doing something to help our society be more like we would want it to be.

February 2012 New York

The 56^th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to be held in February 2012 in New York promises to be an exciting and progressive event focusing on the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and other current challenges.

The CSW will also provide the strategic platform to review the issue of financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women. The World YWCA, the YWCA Canada and the YWCA of Nigeria have submitted a joint statement [see below] specifically recognising the vital role of leadership and political participation by women and young women in the eradication of poverty in rural communities. The YWCA movement recommends the investment in policies, programmes and organisations that develop value and make visible women's, particularly young women's, leadership in rural communities. In particular, initiatives which promote women's leadership in peace building, conflict prevention and environmental protection in rural communities.

The World YWCA represents the voices of 25 million women, young women and girls in 125 countries worldwide; many living in rural communities. As a movement the World YWCA is strongly committed to the empowerment of rural women, which is critical to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and lies at the heart of organisations such as the YWCA. The twelve critical areas of the Beijing Platform for Action have informed the work of YWCAs as they provide services in over 22,000 communities around the world, while advocating with governments and other stakeholders for accountability to women and girls' rights and dignity.

Women in rural communities often experience conflict in a more traumatic manner than men. In many remote villages and communities there is little protection for women during the outbreak of conflict, since such communities may have limited access to communication; or easy access to services such as the police, schools or hospitals.  Internal displacement also exposes women and girls to greater vulnerability to sexual abuse, harassment and violence in refugee camps where there is inadequate protection and there are poor living conditions.  With war and conflict, many women become widowed and separated from their families. Such female headed households are vulnerable to exploitation and sexual abuse.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights are a critical issue for women and young women living in rural areas.  In the absence of adequate infrastructure, education, trained professionals, facilities, medication and transportation, thousands of women die each year due to violations of sexual and reproductive rights. Furthermore, harmful traditional practices and beliefs in some rural communities create horrific realities, and barriers to the true realisation of sexual and reproductive health rights for women and girls. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, World YWCA General Secretary said "Women and girls in rural communities are often marginalised with limited access to services, economic opportunities and a place at the decision making table. As a movement for over a century we continue to provide a safe and empowering space for young women to develop their leadership and build capacity for women to claim their rights. Investing in developing the skills of and empowerment of rural women is crucial to development as the world seeks a life free of violence and women enjoy their sexual and reproductive health and rights".

Rural women can play a vital role in the prevention of conflict as trained community leaders to build peace in vulnerable situations, ease ethnic tensions and avoid the outbreak of conflict. The World YWCA is currently collaborating with Y-Global and FOKUS on a joint multi-country capacity building project Women, Peace and Justice, designed to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325). The initiative focuses on Sri-Lanka, Southern Sudan and Palestine, all countries in conflict and post conflict situations. UNSCR 1325 is an essential tool for the international community to ensure women are included in conflict prevention, peacemaking and post conflict recovery processes including in local communities. The World YWCA, therefore, calls for the financial and technical resources necessary to guarantee that the needs of women are addressed in peace negotiations and that their leadership is integral in these processes.

The World YWCA will be using the CSW platform to advance its new Strategic Framework 2012-2015 by advocating for continued implementation of global commitments on women, including CEDAW and UNSCR 1325, with a particular focus on engaging rural women in the peace building process. The World YWCA and member associations will be hosting sessions around key issues including 'Sexual Reproductive Health Rights of Rural Women' and 'UNSCR 1325 and Rural Women'. As well as a women's intergenerational dialogue, which has become a trademark of the YWCA's participation at the CSW over recent years. In order to progress the climate change resolution adopted at the 2011 World Council the association will be hosting a side event on the impact of climate change on women in rural communities in collaboration with partners. Furthermore, the World YWCA will host the Young Women's Caucus in collaboration with WAGGGS.

The World YWCA has participated in the CSW since its establishment in 1948 and in fact, was one of the lead organisations advocating for its creation. As the leading global platform for advancing women's human rights, CSW continues to be an important and strategic annual event for the World YWCA.

Platform 51, formerly YWCA in the UK, is part of The World YWCA.

[With thanks to A Celebration of Women Inc for the photo which depicts Yemen's poorest women and children]

VIEW THE FULL WORLD YWCA STATEMENT BELOW .....

Commission on the Status of Women 

Fifty-sixth session        27 February - 9 March 2012 

Item 3 (a) of the provisional agenda* 

Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the special session

of the General Assembly entitled 

"Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace 

for the twenty-first century": Implementation of strategic 

objectives and action in critical areas of concern, and 

further actions and initiatives 

Statement submitted by World YWCA, YWCA Canada and YWCA 

Nigeria, non-governmental organizations in consultative status with 

the Economic and Social Council 

 * E/CN.6/2012/1. 

The Secretary-General has received the following statement, which is being circulated in 

accordance with paragraphs and of Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31. 

Statement  

The World YWCA movement represents the voices of the 25 million women, young women and girls who are YWCA members and service users in 108 countries worldwide; many living in rural communities. We recognize the role played by rural women in poverty eradication, development and climate justice, and are strongly committed to the empowerment of rural women, which is critical to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and lies at the heart of community based organizations such as the YWCA.   

Access to education in rural areas for girls lags behind that of boys. Without adequate education, women remain behind men in employment, income, promotions and pensions, perpetuating gender inequality throughout the life cycle. Without education, women are less likely to be aware of their rights and their self-worth and are more vulnerable to rights violations. 

We call upon the Commission to promote increased investment in education for girls, more qualified teachers in rural communities and measures to ensure that girls stay in school so as to reach their full potential.  

For every year a girl remains in school, she avoids early marriage, which affects millions of girls worldwide.  It is estimated that every day, more than 25,000 girls under the age of 18 are married.  Girls from rural communities face increased vulnerability, particularly as legislation against child marriage is difficult to enforce in these areas, legal rights awareness is low, and traditional practices prevail.  Child marriage is a human rights violation that impedes development and directly prevents the achievement of the MDGs.  

Sexual and reproductive health and rights are a critical issue for women and young women living in rural areas.  In the absence of adequate infrastructure, education, trained professionals, facilities, medication and transportation, thousands of women die each year due to violations of sexual and reproductive rights.  In line with the MDGs, the CSW must prioritize increased investment in basic health services in rural communities to prevent these violations.  Health education, including comprehensive information about sexual and reproductive health and HIV, is an essential component of the empowerment of rural women and is necessary for the prevention of HIV infection. High levels of stigma in rural communities results in the denial of sexual and reproductive rights of women living with HIV.  YWCAs also express concern over the effects of nuclear radiation in rural areas on women and girls' sexual and reproductive rights, including gene damage, cancer and birth defects. 

Violence against women comes in many forms and is represented in both the public and private spheres. Rural women and girls face increased vulnerability to violence due to isolation and a lack of support services, employment and access to education. Violence against rural indigenous women is of particular concern. This group not only lacks access to economic and social resources, but their security is at increased risk due to isolation and the lack of police presence, including in developed countries. It is important for the Commission to respond to violence as it affects the lives of women in rural communities. Ensuring legislation is in place to prevent violence against women in all its forms, as well as increased awareness and community engagement in ending violence in rural communities.  

Women in rural communities often experience conflict in a more traumatic manner than men.  In jungle areas or remote villages, there is little protection for women during the outbreak of conflict.  Internal displacement also exposes women and girls to greater vulnerability to sexual abuse, harassment and violence in refugee camps where there is inadequate protection and poor living conditions.  War results in many women being widowed, and female headed households are also more vulnerable to exploitation and sexual abuse in remote areas. 

Rural women can play a vital role in the prevention of conflict as trained community leaders to build peace in vulnerable situations, ease ethnic tensions and avoid the outbreak of conflict.  UNSCR 1325 is an essential tool for the international community to ensure women are included in peacemaking processes, however local implementation is needed.  The Commission needs to propose mechanisms to meet UNSCR 1325 and ensure the financial and technical resources needed to guarantee that needs of women are addressed in peace negotiations and that their leadership is integral in these processes.  

The World YWCA emphasizes the importance of volunteer based organizations in rural areas, which have vast knowledge of local needs and are community based. Volunteer organizations fill the void left by inadequate government funding and infrastructure in rural areas, providing local women with essential services from education to access to basic healthcare.  Especially in rural areas, where facilities are insufficient to meet the needs of isolated women, volunteer services are essential to the achievement of the MDGs and should be recognized. 

Every day, rural women and girls face issues that occur as a result of institutionalized discrimination and lack of empowerment.  Through targeted and sustained investment, many issues facing rural women could be tackled.  The MDGs cannot be achieved without the input and participation of rural women who are vital to development issues such as food security, climate justice, peace building and the economic security of families and communities.  

Financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women is inextricably linked to rural women's possibility to claim their rights and lead community change.  Recognizing that rural women are faced with many challenges to their rights and well-being, and that women are at the heart of the sustainable development process, YWCAs calls on the Commission of the Status of Women to:   

Recognize the vital role of leadership and political participation by women and young women in the eradication of poverty in rural communities and encourage investment in policies, programs and organizations that develop, value and make visible women's, particularly young women's, leadership in rural communities. In particular, we encourage initiatives that promote women's leadership in peace building, conflict prevention and environmental protection in rural communities.  Specific recommendations include: 

1. Increase funding and access to education and training for women and girls in rural areas in order to decrease the disproportionate levels of illiteracy and economic insecurity, and follow through on commitments in the Beijing Platform for Action.   

 2. Develop and fund policies and programs to support access for rural women and young women to obtain decent work, diversified employment options, and economic participation as a means of decreasing women's poverty and supporting women-led development in rural communities.  This includes access to drought assistance, agricultural resources and income, land ownership, land inheritance rights and environmental education.  

 3. Ensure that responses to the global economic downturn address the disproportionate impact on women and girls in rural areas, particularly in the context of access to health, employment, education and community services. 

 4. Prioritize increased investment in health spending for women, young women and girls in rural areas to ensure realization of the right to health, especially sexual and reproductive health and rights.  Responding to the prevalence of HIV among rural women with free, voluntary testing and support services, and access to treatment is essential, as well as preventing thousands of unnecessary deaths each year due to the absence of maternity healthcare in rural areas.  

 5. Scale-up investment to tackle violence against women, young women and girls in rural areas, which infringes on empowerment and undermines human rights. We call for resourcing of programs, including violence prevention, rights education and legal aid, which are responsive to the vulnerabilities of rural women. Safe houses are also required in rural communities for women, young women and girls escaping violence. 

