Any Woman Anywhere can face abuse
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Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor were also fans, quickly establishing the playful Black and white dress, £58; sandals, £38, both Oasis print as a Hollywood favourite. Polka dots are still as popular with designers today and are the perfect way to inject some frivolous fun into your wardrobe.
And this season, there are plenty of dotty options on the high street to choose from. ANY woman, anywhere, can be on the receiving end of male violence.
That’s the message of a new campaign that starts this week.
More than a third of women experience domestic violence at some point in their lives.
#AnyWomanAnywhere brings together Zero Tolerance, Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre, the Church of Scotland and Edinburgh’s Summerhall venue to show how this abuse damages women.
Starting tomorrow, a large-scale animation will be screened on buildings in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket. At Summerhall, a photography exhibition, talks and film screenings will all underline the message.
Ghazala Hakeem, a Glasgow-based civil servant, was physically and emotionally abused by her husband for years.
Ghazala, 42, did not know she could call the police or that there existed organisations that could help her.
“My husband was violent towards me,” she said. “He would take any money I had from me. He would make me think I was crazy, worthless and should kill myself.
“He relished belittling me, crushing my confidence and selfesteem. I was like a robot doing his bidding.”
Finally, Ghazala and her six-month-old daughter managed to leave. She BY JENNY CONSTABLE says it’s vital that domestic violence is discussed openly.
She said: “It has been refreshing to talk about domestic abuse to women who wouldn’t normally talk about it because they see it as shameful or taboo.”
#AnyWomanAnywhere campaign is not just about physical violence. Bullying, controlling behaviour, emotional or psychological abuse and even online harassment are all part of the problem.
Journalist Vonny LeClerc has been the target of multiple social media attacks, harassed via direct messages and seen her images stolen and photoshopped.
She said: “An individual who knows personal details creates Instagram accounts impersonating me, and posts pictures of me photoshopped with semen on my face.
“Recently, he created an account called ‘fatscottishjourno’, with a picture of me, my name, and the description as ‘Divorced, overweight and Jewish’.
“Instagram said it didn’t violate their guidelines.”
Social media sites have been criticised for failing to shut down online harassment.
Vonny said: “Women are not taken as authorities on our own experiences. Systematic online abuse can and does ruin people’s lives.” ● zerotolerance.org.uk