Mandu Reid, Leader of the Women's Equality Party, sits down with guests to discuss the effect Coronavirus measures are having on violence against women and girls.

This discussion is part of an online series of events which will tackle the issues facing women in this unprecedented time.

Locked in with abusers

Reports from organisations across the globe have shown domestic abuse increases with enforced isolation.

From a charity in Hubei to a domestic violence hotline in Oregon, reports suggest that social distancing and lockdown measures result in an increase in cases of domestic abuse as households become pressure cookers for coercive control and violence.

Mandu and her guests will discuss the impact of lock-down on the 1.6 million women who experience domestic abuse every year in England and Wales. The panel will also examine what can be done and what the Women's Equality Party are campaigning for- from Domestic Violence Protection Orders, to court case fees, to emergency funding.

Read more about The Women's Equality Party's campaign here.

About Our Guests

Dr Akima Thomas OBE - Founder and Clinical Director - Women and Girls Network

Dr Akima Thomas is a feminist activist and comes from a background in nursing and social work. She is the founder and Clinical Director of Women and Girls Network; a holistic therapeutic service working with women and girls surviving gendered violence. Akima has pioneered working from a trauma informed approach and has developed a strengths based non pathologising clinical model; the Holistic Empowerment Recovery Model (HER) integrating healing of mind body and spirit. More recently Akima has researched women’s healing journey chronicling their strategies of resistance rebellion and resilience to ensure survival.

Charlotte Kneer - CEO - Reigate and Banstead Women's Aid.

Charlotte is the chief executive of a Surrey based refuge for women and children fleeing serious domestic abuse and at risk of murder. She is an active domestic abuse campaigner and public speaker, known for her captive and emotional speeches where she talks openly about her past abuse. In 2019, Reigate and Banstead Women’s Aid opened their doors to film a powerful Channel 4 Dispatches documentary, ‘Safe at Last’. It was the first time a TV crew was invited into a refuge and Charlotte played a pivotal role in the programme’s success.

About Us

This discussion is brought to you by The Women's Equality Party.

It’s important to us that everyone can be involved in politics and so we are delivering these events for free. If you would like to make a donation to help cover our technical costs you can do so here, it is very much appreciated:

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Mandu Reid In Conversation With...