 6. Promote legislation and law enforcement to criminalize child marriage; invest in programs that engage with cultural norms that allow the continuation of harmful practices against girls in rural areas; and ensure that disaggregated data on births in rural and urban areas is collected

 7. Ensure that royalties and economic benefits that flow from mining and extractive industries in rural communities are equally distributed between women and men, including equal employment in these sectors. Recognize that mining and extractive industries can have harmful impacts on women's access to housing, food security, community services, the environment and infrastructure in rural areas; and develop mitigation strategies. 

 8. Harness the potential of emerging technologies to reduce social isolation among women in rural areas and improve access to health services, training and education opportunities; invest in the skills and leadership of rural young women; and embrace the application of new technologies as a mechanism for empowerment and poverty reduction. 

But what about Tuesday?

As we face the most depressing day of the year - Monday 16th January - Platform 51 will be asking celebrities via Twitter how they cope when they are feeling low and what advice they can give us to make it through Blue Monday.

If you have tips and advice to give about how to beat the blues, don't hesitate to join in the conversation with @platform51 here at http://twitter.com/platform51 .

We are doing this as part of Platform 51's ongoing mental health campaign which we set up after research we had conducted found that 3 in 5 girls and women will experience low level mental health problems at some point and 1 in 5 (18%) women keep these problems a secret from their family.

Clearly, however, as Rebecca Gill, our Director of Policy, Campaigns and Communications at Platform 51 advises :

"Whilst many of us feel a little low on Blue Monday and enjoy reading about the ways we can perk ourselves up, for many people across the country this feeling does not disappear when Tuesday comes".

Platform 51 is acutely aware that millions of women and girls are suffering with mental health problems but are often not getting the support they need. Our research suggests that the NICE guidelines on antidepressants are not being followed because 1 in 4 women currently on antidepressants have been on them for 10 years or more and a quarter of women have not received a review of their medication in the last year. This comes at a time when a report from the Cooperative Pharmacy found that antidepressant use has increased by 25% since the start of the recession.

This is precisely why, as Platform 51's Rebecca Gill says ..."we are calling on Government to urgently review the use of antidepressants to ensure that they are not the first and only port of call for tackling mental health problems. By signing our Platform 51 petition you are helping women and girls get the specialised support they need with their mental health problems."

You can help on Blue Monday by joining in our Blue Monday 'beat the blues' chat on Twitter or, by signing our petition. Or both! To sign the petition, just go to our Platform 51 website at www.platform51.org and click on the Petition section of our Home Page.

We appreciate your help and participation in helping to make Blue Monday less blue for the millions of women and girls suffering with mental health problems.

Discussions start in the House of Lords

Platform 51 is part of a 20-strong coalition of charities pressing for an urgent rethink on social fund reform as the Lords prepare to debate amendments to the Welfare Reform Bill today. In a letter to the Guardian, published on Sunday January 8^th, Platform 51 - along with several other charities including Barnardo's, Women's Aid, Save the Children and Family Action - urged the government to rethink its social fund reform proposals.

The letter, co-signed by each of the participating charities including Platform 51's Director of policy, campaigns and communications Rebecca Gill, was clear and explicit in its concern that funds meant for the destitute or victims of domestic violence - 'the ultimate safety net' - will get lost in the system with no statutory obligation ensuring vulnerable people are provided with emergency support.

"Crisis loans and community care grants are the ultimate safety net for the most vulnerable in society. For example, they enable women and children fleeing domestic violence to clothe themselves and furnish their homes; or parents in rural areas who cannot afford a car to visit their child if they are taken into hospital unexpectedly. We are deeply concerned at the government's proposals to abolish these elements of the social fund and pass some of the funding to local authorities, without any statutory obligation to ensure they provide emergency support to vulnerable people.

With councils already experiencing large cuts to central government grants, we fear that some areas will choose to provide no, or extremely limited, support - especially given that funding for crisis loans will be almost halved from £67m in 2010-11 to £36m in 2013. The government's own research shows some local authorities expect the extra funding will be diverted to plug gaps elsewhere.

As charities responding to the needs of vulnerable children and adults in already desperate circumstances, we fear these changes could be catastrophic for some, such as those who resort to illegal moneylenders or high-cost credit, or women who return to live with a violent partner because they have no money to furnish another home for their children. As the Lords prepares to debate social fund reform this week, we urge Lord Freud and the government to rethink these proposals and ensure the money paid to councils to deliver a replacement scheme is at least ringfenced for this purpose".

Click here to see the full text of the letter and the 20-strong signatures.

See also here for the subsequent coverage by the Guardian following publication of the letter.

Watch this space for further updates on this important debate.

Challenging gender stereotyping and giving young girls a voice

Abi and Emma Moore, the founders of Pinkstinks, are our women of the week. Pinkstinks is a campaigning organisation that confronts the damaging messages that bombard girls though toys, clothes and media. Something that we know all too well at Platform 51 affects girls as women.

In the run up to Christmas it is almost impossible to walk into a toy shop without being bombarded with aisles of blue and pink, blue for boys and pink for girls. Pinkstinks describes this as the 'pinkification' of girlhood. This gender segregation starts from the day we are born and Abi and Emma are fighting back and saying that there is more way to be a girl and it is not just about being "pretty, passive and obsessed with shopping."

Pinkstinks was started in May 2008 by sisters Abi and Emma, since then have run various different campaigns to raise awareness of the 'pinkification' of girls and to challenge the damaging effects it can have on girls. Pinkstinks has challenged major retailers such as The Early Learning Centre, Sainsbury's and most recently Hamleys toy shop in London. Hamleys changed their famous blue and pink floors last week for more gender neutral red and white and have moved their toys to be organised by type rather than gender. The triumph for Pinkstinks was documented in The Observer.

Emma Moore said to us: "People ask me why I keep on doing this as well as having a full time job. It's because we get letters from eight year old girls telling us that we give them a voice." At Platform 51 we hear from our girls and women on a daily basis how much they are affected by the pressure they feel from the media. For example one of our young women Alex, aged 13 said: "Images in magazines make me feel that I want to be like those girls. It makes my confidence go down- look how pretty they are. But I know that it's not real and that we are all different. We should be happy with who we are."

Abi and Emma Moore there is more than one way to be a girl and we love that you are giving a voice to young girls and fighting gender stereotypes. Keep up the good work.

Pinkstinks next campaign is called SLAP. Slap will focus on the steady proliferation of make-up aimed at little girls and the damage that this normalising of make-up can do to the self-esteem of young children. Follow Pinkstinks on Twitter to keep up to date with their campaign.

Platform 51's head office moves to Botley, Oxford

We are excited to announce the move of Platform 51's Oxford Head Office from Cornmarket Street to the Botley Road. Platform 51's new registered address will be: New Barclay House, 234 Botley Road, Botley, OX2 0HP.

With lower rent costs and more meeting space, this move will allow us to become more cost-efficient and create an environment that is better fitted to our purpose. We can therefore ensure that all our available funds are being directed towards the girls and women who use our services, at a time when we know that women are facing increased hardship.

We look forward to welcoming you to the new offices in the near future. 

Using fame to make a difference to vulnerable women

Successful pop-star Alexandra Burke is our woman of the week. After winning the X-factor in 2008 she has proven to be a huge hit: over a million copies of her first single 'Halleluja' were sold in 2 weeks - something never before achieved by a female British solo artist. On many occasions she has stated that she wants to use her fame to make a difference in the world. And she has - she's taken part in several projects that have been very close to her heart.

Alexandra started singing at a very early age - she entered several singing competitions and made herself very popular among certain prominent vocalists who were very impressed with her talent. Following her GCSEs Burke persevered with her musical ability and it was at about this time that she began singing with 'Young Voices' - an organisation providing assistance to minority groups.

Since her fame, Alexandra has continued to take an interest in those less fortunate than herself. She has taken part in an 80km hike through South America for Breast Cancer Care, and more recently has gotten involved in a comic relief-funded project in Uganda. This involved working closely with MIFUMI, a domestic violence project that provides support, education and health services to over 20,000 women. Alexandra's involvement with MIFUMI followed her brave revelation that she was once a victim of physical abuse.

Platform 51 admires Alexandra Burke's participation in projects such as these - particularly when the projects promote independence, as MIFUMI does, helping women to support themselves rather than having to rely on a violent partner.

Help us to help the millions of women who are being let down

Antidepressants are important in treating poor mental health but they are not the whole solution. Often they are prescribed as the only option for mild to moderate mental health problems with no alternative treatments offered nor enough treatment reviews.

We surveyed hundreds of women and found that 33% of all women have taken antidepressants and more than half were not offered any alternative to drugs at the time of prescription. 24% currently taking antidepressants have been on them for 10 years or more and 24% have not had a review of their treatment for a year or more at some point.

Women are being let down. This is a women's health crisis.

This week, in the run up to Christmas - a stressful time for everyone, but especially for women - we have a week of action to draw people's attention to this hidden problem and encourage them to sign our petition which calls on the Government to review the use of antidepressants in England. Will you sign our petition?

All over the country this week Platform 51 staff and women from our centres will be out and about campaigning. Please support us by signing our petition and together we can make a difference.

Paving the way for African American civil rights

Our woman of the week is Rosa Parks - a key figure in the American civil rights movement of the 1950s. She was best known for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a bus at a time when this was forbidden. As a result she was arrested, but supporters of integration of black and white people boycotted buses for nearly a year and a half, which eventually led to the Supreme Court ruling integration on public transport.

Rosa was brought up in Alabama and lived in constant fear of injustice carried out by white people against black people. Lynchings and beatings were common and she said she could not comprehend why such unprovoked violence was a regular occurrence in her life. Having been enthralled by the ideal of equal rights, she joined the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) and was soon appointed secretary.

Following the successful bus boycott, Rosa left Montgomery, but still fought for equal rights for African Americans. She has often been linked to Martin Luther King because of their very similar nonviolent civil disobedience.

Rosa Parks is often called the "Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement" and it is because of her brave actions that there is progress in our society and communities. Furthermore she co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for self-development, encouraging people to vote, educate themselves and more generally join in in community matters. We truly do see Rosa Parks as eternally inspirational.

Double your donation to Platform 51 today

From today until this Friday 9 December, if you donate to Platform 51 your gift will be doubled at no extra cost to you, and will help more vulnerable girls and women get safe off the streets.

At 17 Amber was forced to leave home and live on the streets, where she was drawn into a dark world of drugs and violence. With no-one to care for her, she faced a terrifying winter alone and struggling to survive.

But because of the generosity of people like you, Platform 51 was there for Amber when she needed it most.    
   
Amber was able to talk through her problems with a trained counsellor, and get advice to help her find accommodation, get clean from drugs and improve her confidence.

