Stars including Meera Syal, Shappi Khorsandi, Gemma Cairney and Laura Mvula took part in a very special event on Wednesday 8th October 2014 at The Mango Tree in Belgravia, helping to raise over £45,000 for women’s projects supported by The Circle and The Asian Circle. Guests included Harry Potter actress Bonnie Wright, chef and food writer Thomasina Miers, TV presenters Nick Ross, Sonali Shah and Seema Pathan, Eco-Age founder Livia Firth, Whistles’ Chief Executive Jane Shepherdson and Seema Malhotra MP, Shadow Minister for Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls.
The fashion world was well represented with shoe designer Jimmy Choo, Luella Bartley – design director of Marc By Marc Jacobs, Vogue blogger and i-D fashion editor Julia Sarr-Jamois, and fashion designer Ashley Williams in attendance.
The Circle is an organisation founded by Annie Lennox which champions women’s rights and equality by working with women who are passionate about change. The Asian Circle, an integral part of The Circle is a network of UK based Asian Women with a passion to support vulnerable women in India and South Asia by building awareness of their plight and through fund-raising.
As its first project, The Asian Circle is working in partnership with Oxfam to provide tribal women in north-east India, Chattisgarh and Odisha, with support to help set-up women’s support centres in police stations and to provide counselling, legal and medical aid.
Host for the evening, Meera Syal commented: “It’s fantastic to see so many successful and empowered women coming together to raise awareness and fight the scourge of domestic violence that exists across the world. We are all incredibly lucky to have been given a voice, an education and an opportunity to stand up for what we believe in. The women that we are trying to help have no voice, no education and live a life of constant fear. The work of projects we are raising funds for are a lifeline for women in the most impoverished areas of the world to escape to.”
Laura Mvula added: “It’s a privilege to perform for The Circle. When women come together we are a powerful force – we can achieve anything. The Circle is a great example of this. It’s about women using the resources and skills at that they have to help those who need our support.”
Domestic violence is a human rights violation
Domestic violence is the most widespread form of human rights violation in India.72 % of men who beat their wives believe this is acceptable behaviour and 68% women victims believe this is acceptable; in Uganda it affects 60% of women. Last night’s event raised funds for two Oxfam projects in Uganda and India which are supported by The Circle and The Asian Circle. Focused on tackling violence against women, the projects will help by providing support for victims, tackling social acceptance of violence against women, raising awareness of women’s rights and influencing laws to promote these rights.
Santosh Bhanot, chair of The Asian Circle said: “This has been a great opportunity for members of The Circle and The Asian Circle to work together and reach out to a diverse audience of women who will be able to help us achieve our goals of education and empowerment and so reduce the shocking levels of domestic violence against women in both the Indian subcontinent and Africa. We have a long journey ahead, but last night was a great step forward.”
Seema Malhotra MP, the first Shadow Minister for Violence against Women and Girls in the UK who was at the event said: “Domestic violence is little short of a national and indeed international scandal. We need to strive to educate both men and women that any form of abuse – physical or mental – is unacceptable, and that there should be a zero tolerance towards violence in relationships. Millions of children across the world are also witnessing domestic violence, impacting on their own health and wellbeing. It is vital to ensure the provision of safe houses and a support infrastructure that women trust and feel protected by, and that is delivered with cultural sensitivity. The work that Oxfam and The Asian Circle are doing at a grass roots level is essential contribution to raising awareness and changing attitudes, and I have no doubt that these projects will change countless lives for the better.”