Baroness Goudie Blog: May Newsletter
This month we said goodbye to an incredible woman, friend and colleague, Tessa Jowell. Her achievements were immense, including the London Olympics and Sure Start children's centres. I have read many moving pieces dedicated to Tessa, but I particularly thought Alistair Campbell captured her commitment, spirit and determination beautifully. So I wanted to share this with you all below.
A few weeks ago I was pleased to join the The Women's Forum For The Economy & Society - Bridging Humanity in Toronto with Sophie Trudeau, Stephenie Foster and 30% Club Canada. Focusing on, issues such as the G7 agenda (as Canada is in the chair this month) and President Macron's committed to taking forward the outcomes next year. Both will ensure that the gender pay gap issue will remain a priority to overcome.
Finally, the decisive outcome of the Abortion Referendum in Ireland provides welcome support for women’s freedom of choice on this sensitive issue, especially at a time when the regimes in other parts of the world are becoming more restrictive.
I hope you enjoy this month's articles.
Best,
Baroness Mary Goudie
RIP TESSA JOWELL, A WONDERFUL WOMAN, A SUPERB POLITICIAN, AND THE KINDEST FRIEND
Read Alistair Campbell's moving words
Women. Drive. Economic. Growth. Period.
By Stephenie Foster for Medium
When women’s participation in the labor force increases, GDP rises. When women start businesses, communities flourish. When women are promoted to senior management and appointed to corporate boards, companies do better. We ignore this compelling data at our peril.
Read more
Helena Morrissey's Girl fund to promote workforce diversity
UK’s first gender-orientated fund will add to pressure on companies to improve employee mix
Women, Deradicalization, and Rehabilitation
Lessons from an Expert Workshop
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security - Rebecca Turkington and Agathe Christien
With the rise of violent extremist groups around the world, questions around how to disengage and reintegrate participants from these groups back into their societies have risen to the fore. To date, female participants have been relatively neglected, despite evidence of their growing numbers. Europol’s 2016 EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report found that the share of women arrested on terrorism charges rose from 18 to 25 percent between 2015 and 2016. Another 2016 study found that 20 percent of all Western recruits to the Islamic State are women, and media coverage of the battle for Mosul highlighted the presence of radicalized women from Germany, Canada, and other Western countries. In Nigeria, Boko Haram has used women suicide bombers at unprecedented levels.
Women participants in violent extremist groups are returning to their places of origin in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the United States at a time when few deradicalization, rehabilitation, and reintegration programs are taking their needs into account. These programs have historically focused on men, and scant research addresses the gendered dynamics of this process.
This policy brief outlines the main findings from an expert workshop on “Women, Deradicalization, and Reintegration” hosted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security in September 2017 as part of our Bridging Theory and Practice series. This series convenes top researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from a range of disciplines to discuss global issues with major implications for the women, peace, and security agenda. The workshop was conducted under Chatham House rules. While these recommendations are not intended to capture a consensus, they aim to be a starting point for a larger conversation around women, deradicalization, and rehabilitation that looks critically at where current programs fail to address gender and how greater consideration of women’s needs can enhance deradicalization efforts.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT HERE