Please help us reach more vulnerable girls like Amber. From Monday 5 to Friday 9 December, the Big Give* and generous Platform 51 supporters have created a special fund which could double the value of your donation at no extra cost to you.

Donate online from 10am on Monday 5 December to double your gift and give more girls like Amber someone to talk to and a place they can feeel safe.

If you need any more information or have any questions, please get in touch with the supporters team on 01865 304205 or email supporters@platform51.org

Only donations made to Platform 51 through the Big Give website from 10am Monday 05 to Friday 09 December will be doubled.

* The Big Give is a charitable foundation providing a special fund to match donations as part of their Christmas Challenge.

Names have been changed to protect identities. Photo is posed by Platform 51 service user.

The virus in my blood is undetectable, but stigma is everywhere

Our woman of the week is Silvia Petretti. Yesterday was World AIDS day; Silvia has HIV and is the Community Development Manager at Positively UK, a national charity championing the rights of people living with HIV.

At Platform 51 we love that Silvia has chosen to talk about living with HIV via her blog Speaking Up. She is passionate about fighting the stigma that people with HIV face: "Most of the barriers we face are not imposed by the virus or physical limitations but by society."

At Platform 51 we know how society can put barriers up; many of our girls and women face discrimination, for example, as teenage mothers or through involvement in the criminal justice system. Like Silvia we want to speak up about these prejudiced barriers, so that more people can recognise the realities of these situations.

Silvia has also spoken out about how women with HIV lack representation. She was shocked at the recent Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) that the 'Women and Girls' panel was made up of four men and only one woman.

We leave you with this quote from Silvia that expresses why she is a well deserving woman of the week: "It is our birthright to be treated with dignity and respect, but it is our responsibility to demand that others fulfil this right. Stigma will end when we are visible."

Platform 51 features on The Politics Show West

Platform 51 Bristol appeared on The Politics Show West on Sunday as part of a feature discussing how the cuts are affecting women in the West.

The feature interviewed a mothers group, the Bristol Fawcett society and Platform 51. The women from Platform 51 Bristol explained to the BBC how they are feeling and how they have been affected.

Marisa said: "Women are being paid less for doing the same thing as men ... Why, I don't know."

Jemma said: "I'm struggling to keep my house warm. I've got two children ... I've got very few Christmas presents, as its either heat the house or have a good Christmas."

You can view the BBC Politics programme on the BBC iPlayer. The feature is 43 minutes into the programme.

Hazvinei makes the grade and qualifies as social worker

When Hazvinei (not her real name) arrived in the UK as an asylum seeker six years ago she was lonely, afraid and deeply traumatised by the horrors she'd suffered at home in Zimbabwe. With the help and support of staff at Platform 51 Doncaster she was granted refugee status. She volunteered at our women's centre teaching other women IT. Once she was able to work in the UK, we employed her at our women's centre as an administrator and she went to university in Sheffield. She graduated last week and is now registered as a social worker. We are so proud of her.

"I owe it all to you" Hazvinei says. "Graduation came 27 years late but I could use my life experience and all transferable skills to learn successfully."

She continues: "I received so much support from Platform 51 in so many ways, during my three years of study, I cannot put a value to. Sometimes just coming here and seeing you all made a massive difference especially when the going was tough (with assignments, exams and placements) it made it a lot lighter and I felt compelled to plod on and not let you down. Platform 51 is just marvellous. Please keep up the fantastic work and friendship because people like me cherish it so much. Thank you very much."

More about Hazvinei here.

Sisters in Japan seek support

Our sisters in YWCA Japan have asked Platform 51, which is also part of World YWCA, to support them in their appeal to stop an atomic energy agreement between Japan, Jordan, Korea, Russia and Vietnam. In the light of the meltdown at Fukushima nuclear power plant earlier this year they fear that nuclear energy expansion is not wise and that money should be invested in sustainable energy development.

If you agree, please add your name to their petition by emailing this letter to Japan's prime minister, or one of the other names on this list.

Forever supporting a zero-tolerance approach to abuse

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women so we are making Charlize Theron our woman of the week, to celebrate her zero-tolerance approach to abuse of women.

Charlize grew up as an only child in rural South Africa with both her parents. Her father was an abusive alcoholic and was shot by her mother in an act of self-defence when Theron was in her teens. Since then, she has become a prominent Hollywood actress and has been credited with several awards including an Oscar and a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

In 1999 she founded the first two rape-crisis centres in Cape Town and today, as a result of her help and activism, more than 5,000 people have access to HIV testing, counselling and education in a remote district of South Africa. Theron is currently a messenger of peace for the United Nations and is regularly seen campaigning for women's rights - attending pro-choice rallies etc.

It is estimated that 3 million women are victims of abuse in one way or another each year in the UK. Platform 51 believes it is absolutely vital that there is continuing support for women suffering violence and abuse. We praise Charlize Theron for her success and commitment to the cause - she truly is an inspiration.

Platform 51 providing women with new and varied opportunities

Platform 51 have recently starting running the Women Volunteers for Health programme, that provides training and support to 400 women to become health volunteers in their own communities of St Helens, Doncaster, Nottingham and Wolverhampton. 

The women come from a wide age range and a variety of backgrounds.  The programme gives them: training to develop their skills and knowledge and a chance to obtain accreditations in volunteering and support to build their confidence and assertiveness and access to volunteering opportunities.  Once women are volunteering they provide mutual support to each other and stay in touch with Platform 51 for guidance and advice when needed. 

Marcia Banasko (pictured), Platform 51 Women Volunteers for Health worker, describes the first few months of delivering the programme in St Helens. 

"I am working with 16 women aged 19 to 55... The women have achieved so much in a few weeks.  They love having something to get out of the house for.  It has given them confidence, they have met  like -minded people and they have all achieved an accreditation. 

A lot of the women taking part have disengaged with education for some reason:  mental health problems, alcoholism or having a baby at a young age.  They have described to me the very negative experiences of education and they have no confidence in their own abilities.    We work to deal with these underlying problems; if you don't deal with them, then the women can't move on.  Gaining an accreditation in just a few weeks is a massive deal and has boosted their confidence to continue with the programme. 

I have personally gained a lot from this programme.  I have never taught adults before; I have always worked with young people.  I was nervous before I started but this has been a really positive experience for me because they all want to be here and learn. 

I want to provide lots of women with skills, knowledge and an understanding of health and social care. I want their volunteering experience to eventually lead them back into employment, as so many of them have disengaged from work. One woman said to me that she knows this will be a long process but says at least she's on the ladder." 

The project is funded by the Department of Health, Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund. 

Inspiring and remarkable: a fighter for freedom and democracy

Platform 51 is delighted to announce Aung San Suu Kyi as our woman of the week. She has been a leading force in political activism in Burma for the past 22 years and this month marks the one year anniversary of her release from 15 years of house arrest.

Aung San Suu Kyi was brought up in Burma by her mother and father - who were both prominent political and military figures - and went on to study politics, philosophy and economics in England and India. She spent a few years working for the U.N in New York, and developed a philosophy of non-violence for which she has been praised for. In 1991 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize which celebrated her democratic ideals. She gave all the prize money to fund free education and health services in Burma.

Opponents to Aung San Suu Kyi's democratisation in Burma kidnapped her on multiple occasions, giving her two choices: she was either to flee the country or stay under house arrest. Determined to fight for Burma's democracy, she chose to stay captive.

Platform 51 are in awe of Aung San Suu Kyi and her fight for freedom is both inspiring and remarkable.

Louise tells us about making her speech at the CWN gala dinner

A few years ago Louise's (pictured right) life hit rock bottom and she could see no other way out other than committing suicide.  Then she came to Platform 51, the women's charity that supports girls and women as they take control of their lives. The courses and staff at Platform 51 gave her the confidence and support that she needed to move through this dark time. Last week she attended the City Women's Network's Annual gala dinner along with a number of attendees from Platform 51 - including CEO Penny Newman (pictured left)- and made a moving and touching speech about how she now has dreams for the future. This is what she said about the event:

About the City Women's Network gala dinner

How did you feel making your speech at the City Women's Network gala dinner?

I felt excited, I was really looking forward to it. I felt like I was finally doing something that I would enjoy. It was out of my comfort zone. I was challenging myself and I haven't done that for a long time.

The only time I felt a bit nervous was when I was standing behind Penny as she was doing her speech. I was about to share something very personal with strangers. Once I had done it I felt elated. I felt absolutely great. I will never get an opportunity like this again so I just got up and did it.

What was it like to receive a standing ovation?

Very overwhelming. I was very shocked, I didn't expect it. I was proud of myself. I made a room full of high calibre professional women feel proud of me. Not everyone can do that.

About Platform 51

What do you do now that you didn't do before you came to Platform 51?

I spend time with friends, socialise. I am not alone anymore or trapped. I got all this from the confidence that I got from taking the courses at Platform 51.

What does your future look like now?

Brighter, more opportunities and happier.

What do you think your life would be like without Platform 51?

I would probably be dead, and if not, it would be very dark, I would have no confidence and I would be very isolated.

What advice would you give to other women who found themselves in the same position as you?

They should open up to somebody. They should visit a Platform 51 centre or ring one and ask where they can get support and guidance in their area.

You volunteer for Platform 51 now. What made you want to do this?

I have been a fundraising volunteer and done a dualatalon (running and cycling event) and a school fair. I have even got my mum to volunteer in the café. I can't just take - I have to give back some of the money that has been spent on me. I am planning more fundraising events. I will never give up on this place now.

What is the best thing about Platform 51?

For me, it has given me a new lease of life and allowed me to make something of myself.

For all women, it is a safe haven for women from any background. They can come and discuss and talk about their problems.

Why are Platform 51 courses so important for women?

The courses help women to rebuild what has fallen down around them. They help to build confidence and self esteem. So that that they can become their own person again.

Louise recently found the suicide note that she had once written and ripped it up and threw it away. Proof that she has moved on and taken control of her life.

If you would like to hear more about Louise's story then watch the video: A place to come on our You Tube channel.

Discussing the future of women's equality

Platform 51 spent last Saturday in London and participating in the exciting FEM11 conference, organised by UK Feminista. The venue was jam-packed with approximately 1,000 feminists. There was a buzz and excitement in the air at the start of the event that this was going to be something special and the event definitely lived up to expectations .

The day began with inspirational talks from the director of UK Feminista, Kat Banyard who emphasised the necessity of new ideas and bravery in the feminist movement as women's equality appears to be taking steps backwards. The next speaker was the acclaimed writer and broadcaster, Sandi Toksvig, who called upon women to stand up for what they believe in, she gave examples of years of female belittlement in literature and in education and asked: "What are we going to do?" The event showed there IS something we can all do, together and independently.

