Since International Women’s Day, we have been sharing blogs from members of our staff team describing a typical day. Today we are looking at a day in the life of the Advocacy Services Manager.
I am the acting Service Manager for nia’s advocacy service, the service supports women and children experiencing domestic abuse.
We run IDVA teams, IRIS and WiSER, all of them front line services and both IDVAs and WISER work with the highest of risk cases and are involved in crisis intervention. As such, the life and day to day of the services is one that can change rapidly, one that requires a trauma informed /cold headed approach to obtain best outcomes and safety for our service users. It is a service where prioritising is an art and where everyone needs to communicate and work as a team.
We live in a patriarchal society run by men where women are treated as lesser individuals of lesser value. Men use rape as a weapon of war, fgm and force marriage are excused as cultural practices, men are allowed to abuse women’s bodies for sex and pay inequalities for same work are brushed under the carpet. Men and young men do experience domestic abuse but the majority of abuse victims are still women. The state institutions that we have which should be protecting us are either inadequate or unwilling and follow the social attitudes and believes which normalise abuse by men towards women as a fact of life.
We increasingly hear in the media and the sector that biology doesn’t matter so much, that if you feel that you are a woman you should be treated as one and should have access to women–only services. I understand this as another door to take away the services and rights women fought so hard for and a continuation for men to further dominate us women and obstruct our path for equality and freedom to choose. I strongly object to this and will continue our work supporting women from men’s violence and the inadequacy of our institutions.
If you would like to donate to support nia’s work with women, girls and children who have been subjected to men’s violence, you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/niaproject