Platform 51's involvement in the day started with our director of policy, campaigns and communications, Rebecca Gill, giving a speech at the Fawcett Society session: Don't turn back time! Protesting against cuts that will harm women's equality.  Rebecca spoke about how young mothers and young carers at Platform 51 are finding the current climate increasingly hard. Rebecca echoed Sandi Toksvig, repeating that women are "bearing the brunt" of the government's cuts.

In the afternoon Platform 51 hosted an interactive session: A Different perspective: teenage mums and feminism. The turnout was amazing - there were so many people, some had to stand outside the door. Three brave women from our centres - Kealy, Katie and Lindsey - each talked about their own experience of being a teenage mother. Each talked about the ups and downs and the help they received from Platform 51. Platform 51 has supported them to do internships, pursue education and get involved in campaigns. The aim of the session was to offer participants facts about teenage pregnancy as a contrast to how it is widely portrayed.

It was also a great opportunity for Platform 51 to hear the views from those attending the session. Other teenage mothers shared their stories and experiences about what difficulties they faced and still face today. The general consensus was that teenage mothers are not supported by the government: education is very rarely tailored to fit a parent or carer and childcare is difficult to obtain. Lindsey drew attention to this by saying: "The reality of receiving benefits and housing as a young mum is far from as easy as the media make it sound." Likewise, Katie said: "Without the massive support network I have around me, I don't know how I would've coped." There is an undeniable lack of support for teenage mothers - politicians go as far as saying that teen pregnancy is as bad for society as gun crime and knife crime. But getting pregnant is in no way a crime. A strong sense of maturity was proven by our young women: as Kealy states, that raising children is not about "the age of the mother, it's the mind-set."

The afternoon had everyone at Fem '11 sat eagerly listening to questions posed to Shami Chakrabrti, Bea Campbell, Zoe Williams, Carlene Firmin and Matt McCormack Evans - all known for their on-going celebration and endorsement of feminism. The conversation was mainly driven around the sex industry, women's portrayal in the media and a lack of acclaimed feminist role models in the press.

The day ended with the candidates for Mayor of London answering questions on how they would tackle women's inequality. Unfortunately, there was no Conservative representative but the session was still interesting and gave some insight in to what exactly is at the forefront of each party's campaign and how women fit in to it.

The inspirational day provided hope for women and we went home with the words of Sandi Toksvig's ringing in our ears: "Be bold when you declare: I am a feminist."

City Women's Network president and Platform 51 supporter

Platform 51 is honoured to present India Gary-Martin as woman of the week. India is the President of City Woman's Network (CWN). Platform 51 was awarded the title of the CWN's Charity of the Year earlier this year. We are very grateful to India for awarding us this title and for helping us to raise nearly £15,000 at the CWN gala dinner last week.  

India is, without a doubt, an inspiration to all women. Having come from a disadvantaged background, she has worked for several of the most prestigious banks in the world and has won awards including the Women in Banking and Finance's 'Outstanding Contribution to Diversity' and 'Best Female Technologist' for all her hard work. In 2010 she was listed as one of the most influential black women in the U.K. On top of this, she is also the author of Using my voice for those not heard and has used her intellect and experience to teach university students in Tokyo. Always working on a tight schedule, India still manages to organise herself in a way that will reach others - she is chair of the board of trustees for LEAP, a charity that supports encouragement and opportunities for young people who are unemployed and isolated.

At Platform 51 we are grateful to India for her support and look forward to working with her further in the future.

We need to invest in the future of vulnerable young adults

Platform 51 is very concerned about the future of the Care to Learn programme which supports young parents with childcare while they continue their education. The Department of Education is proposing to reduce the age limit of the scheme, to offset the costs that it will incur when the age that young people are expected to stay in school rises to 17 in 2013. Platform 51 strongly recommends keeping Care to Learn intact, and investing in the future of vulnerable young people.

Platform 51 has written a joint open letter - alongside Daycare Trust, NUS, Fawcett Society and Nasma - urging Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, to reconsider his proposed cuts to the successful Care to Learn programme.

Platform 51's Chief Executive, Penny Newman OBE, in an accompanying press release, said: "Platform 51 sees on a daily basis the impact Care to Learn has on young mothers' ability to re-engage with education and training. This relatively small amount of money delivers substantial results for some of the most disadvantaged young people in our society. These proposals risk trapping young mothers in a cycle of disadvantage limiting not only their own future prospects but those of their children and generations to come."

For more information about Care to Learn please read Platform 51's response to the Department for Education consultation on Care to Learn and The Observer's coverage of the story.

City Women's Network annual gala dinner

Platform 51 attended a glittering black-tie event in the prestigious Claridge's Hotel in central London last night as part of the City Women's Network [CWN] annual gala dinner chaired by outgoing CWN President, India Gary-Martin.

As CWN's charity of the year, Platform 51 was proud to be invited to take part in the event with both Platform 51 CEO Penny Newman and Louise, a young women and volunteer supported by Platform 51 in Doncaster, both giving speeches. [See pic of India, Penny and Louise at the event]. In her speech, Penny rallied the crowd and called for society to hear and listen more to the voices of women while Louise shared her poignant story and received a standing ovation from the all-female audience. [To see Penny and Louise talking more about Platform 51's work, check out our latest video 'A Place to Come to' on our YouTube channel].

Following the speeches, a silent auction and raffle in aid of Platform 51 was held with Miriam Staley, former finalist on The Apprentice UK leading the auctioneering proceedings. Auction items included a pair of glamorous Jimmy Choo shoes donated by Davina McCall, Royal Opera Tickets and a Jaeger handbag. A final surprise auction item was a special meal for eight cooked at your home by renowned chef and former Gordon Ramsay protégé, Angela Hartnett, which went for the grand total of £5,250.

The evening saw a fantastic, £10,000+ being raised for Platform 51. Commenting on the event, Platform 51 CEO Penny Newman said: "We are delighted to be CWN's Charity of the Year and to have received such wonderful support this evening from CWN as well as chance to share our message and the power of our work. Many thanks to India Gary-Martin for making it possible for us".

Check out more pictures from the event on Platform 51's Flickr and Facebook pages. Don't forget to check out our latest video with both Penny and Louise on our Platform 51 YouTube channel.

A safe place for women to come to, no matter what

Lou was so ashamed of what she did she planned suicide. Diane used alcohol to blot out the traumas in her life and ended up in prison.

This new film explains how women's charity Platform 51 helped Lou and Diane turn their lives around.

Women offenders are some of the most vulnerable people in society: misunderstood, judged, isolated, devalued. We help them rebuild their lives. In our film you will meet Lou and Diane, two remarkable women  - we are so proud of them.

It costs £3,000 for us to run an eight-week programme like the one Diane and Lou attended. Please support us if you can so we can help more women escape the cycle of crime and rebuild their lives. 95% of the women who attend our programme do not re-offend.

Please support our work if you can. Thank you.

Scientist, doctor, anatomist and on a TV near you

With so much glitzy celebrity trivia spewing out of our TVs, what a joy it is to see a sensibly-dressed woman on the box telling us about something really fascinating. I'm talking, of course, about Dr Alice Roberts presenting BBC TV's the Origins of Us. Her sparkling series about human evolution has just finished and so it seems appropriate to make Dr Roberts our Woman of the Week.

Dr Roberts is a rare thing on our screens: a young female scientist making her subject accessible and cool. She makes you feel like she's a personal friend, and is as warm and compassionate towards the people she meets and interviews as she is respectful to the ancient human bones she handles. Inside Alice's red head is a brain bristling with qualifications in medicine and anatomy.

Compared to many of the figures from pop and celeb culture we see on TV, Dr Roberts is a breath of fresh air. Women in science have a long, proud and unsung history; long may this continue.

View Origins of Us on BBC iPlayer.

Platform 51 features in BBC documentary with John Humphrys

Last night the BBC aired the documentary The Future of the Welfare State with John Humphrys. In the documentary Humphrys travels throughout the UK and interviews those who currently use the welfare system. Platform 51’s centre in Knowsley featured in the programme. Humphrys interviewed Platform 51 Kelly Wright and young mum Gemma who goes to the centre.

The young mums group

The young mums group in Knowsley were filmed for the documentary. The young mums expressed some of the problems that they face when looking for work: inflexible working hours, childcare and a lack confidence.

What Platform 51 is doing

Platform 51's Kelly Wright explained to John Humphrys that the women at Platform 51 want to work and that is why they come to the centre. She explained how Platform 51 treats every woman as an individual because every woman is different. And how we encourage women to achieve - we don't tell them what to do.

If you did not see the documentary you can watch it again on BBC iPlayer. Platform 51 features 43 minutes into the programme.

Radical feminist who revived women-only marches

Tonight, women of Oxford will march to Reclaim the night. The revival of these women-only marches was the work of radical feminist activist Finn Mackay, who is our Woman of the week. "To me radical feminism isn't so much radical as common sense" she says . Quite.

Campaigner, peace-camper, youth worker, public speaker, writer, domestic violence prevention and child protection specialist, local government officer, Finn's credentials are awesome for a woman aged only 30. Aged 23 Finn was already hard at work founding the London Feminist Network, now one of the largest feminist organisations in the country.

The current feminist revival can in many ways be traced back to Finn's activism.  Finn is more modest and puts it down to things getting worse for women. For example, she says: "Today there are more licensed lap dancing clubs in the UK than there are rape crisis centres. In the 1970s ... a woman had a one in three chance of seeing a rapist convicted, today it's one in 20." She also attributes it to women's disgust about the sexualisation of women in the media: "They want to speak out, to voice how angry they are."

Reclaim the night

Women of Oxford: if you want to reclaim the night meet at Gloucester Green at 6.30pm tonight, Friday 28 October 2011. Other Reclaim the night marches are planned around the country, for example, in London on Saturday 26 November; assemble at 6pm in Whitehall Place, near Embankment.

Bella magazine on women and antidepressants

This week's Bella magazine (Issue 44: 1 Nov 2011) features a double-page spread about antidepressants. It tells the stories of two women - one for who antidepressants did not work and one for who they did. The article uses our statistics and mentions our call for the Government to review the use of antidepressants.

We are calling for a review of their use because although they play an extremely valuable role in treating poor mental health they are not the whole solution. Women are offered few alternatives, such as talking therapies, and reviews of treatment can be spasmodic.  

Perception-busting documentary

Truth About Youth is a project run by Platform 51 in Wales, funded by The Co-operative Foundation. It aims to challenge and change widespread negative perceptions of young people.

Last week the Caerdydd Youth Team (CYT) met a group of older people from the Healthy, Wealthy and Wise project to talk about working together. They want to make a film of what they have been doing.

Sixteen-year-old Lizzie, who put the idea of making a film to the group of 56 older people, said: "I was really nervous. But I got really excited when everyone wanted to get involved. I can't wait to get started on the documentary."

The film will show the young people working closely with older people to showcase their perception-busting work.

Doreen, from the Healthy, Wealthy and Wise, said: "I am looking forward to seeing the documentary and really enjoy supporting this project."

Speaking up about trafficking, drugs and prostitution

Students from three Bristol schools visited Bristol City Council house last week to take part in a mock council meeting and debate with local City Councillors, including Barbara Janke (Liberal Democrats), Peter Hammond (Labour), Peter Abraham (Conservatives) and Tess Green (Green).

Organised by women's charity Platform 51, the event aimed to give young women the chance to speak out about subjects that matter to them. On the agenda were human trafficking, prostitution, drugs and alcohol. They also learned about how local government works; Steven McNamara, the council's legal officer, told the students about the council's roles and responsibilities.

The students had clearly done their homework on their chosen subject areas. They spoke with authority on Bristol's anti-trafficking protocol; the impact of the economic climate on migration, drugs and employment; the objectification of women; the role of a free market and its impact on trafficking, prostitution and drugs; the benefits of a living wage and the pros and cons of legalising sex work and drugs to name but a few.

Councillors were impressed and delighted by the knowledge and maturity that the students displayed. 

The students learned how  important local government is and about the power of speaking up. It made them feel confident and the chance to tell people what they thought was highly valued.

Girls discuss mental health and its impact

A conference for girls aged 14 to 16 was held in Northampton yesterday. Organised by women's charity Platform 51, it gathered nearly 70 girls together from all over the city to discuss how low-level mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, can blight a girl's life and affect every area of her life as she becomes a woman. Many of the girls attending had no idea how serious - and how common - such problems are.

Jade Simon, a young woman who goes to Platform 51's centre in Northampton, spoke to the delegates about the things that had plunged her into depression: bullying, body image and low self-esteem. With the help of Platform 51 she now feels much better about herself and has learned ways of coping when she feels down.

Ronnie, Natasha  and Annie, volunteers from Platform 51, ran a workshop for the girls about self-harm, a common way for teenage girls to express depression and the loss of control of their lives. The volunteers explained and advised the girls about this misunderstood problem.

Girls who attended the conference were able to discuss the things that make them feel down, isolated or lonely such as isolation, body image and the pressure to look and behave in a certain way.

Bob Fletcher , principal social worker at Northamptonshire County Council, also lead a workshop on drugs, music and the teenage girl revolution.

Platform 51 offers services and support to teenage girls and young women from their women's centre in Castilian Terrace Northampton.

Ardent campaigner for gender equality and women’s rights

Violence against women affects millions around the world, including many women who come to Platform 51 in England and Wales. This week is YWCA USA's End to Violence week. To mark this, we are making Annie Lennox our woman of the week. Annie has done much in the last year to explain that while women are still victims of sexual assault, rape and murder, they are not equal.

Annie rose to fame with her music and now uses her celebrity to campaign for what she believes in. For the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day in March, Annie brought together coalition of charities demanding a more equal world under the banner EQUALS.

Annie explains: "EQUALS brings together the expertise of some of the most respected and influential charities that champion women's rights. A lot has changed since 1911, but there is still a long way to go. Gender inequality continues to permeate all sectors of society, from health and education to politics, employment and culture."

The EQUALS video, featuring Daniel Craig and the voice of Dame Judi Dench, shows how in 2011 women still have not achieved equality. Women still earn less than men, have less chance in politics, fear sexual assault and risk losing their jobs if they get pregnant.

Platform 51 is a supporting partner of EQUALS and loves what Annie Lennox has created. We all need to work together to create a more equal world and fight the inequalities that women still face.

Three mental health events taking place today

Platform 51 has been campaigning for better treatment for women with mental health problems since January. Today we are holding three events to maintain awareness of this problem and the devastating impact it has.

Women of all ages need to understand the impact of mental health problems, so in Northampton we're starting young with an event for girls aged 14 and 15. We want young girls to be aware of the services that we provide and how, if they are struggling with poor mental health, they can come to us. We will be talking to teachers so they can detect if their pupils are at risk and refer them on for the help they need.

Platform 51 in Plymouth is holding a meeting this afternoon with women from across the city to discuss how they can raise awareness of mental health in the city. This group will be involved in organising a city-wide conference, a focus group and a peer mentoring group. If you'd like to get involved contact Platform 51 Plymouth on: 01752 671080.

And finally, Platform 51 West Kent is holding a wellbeing festival. It will bring people together to discuss ways to improve health and wellbeing. There will be host of fun and informative workshops and interactive stalls.

Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for images from these events.

Visionary feminist writer

Our woman of the week is visionary feminist writer Virginia Woolf (1882 - 1941).

In 1917, she and her husband Leonard founded their own publishing house, The Hogarth Press, where she enjoyed and took full advantage of unique creative freedom.

Her characters challenge the role of women in society and ask questions about feminism, war, mental illness, even language itself. Her novels are engrossing, complex and challenging, and force you to engage completely with the language to work out what is happening.

Woolf's 1929 essay A Room of One's Own has become a term in its own right to mean the space a woman needs to be creatively free. In it she said: "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."

Woolf saw that while women were merely supporters of their husbands, they could never be creatively free. This may not seem radical now but this was written in a world dominated by the patriarchy. British women had only been granted the same voting rights as men the previous year. She wrote: "Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size."

So why would a successful, sexually liberated, creatively free woman kill herself?

Woolf suffered from many tragedies in her life that triggered bouts of mental illness - the death of many close family members when she was only a child, the trauma of the First World War, and then the loss of her London home in the Blitz. By 1941, Woolf's debilitating, self-consuming mental illness had reached tipping point. Unable to write, she needed to sacrifice herself to free herself and Leonard from the illness.

A note to her husband Leonard said: "Dearest, I feel certain that I am going mad again. We can't go through another of those terrible times. I can't fight any longer. I can't go on spoiling your life. I don't think two people could have been happier than we have been. V."

Monday marked World Mental Health Day. Many awareness raising events were held and people were talking about mental health across the media. This shows how far we have come since Woolf's time and that the understanding of mental health is so much better. But Platform 51 knows that there are still many women who are not getting the right treatment for their mental health problems.

We think that it is time for change. Please support our petition calling on the Department of Health to commission a review into antidepressants.

Free women-only conference

The Women's Health & Equality Consortium (WHEC), of which Platform 51 is a member, is holding a national women-only conference on 25 October 2011 at the CBI Conference Centre, 103 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1DU. And it's free to attend!

WHEC is a partnership of women's organisations which share the common goals of improved health and equality for girls and women.

The conference will debate health and the women's sector, and will include  speakers, interactive workshops and discussions about a wide range of women and health-related subjects. Each delegate will receive a Lobbying Toolkit to help them promote their services to government and commissioners. It promises to be a creative, enlightening and influential day.

To book your place at the conference, please complete and return this booking form or phone 020 7250 3933 for more information.

About WHEC

WHEC campaigns for a health and social care system that meets the needs of all women and girls appropriately, and properly understands their experiences. WHEC informs and supports the women's sector and influences local and national government.

Who goes? What do they do?

People who haven't been been to a women's centre often don't understand what goes on.

In this new film the women and staff at Platform 51's centre in Bilston show what goes on and explain what happens, what they do, how it helps and what it means to them.

Platform 51 wants better treatment for all women

Today marks World Mental Health day, a day to raise public awareness of mental health problems.

Platform 51 has been campaigning for better treatment for women with mental health problems since January. The focus of our recent campaigning has been on the use of antidepressants.

Did you know that Platform 51 research shows that one in three women have taken antidepressants during their lives and over half weren't offered an alternative to drugs at time of prescription?

Or that a quarter of women on antidepressants today have not had a review of their treatment for a year or more at some point?

Platform 51 recognises the important role antidepressants can play in treating mental health problems. But we are worried that they are being used too often as the only treatment option for mild to moderate mental health problems and that women are not given sufficient reviews or support with alternatives.

We think women are being let down by the current approach.

It's time for a change. We are calling on the Government to commission an independent review into the way that antidepressants are being prescribed. To make that change, we need you to speak up, to help make our politicians listen to us. Together we can make a real difference to the mental health of millions of women and girls.

Please sign our petition

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Women are taking #antidepressants without regular review or being offered alternatives, time for change http://bit.ly/P51review @platform51

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Platform 51 is calling on the Department of Health to commission a review into the use of antidepressants. Their research shows that many women are taking antidepressants without regular review or being offered alternatives. Please sign their petition today to make a change http://bit.ly/P51review

Protecting girls at risk of gang violence

Our woman of the week is Barnardo's director and founder of Girls Against Gangs, Carlene Firmin.

We have chosen Carlene as it is Black History Month and Carlene was the youngest black woman to receive an MBE in February. Her MBE was for services to women and girls and another good reason for Carlene to be Platform 51's woman of the week.

In 2010 Carlene founded the Girls Against Gangs project (GAG) to tackle gang violence, protect girls at risk, prevent their involvement and support them to exit. Add this to a very impressive CV: director of Barnardo's, senior policy officer at Race on the Agenda (ROTA) and columnist for Society Guardian. And all by the age of 27.

Carlene has worked with our girls and staff at Platform 51 Knowsley. She trained our staff to facilitate research and our girls to be peer researchers. Jan Clitheroe, centre manager of Platform 51 Knowsley, said about Carlene: "She was warm, approachable and dynamic. She was able to work at everyone's level. I very rarely get awe struck by people but she was one of them. Completely inspirational."

Our girls and women discuss mental health with MPs

Platform 51 held a buzzing event at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester yesterday.

The event was introduced by Councillor Graham Gibbens, Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health. Girls and women from our West Kent and Knowsley centres then led an interactive mental health game which involved all attendees taking part and identifying the best support for women with mental health problems.

The groups each agreed on a number of recommendations including the need for early intervention for women with mental health problems, investment in holistic services and the need to ensure people are not left indefinitely on antidepressants without regular reviews of their treatment.

We would like to thank everyone who attended the event including Nicky Morgan MP, the Conservative Women's Organisation, mental health professionals, MIND, Gingerbread, Family Action and many others. We were inspired to hear how much of the discussion and views reflected our own report findings and we will be continuing to campaign to improve support for women and girls experiencing mental health problems. 

Sign our petition calling on the Department of Health to commission a review into the use of antidepressants.

TFL's Safer Travel at Night says use minicabs with care

Transport for London's Safer Travel at Night campaign is particularly important for women. And whether you live in London or not, with the evenings getting darker ever earlier, there are important lessons for us all. The campaign's current focus is on using licenced taxis and minicabs safely.

They recommend that you always book ahead using a licenced operator. Unbooked minicabs are illegal, dangerous and leave you at risk of attack, sexual assault or robbery. They say that if it's not booked, then you are simply getting into a stranger's car. That's what your mum warned you about! So when your booked minicab car shows up, check it's the one YOU booked: make sure the driver can confirm your name and destination before you get in the car, and always check the driver's photo ID. Sit in the back seat, and carry your mobile phone in your hand in case of an emergency.

Kealy, who goes to Platform 51's centre in West London, feels so strongly about being able to get around the capital at night she is now the vice chair of TFL's youth panel. Kealy will be speaking at the TFL youth event on 21 October at London's Living Room, GLA.

Heidi's warm spirit has changed the lives of many women

Our woman of the week is one of Platform 51's amazing supporters, Heidi Turtle. Last week Heidi ran the Tonbridge half marathon and has so far raised £692.50 for Platform 51 West Kent. We wanted to thank Heidi for her support and tell the world what an awesome person she is.

Heidi has been involved with our West Kent centre for 15 years. She was one of the first women to walk through the door when the centre opened. Heidi was 17 and a young mum, she didn't enjoy school and had disengaged from the education system. She came to Platform 51 West Kent for support and direction.

Heidi had a lot of spark and enthusiasm for Platform 51 from day one and after taking part in a number of programmes she started volunteering at the centre. She was such a fantastic role model for the girls and women that Platform 51 supported Heidi to undertake her youth work training. Heidi then joined the team as a project worker, where she was always a popular member of staff and made a great contribution.

Heidi now works for Tonbridge and Malling's social services children and family duty team. But she has never lost touch with the Platform 51 centre and has always been there to lend a hand.

Heidi believes that she walked into Platform 51 West Kent at a cross roads in her life and she could have gone either way. Her half marathon run was her way of giving back. She said: "If I'm running a local half marathon I'm going to do it for a local charity that is very close to my own heart. I truly believe that my life would not be the success it is without the support of this charity and this is my way of giving something back."

Platform 51 West Kent's centre manager, Von Dawson said about Heidi: "Heidi's warm spirit has touched and changed the lives of many women whilst she volunteered and worked at Platform 51. We are so proud of what she has achieved. I want to personally thank her for what she has done for the centre and the money she has raised."

Here is a lovely picture of Heidi crossing the finish line and getting her medal from former woman of the week, Dame Kelly Holmes. Well done Heidi you are a well deserving Platform 51 woman of the week.

To find out more about Platform 51 West Kent visit:
www.platform51.org/whatwedo/ourwork/centres/westkent

If you would like to take part in a running event for Platform 51 visit:
www.platform51.org/supportus/events

Forthright inspiring role model

Our woman of the week is British journalist and writer Polly Toynbee. We have chosen Polly this week as it is the Labour Party conference next week and she is known as "the queen of leftist journalists."

As a columnist in The Guardian Polly is not afraid to say what she thinks about politics. Polly's confident and forthright manner is admirable in a male dominated world. At Platform 51 many of the girls and women that come to our centres lack confidence. We instil confidence in them and teach them that they can achieve great things. Women like Polly are role models for the women we work with.

It is not just her attitude that makes her a good role model to our women, she understands the struggles that many of them face. She often speaks with great consideration of those who living on benefits or working families struggling to make ends meet.  She knows from experience how hard it is to live on the minimum wage. Her book Hard Work: Life in low-pay Britain describes how she lived on the then minimum wage of £4.10. She concludes in the book: "Well over 70 per cent of the low-paid are still the women, their work still officially and systematically devalued because it is women's work. The bad treatment of women remains the key reason for working poverty in Britain." 1

Watch our short films to see how Platform 51 supports vulnerable girls and women to take control of their lives.

1. Toynbee, P (2003) Hard Work: Life in low-pay Britain, London, Bloomsbury

Encouragement and concern after two days in Birmingham

Platform 51 has returned from spending two days at the Liberal Democrats' party conference. We are initially encouraged by some developments in Government policy on education, health and criminal justice and extremely concerned by others.

On education it was good to hear Sarah Teather talk about the pilot projects running in some Sure Start Centres, offering targeted support from professionals, including health visitors, to support young mothers. It was also good to hear her ideas for making schools accountable for pupils even after they have been excluded. 

However, we are concerned at the major focus in fringe meetings on behaviour management as the solution to educational underachievement. This appears to be a dominant theme across the Coalition's work on education. We know from the girls and women we work with that the reasons they disengage and drop out of education are more complex than this and we fear that solely focusing on behaviour management will overlook these important issues.

We were very pleased to hear the Liberal Democrats commitment to further work on Baroness Corston's recommendations on working with women offenders. We look forward to working with Ministry of Justice further on this.  And of course we welcome the conference debate on tackling violence against women.

Following the launch of our petition calling for the Department of Health to commission a review into the use of antidepressants, we are looking forward to meeting Paul Burstow MP, Health Minister to discuss this.

Platform 51 will also be attending the Labour and the Conservative party conferences in the next few weeks.

Antidepressants are not the only answer

Antidepressants have an important role to play in treating poor mental health but they are not the whole solution. Read more about mental health campaign and women and the use of antidepressants or download our briefing Checks and choices: women and antidepressants.

Platform 51 is calling on the Department of Health to commission a review into the use of antidepressants. Please sign our petition to add your name to the call for a review. It should investigate the rate at which antidepressants are prescribed as the only option for mild to moderate mental health problems and the frequency at which people taking them have their treatment reviewed.

Platform 51 research shows that more than half of women on antidepressants are not offered any alternative support when they were prescribed antidepressants. And that:

• a quarter (24%) of women on antidepressants have waited over a year for a review of their treatment at some point

• half (48%) have been on them for five or more years, and

• a quarter (24%) have been on them for 10 years or more.

Annie Besant: activist, orator, thinker, reformer, writer

This week we honour as our Woman of the week Annie Besant - activist, orator, thinker, reformer, writer and all-round amazing human being - who died on 20 September 1933. Annie devoted her long, extraordinary life to fighting for numerous causes she believed to be right; she campaigned for freedom of thought, secularism, Indian independence,  birth control (four decades before Margaret Sanger and Marie Stopes), and worker’s rights.

“What are we here for, save to help each other, to love each other, to uplift each other?” she wrote.

Because of the Trades Union Congress annual conference this week, we particularly want to remind readers of Annie’s instrumental part in the groundbreaking London match girls’ strike of 1888.

Women and girls working at the Bryant and May match factory in London endured appalling working conditions: fourteen-hour shifts, unfair fines docked from pitiful pay, and exposure to hazardous substances; the phosphorus used in making matches lead to the potentially fatal bone-rotting condition ‘phossy jaw’. Annie knew how bad things were at the match factory; in June 1888 she published an article entitled ‘White Slavery in London’. In early July one of the workers at the factory was sacked. More than 1,000 women went on strike in support of their colleague. The strikers turned to Annie for leadership. Annie spoke at meetings, led deputations and negotiated terms with the management. After three weeks Bryant and May met the strikers’ terms – one of which was the right to form a trade union. The girls elected Annie Besant as their president. The matchgirls strike was a turning point in the history of workers in Britain.

Women today struggling to have their say and express their opinions need look no further than the life and works Annie Besant for inspiration:
“Never forget that life can only be nobly inspired and rightly lived if you take it bravely and gallantly, as a splendid adventure in which you are setting out into an unknown country, to meet many a joy, to find many a comrade, to win and lose many a battle.”

Why do girls drop out or abandon their education?

In January 2012, Platform 51 will launch a campaign and publish a report about girls' and women's education and learning.

In preparation for this, we want to find out more about why girls and women drop out of or abandon their education or training, and how it affects them. Dropping out might mean gradually losing interest, facing problems which prevent you from being able to carry on, or stopping going to school or college altogether.

Did this happen to you? Do you have an opinion?

Can you spare the time to fill in our short survey? There are nine questions and it should take no more than ten minutes to complete (please note this is for women only).

The information you give is confidential but we may quote you anonymously as part of our campaign.

Go to the survey

We are looking for volunteers to join our Board of Trustees

Platform 51 is looking for volunteers to join our Board of Trustees.  In particular, we seek people who have financial, technological and marketing skills to offer.  Our Board of Trustees meet four times a year to lead and plan the strategic direction and objectives of the charity and to ensure its financial and operational sustainability.

If you believe you have the necessary skills and commitment to help us achieve our aims, please send an initial expression of interest to jobs@platform51.org More information to follow.

Pioneering sex education campaigner

This week in the light of the recent debate about abortion rights and women's reproductive choices we honour as our Woman of the week the pioneering 20^th century sex education campaigner Margaret Sanger, who died 46 years ago this week.

The Women's Health and Equality Consortium, WHEC, of which Platform 51 is lead partner, said last month:  "...the amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill  ... is a violation of a woman's right to choose what to do with her body. The Government's role should be to support women's choice and access to quality health services not create barriers to it." Happily, MPs did reject the amendment.

Margaret Sanger would have approved heartily. She endured a 50-year crusade to convince the world that contraception was a basic human right. She was harassed imprisoned, exiled and endured the venom of political and religious leaders who called her as a 'murderer'. Nevertheless, she relentlessly challenged the government, church, doctors, the press and public opinion in her efforts to convince the world of the benefits of birth control.

In 1912 while working as a maternity nurse in New York City, Sanger had witnessed hundreds of women worn-out after endless child-bearing. Her own mother's health was ruined by 18 pregnancies.

Margaret wrote articles, distributed contraceptive advice (which was a federal offence), and opened America's first birth control clinic, for which she was imprisoned. By the 1940s birth control was widely accepted but it wasn't until 1972 that unmarried women in America were guaranteed the right to use contraceptives.

She understood that: "No woman can call herself free until she can consciously choose whether she will or will not be a mother."

Discussing the issues women face today

Platform 51 will be holding a seminar at FEM11, the UK Feminista annual conference. The conference gets hundreds of campaigners and thinkers together to discuss the issues women face today and how to build a feminist future.

Platform 51's seminar, A different perspective: teenage mums and feminism, will give teenage mothers the chance to have their say about the challenges they face and open up discussion and debate about how best to ensure that campaigns for gender equality reflect the experiences of all girls and women.

The conference is on Saturday 12 November 2011 from 10.00-5.30pm at Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ. Speakers include: Shami Chakrabarti (Liberty), Zoe Williams (The Guardian), Carlene Firmin (writer) and Bea Campbell (author and journalist).

There will also be workshops and seminars organised by: Fawcett Society, Abortion Rights, OBJECT, Southall Black Sisters, Women for Women International, Women's Resource Centre, Platform 51, Rights of Women, Centre for Women and Democracy, Women's Environmental Network, Imkaan, End Violence Against Women coalition, Women for Refugee Women and the White Ribbon Campaign.

Places are available to all, come and join in the debate and book your place today. For more information download the FEM11 flyer or visit the UK Feminista website.

Recent study concurs with our findings

Women are more than two-and-a-half times more likely than men to suffer from depression, with most cases occurring between the ages of 16 and 42, says Professor Hans Ulrich Wittchen, one of the authors of a recent study from the Dresden University of Technology in Germany for the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. The study goes on to say that the burden of trying to look after children, take responsibility for the family and hold down a job has seen rates of depression in women double since the 1970s.

A letter we wrote in response to this was today printed by The Times newspaper:

"Sir, The research by Professor Hans-Ulrich Wittchen showing a doubling in rates of depression among women comes as no surprise to us ("Women feel the strain as depression rates increase", 5 Sept 2011). What is most worrying about this study is that one in three people are not having the right treatment for mental health problems, even after diagnosis.

"Our research echoes this and raises questions about the prescription of antidepressants in the UK. One in four women on antidepressants has been on them for ten years or more; one in four going for a year or more without a review of their prescription; and more than half not being offered any alternative or additional support to drugs at time of prescription. Of course antidepressants have a role to play in treating mental health problems but they should not be the first and only port of call."

Platform 51 research into the use of women's mental health and antidepressants was also mentioned in an article in today's The Guardian.

Find out more about our campaign for better treatement for women with poor mental health.

Girls and women getting together to discuss mental health

Last week saw around forty girls and women from Platform 51 centres come together and discuss mental health. Platform 51 has been campaigning for better mental health treatment for women since January and this was a great opportunity for our women to learn more, find out what other centres have been doing to campaign and plan future activity.

The women shared ideas of what promotes positive mental health and ways that women can improve their resilience such as having supportive family and friends, getting a good education, getting a job and eating healthily. The findings and asks of Platform 51's report Women like me: Supporting wellbeing in girls and women were discussed and the women came up with ideas of how they could go back to their centres and campaign for better mental health treatment for women in their local area. Some ideas that came up with were leaflets to GPs, writing mental health articles and going into schools and speaking to young women.

The positivity and energy at the event was electric. Platform 51 has run many events like this in the past but this was the first for women of all ages. The women were very knowledgeable about mental health and understood the importance of raising awareness of the problem.

Ali Thomas, Platform 51 participation development manager, said: "The event was really inspiring, the best one we have ever had. Girls and women of all ages came together and offered different perspectives. The women were really clued up about mental health, really wanted to make a change and understood why Platform 51 wants to campaign about this problem both nationally and locally."

Jemma, one of the women who attended the event, said: "I wanted to say thank you for the opportunity to come to your mental health national event. I really enjoyed myself and it was great to learn that I'm not the only one feeling unsupported by my GP and that platform 51 have plans to change this. I feel so much better knowing this and have come away from the event feeling much more positive!

Platform 51 would like to thank Pfizer UK Ltd for sponsoring the event.

An eight week course that changes lives

Platform 51's Chrysalis programme changes the lives of women offenders. Women referred to the programme get support to help them understand what is going on in their lives; only then can they break the cycle of negative behaviour.

Helen Falconer, Chrysalis programme manager, says "In the criminal justice system there's usually a massive focus on the things these women have done wrong or they're not very good at.  What we try to do is focus on their assets, to build on them, and try to move the women forward."

The programme helps them with mental health, domestic violence and abuse, childcare, literacy and numeracy, employability skills and self-esteem.

Can an eight week programme really turn women's lives around? Really? Oh yes. In these new short films (under 'Participant impact') Emma Dawes and Participant B explain the difference it's made to them.

"If I hadn't come onto the Chrysalis programme I'd probably be in prison now... in fact it's almost definite," said Emma Dawes, pictured above. You can read more about Emma here.

Platform 51's Chrysalis programme is made possible thanks to funding from the European Social Fund.

Talking about young people and single mums

This week the singer Jamelia has been talking about the kind of problems faced by many of the women who come to Platform 51: domestic violence, lone parenthood and growing up poor. And that is why we have made her our Woman of the week.

Jamelia grew up in inner city Birmingham. After the recent riots she told the BBC that she wanted to use her own experience to help young people to aspire. She said she would: "...show them my old house, my old school and tell them I used to catch the bus every day and that I wasn't able to get the latest trainers ...I've got to this stage by 15 years of hard work."

She spoke out about being a lone parent in the BBC3 documentary aired this week: Jamelia: Shame about single mums. The documentary explores how single mothers have been treated over the last 100 years. In it she describes her own feelings about being a single mum, and talks to other women who had children 'out of wedlock'.  She said: "at least I've had the option to be a single mum." Jamelia tackles the negative perceptions of single motherhood presented by the media. Journalist Julia Hartley Brewer tells her that being a lone parent is: "not a positive lifestyle choice." Jamelia responds : "don't tell us we're all doomed, I refuse to believe that. For someone to tell me it's pointless if you haven't got a man in the house is extremely offensive."

Lone mums and young girls growing up in poverty need encouragement not condemnation. When all others can do is stigmatise and apportion blame, we welcome Jamelia's positive responses.

Successful project helps girls to get out of violent gangs

When it comes to gangs and gang violence, it's usually young men who make the headlines. But worringly there are significant numbers of girls getting involved in gangs too. "Girls need some safe, girl-only space to talk about their concerns" according to Carlene Firmin, founder of the Gag (gendered action on gangs) project, writing in The Guardian. This safe, girl-only space is precisely what Platform 51 provides at its centre in Knowsley on Merseyside.

Platform 51's Home Office-funded project, Getting girls out of gangs, gets girls off the street and into the centre where they learn new things and get involved with all manner of activities.

Jan Clitheroe, manager at Platform 51 Knowsley, says: "This is a really difficult group of women to engage with. We see them walking past the centre on a Friday night, drinking and heading towards the park. Not all of them have been pulled into gangs yet, but that is the inevitable next step. So we decided to go out onto the street; we set up a table outside the centre with a beauty therapist and started talking to the girls. Gradually, gradually, we got them to come into the centre. We have now have helped 164 young women this way."

Once inside the centre, the girls learn about: how the media influences them, nurturing positive relationships, staying safe, health and wellbeing, and substance abuse. They take part in cool activities like film-making, and learn to have their say by getting involved in a youth forum. To build confidence and decision-making skills, some have done the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme.

It works

Kate, aged 13, said: "I used to fight a lot and be frustrated. But since coming here I have calmed down and made new friends." Melissa, 14, agrees: "I like coming to Platform 51 because it's safer and you can be yourself."

Crucially, Platform 51 gives girls in danger of getting involved in gangs a real alternative. Learning things and taking part equips them with the self-esteem to make positive choices in their lives.

Platform 51's Getting girls out of gangs project ran until March 2011. Thanks to more funding from the Home Office, the centre will continue its life-changing work from September 2011.

See the Knowsley girls talking about Platform 51 on You Tube.

Rejoice and love yourself today, cause you were born this way

This week saw the release of The Forbes World's Most Powerful Women, for our woman of the week we are ignoring the top ten and celebrating the woman at number 11, the one and only Lady Gaga.

Lady Gaga stands out on the Forbes list: she is 20 years younger than most of the other woman in the top ten, she is pictured with green hair and she is an entertainer not a CEO, politician or managing director. Gaga is using her influencing power on a younger audience. She is talking to young people and they are listening and loving her message: "Don't you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can't be exactly who you are."

Gaga talks openly and with conviction about equality and acceptance of who you are. She speaks from personal experience and has openly admitted that she was bullied at school and was not accepted for the way she was. She uses her platform of influence to fight for people's rights, for example she spoke at the National Equality March in October 2009 about gay rights and has been quoted as saying: "I want women, and men to feel empowered."

Love her or hate her, if young people are leaving her concerts heeding her advice: "I want you to walk out of here tonight not loving me more, but loving yourselves more" then surely this isn't a bad thing.

New door of opportunity or the start of a bleak future?

Today will be a life changing day for hundreds and thousands of girls across the country. For many it will open new doors of opportunity, A-levels, training courses and their first taste of employment. But for some it will signal the beginning of a bleak future.

Thousands of girls leave education every year without any formal qualifications. While league tables focus on those at the top, those at the bottom are often allowed to slip away unnoticed. Once out of education girls can find it almost impossible to get back in.

The debate about young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) tends to focus on young men but in fact latest figures show not only that there are more young women aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training but their numbers are growing much faster. Sometimes this is as a result of the choices they have made, but usually it is the effect of a system that has failed them.

In our experience while young men are acting out and attracting media attention, many girls are quietly disengaging from schools without attracting media attention, often due to dealing with difficult situations like family trouble or bullying. Today most of those young women will walk away from education without anyone trying to stop them and that will probably define them for the rest of their lives.

Riots offer a chance to treat violent girls differently

Violence damages lives in different ways and a more gendered approach has to be part of the way forward. This is the main thrust of founder of the Gag Project, Carlene Firmin's article in the Guardian today. 

Platform 51 supports the overall analysis in the article and particularly the call for consideration of what needs to happen at a policy level for young women caught up in the criminal justice system.

It is heartening, as Carlene notes, to see that we are starting to see some progress with regards to women in the criminal justice system. Platform 51 welcomes the recent announcement from the all-party parliamentary group on women in the penal system that it would be holding an independent inquiry into girls in the justice system.

Clearly, if we really want to prevent offending and reoffending, then, as Carlene says, the youth justice system [which has never been designed to respond to offending by young women] needs to change.

However, based on the work we do in our women's centres in England and Wales we are concerned that it is girls and women who will bear the brunt of the long term impact of the riots on communities: homes destroyed, investment delayed or withdrawn and families living in fear. 

As the riots unfolded and the analysis of them began, Platform 51 used Twitter to express concerns that the focus on the parenting of the young people involved in the rioting, focuses on women and this in turn can appear to place the blame on them for society's problems.  Platform 51 will continue to monitor the analysis in the aftermath of the riots to ensure that girls and women's views and voices are not lost. 

More girls not in education, employment or training than boys

The Department for Education statistics reveal that the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) is up from last year, with more girls than boys in this category.  

At Platform 51 we know that 16 to 24 year old girls are more likely to be NEET than boys but today's figures show that the rift between them is growing at devastating speeds - 50,000 more girls have been put into this category between the first and second quarter of 2011 while the numbers for boys grew by 3,000.

At Platform 51 we work with many girls and women who are NEET and we know that while young men are acting out and attracting media attention many girls are quietly disengaging from schools, often due to dealing with difficult situations like family trouble or bullying. Without support and teaching that recognises their needs, these girls are stuck with no way back into education or no way forward without it.

Download the statistics from the Department for Education website.

Find out more about what Platform 51 does for girls who have disengaged from school by downloading our Education, employment and skills theme sheet.

Bravely speaking out about her mental health problems

We are making Gail Porter our woman of the week this week. Gail rose to fame in the 1990's as a children's TV presenter. But despite the fame Gail has battled with anorexia, post-natal depression, alopecia and bipolar disorder. She was sectioned in April this year and spent three weeks in a Psychiatric hospital. She has recently spoken out about this experience in the Daily Mail:

"There was no treatment programme and nothing to do. It meant patients just focused on their problems instead of getting better."

We think that Gail is very brave for speaking out about her mental health problems and we know how difficult it is to do this. This week two women from Platform 51 Cornwall, Laura and Rosie spoke out about their experiences of taking antidepressants on BBC Radio Cornwall. (Skip to one hour and six minutes of the podcast).

Rosie said: "You can put someone on antidepressants but if you don't change the underlying cause then you're not really helping people long term."

Mental health campaign

At Platform 51 we are campaigning for better treatment for women with mental health problems. Our report Women like me: Supporting wellbeing in girls and women found that three out of five women have suffered from mental health problems. That's the equivalent of 15.2 million girls and women in England and Wales.

Platform 51 are very concerned about the treament women are getting for their mental health problems and we are calling on the government to commission a review into the use of antidepressants.

You can read more and join our mental health campaign on our website.

But they will eventually earn 20% less than men

Every year A-level results throw up a debate about why girls do better in secondary education. What is not discussed is why statistics show that on average these women will earn 20% less than their male counterparts, be underrepresented in senior management positions and few and far between in our national government.

"Working with girls and women we know how driven and capable they can be, but without also addressing the obstacles they still face, many are at risk of not being able to fulfil their potential."

Rebecca Gill, Director of policy, campaign and communications, Platform 51 

Letter in today's Guardian

Platform 51 has had a letter about our antidepressants research published in today's Guardian.

The letter is a response to The Guardian's article 'Depression in adulthood twice as likely for those abused as children' highlighting that those who have suffered abuse in childhood respond less well to drug and psychological treatments.

Articles like this one reiterate our own findings that people with mental health problems need regular reviews of their treatment. Our own research found that:

• a third (33%) of women have taken antidepressants at some point in their lives
• nearly half (48%) of women currently on antidepressants have been on them for five years or more
• one in four (24%) women currently on antidepressants have been on them for 10 years or more
• one in four (24%) women currently on antidepressants have waited a year or more for a review.

Platform 51 is calling on the government to commission a review into the use of antidepressants. The review should examine how antidepressants are prescribed, whether alternatives or additional support are offered, and whether those taking them receive regular reviews. Poor mental health has a huge impact on society and individuals and is something that needs urgent attention.

Challenging negative perceptions of young people

Platform 51's Truth About Youth project, funded by The Co-operative Foundation, works with young people in six areas of Cardiff to challenge negative perceptions about young people and break down the barriers they face.

The project's team of young carers, Power of the youth, wanted to break down the barriers between themselves and the older generation. So they invited the Deputy Head of Council, Judith Woodman and a group of pensioners to join them for an art workshop. A local artist helped them to work together on a joint piece of art.

Doreen, a local resident from Llanrumney said: "I'm afraid I was a little disappointed with the behaviour I'd seen of young people, along with young mums, but the Truth About Youth project has changed my perception of young people and I'm so glad it has."

Judith Woodman commented: "It's been really interesting and fun, and more importantly engaging with young people and sharing things we have in common and as a result showing there is no difference between the old and young. Very intergenerational, some great ideas but more importantly we had fun and age didn't come into it."

Following this successful event, the group of older and younger people are now full of ideas on exciting projects they can work on together, watch this space for more information. 

Platform 51 is concerned that women may be feeling significantly more vulnerable and isolated following the recent riots and disturbances.  We would like to reassure all women and girls, particularly those in the areas most affected by the riots - London, Wolverhampton, Bristol, Knowsley [our nearest centre to south Liverpool where riots broke out - that all our Platform 51 centres remain open and ready to welcome you.

Platform 51 provides a platform for all women and girls to have a voice.  If you have an opinion you would like to share with us about the recent riots, please email us on communications@ platform51.org. Alternatively, tweet us at @platform51 or share your thoughts with us on our facebook page.

Please call the respective Platform 51 centres in the riot-affected areas to double check opening times:

London West    0208 574 5116

Bilston                01902 357070

Bristol                01179 638775

Knowsley          0151 5477800

Warstones        01902 341822

“I can stand out the war with any man”

Our woman of the week is the English nurse Florence Nightingale. Tomorrow sees the 101 anniversary of this amazing woman's death and therefore we wanted to honour her hard work, passion and bravery.

Florence was a woman determined to do good. She saw her calling in life to be a nurse and went out and did it against her parents' wishes and against social norms of Victorian Britain.

The work that made Florence famous was during the Crimean War. What she found at the British camp in the Crimea was overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions and a shortage of medical supplies. Florence was aware that soldiers were dying from the poor conditions rather than their war wounds. She implemented hygiene systems herself and with the help of the Sanitary Commission. It was during the Crimean war that she was named 'The lady with the lamp' because of the nightly rounds that she made giving comfort and advice to wounded soldiers.

Florence's work in the Crimea was so well received that the Nightingale Fund for the training of nurses was set up in 1855. With the fund Florence set up the Nightingale Training School at St. Thomas' Hospital in 1860. Her theories were published in 1860 in 'Notes on Nursing' outlining her concerns about sanitation and military health. These theories created practises that are still being used today.

Florence's theories, determination and care have left a legacy on modern nursing and medicine. She was brave, forward thinking and cared passionately about humanity and therefore a very deserving woman of the week.

One woman's dreams come true

Five years ago, Natasha Watkins fell through the doors at Platform 51 Doncaster, drunk and just out of prison after 20 previous custodial sentences. In July 2011 her dreams came true when Belinda Grashion offered her a job as an Office Administrator.

Belinda Grashion first came across Platform 51 in June when she attended a networking event in Doncaster for women-led businesses co-sponsored by Platform 51 in association with Icon Women, a social enterprise supporting women in business. Introduced to Natasha after the event, Belinda immediately appreciated the strong potential that Platform 51 saw in Natasha.

Belgray Properties Director, Belinda Grashion, commenting on why she had chosen to recruit Natasha, said: "Firstly I was impressed and moved by her story and her determination to carry on regardless. Her spirit shone through and she had a "will do" attitude; something that is difficult to impart in people. She had many skills that she did not appreciate in herself and I could clearly see these. She had already come a long way and I feel humbled and privileged to be able to offer her a position within our company. I know she will earn the respect and trust within our company and will become a valued member of staff"

As an Office Administrator Natasha will learn how to deal with customers, answer and make appointments, learn conveyancing procedures for house buying, research property prices and market conditions and general accounting.

Natasha's case is a clear example of how the work of Platform 51 can contribute to the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged women and how with appropriate support women can turn their lives around.  It is powerful evidence of how Platform 51's partnership programme with local employers can bring jobs and opportunities for women.

Hear Natasha and Belinda telling the story on BBC Radio Sheffield (skip to one hour 19 minutes of the podcast).

Millicent's actions helped women get the vote

When it comes to famous British women from modern history, most people will have heard of Emmeline Pankhurst, but not everyone will know of Millicent Fawcett.

Writer, pioneering feminist and campaigner Millicent died on this day 82 years ago and is our woman of the week this week. While Emmeline's approach to gaining women's rights were strident and at times violent, Millicent's approach was more moderate, but no less dogged, determined or radical. She thought that debate, discussion and engagement with the establishment would serve the cause of women's rights more effectively than provocative action. Whatever the truth is, this two pronged approach, Millicent's moderation and Emmeline's zeal, worked. Women aged over 30 finally won the vote in the UK in 1918.

Millicent was an ardent campaigner. One especially notable success was her campaign for the rights of sex workers. The Contagious Diseases Acts 1864 required that women working as prostitutes be examined for sexually transmitted diseases, but this did not extend to their male clients. She exposed the inherent hypocrisy in the Acts and got them repealed.

Millicent's work continues in the charity named after her, the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for equality between women and men.

Marsh Award winner announced

The first Marsh Award for Volunteering with Platform 51 was awarded to Lindsey Hills, from Platform 51 London West last week.

Lindsey, who has been coming to Platform 51 for eight years, was presented with her prize of £1,000. She was nominated her peers and the winner was chosen by city financier and award sponsor Mr Brian Marsh OBE. Runners up were Kayleigh Devlin and Kealy Hastick. The award recognises and honours the achievements of women in turning their lives around.

London West's centre manager Ruth Lowe said: "Lindsey came to Platform 51 in a bad relationship, no job and no confidence. Since then, through sheer perseverance, Lindsey has spoken in front of an audience of over 1000, met the former Prime Minister and represented Platform 51 at the Global YWCA conference in Zurich. Lindsey is now a manager of a children's centre and is working hard to create a bright future for herself and her two children. She is an inspiration!"

Check out photos of the event on our Facebook page and this 52-second video on YouTube.

Service Update

Since January 2011, Platform 51 has been a delivery partner in the NOMS Newday Service for women offenders and those at risk of offending in Wales, operating as a sub-contractor to the Working Links, which holds the main contract.

Proposed changes to the eligibility criteria for the service and the requirements for women using it to gain qualifications and employment mean that Platform 51 is no longer the provider best-placed to deliver this contract. Working Links and Platform 51 have therefore agreed to end the contract by mutual consent.

The Newday service in Wales will continue to be managed by Working Links, whose staff have considerable expertise in assisting people into employment. Platform 51 staff will continue to support women offenders and those at risk of offending in Wales through the NOMS Turnaround service and to work with women and girls through a range of services.

Working Links thanks the organisation for its work up until now and wishes it well for the future.