The Circle, founded by Annie Lennox, calls on everyone to host a Chai Day this International Day for the Elimination for Violence Against Women, to raise money for survivors of gender-based violence.
The CIRCLE SOCIETY GCU CHAI DAY
The Circle Society will be holding their Chai Day on Monday the 25th of November in NH208 on Level 2 of GCU Students’ Association! Come along between 11am and 2pm to join them for their first Official Chai Day!
Both staff and students welcome
*Disclaimer- Between 11am and 1pm this will be a safe space for anyone who identifies as a woman. Trigger warning- some potentially challenging topics will be shared by women participating in our experiences table*
Free to attend or pay £5 and you will receive 3 raffle tickets, unlimited drinks, cakes and a goody bag!
Tickets can be bought here: https://www.gcustudents.co.uk/groups/the-circle-society/events/chai-day/buy_ticket
They will also be collecting donations for the Glasgow South East Foodbank in collaboration with The Common Good Society, if you can please bring along any non-perishable items we will have a collection box for the whole duration of the event!
For more info email thecircle@gcustudents.co.uk or message them on Facebook @thecirclesocietygcu !
Why November 25th?
November 25th marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and to coincide with this, The Circle is holding their Chai Day campaign to support survivors of gender-based violence across the globe.
Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prominent and pressing issues of inequality globally, with at least one in three women around the world becoming a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime. In the UK, official violent crime figures suggest that one in five women have experienced some type of sexual assault.
However, despite the increased exposure and awareness of the issue of sexual violence in the aftermath of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, victims of rape and sexual assault are still being victimised and consistently let down by the criminal justice system. Across the globe, attitudes towards victims of rape and a prevailing tolerance for rape and serious sexual assault is resulting in a lack of justice for victim-survivors.
In the UK the End Violence Against Women Coalition, one of the projects funded by The Circle’s Chai Day initiative, is in the process of taking the Crown Prosecution Service to court over the ‘catastrophic’ drop in rape prosecutions (down by 44% since 2014) whilst the increase in the number of rapes reported to the police is up by 173%. In South Africa, where another of The Circle’s Chai Day projects is based, the murder of women because of their gender was almost five times higher than the global average in 2016, a fraction of assaults result in convictions and the criminal system is ‘failing survivors’ as pervasive rape culture persists.
Across the globe, we found that women do not feel confident and safe in reporting their assault. Rape allegations can be met with anything from demeaning and traumatic ‘assessments’ to complete apathy and a failure to submit allegation files. Our projects have reported survivors who have been ignored by police officials and forced back into dangerous environments, women left feeling shamed and humiliated and
The judiciary system is failing women who make the brave decision to come forward and report rape and serious sexual assault and non-profits and front-line services such as those delivered by our Chai Day projects are having to fill the gaps in victim support in order to achieve justice.
What is Chai Day for?
The 25th November and the 16 days of action that follow, will be an opportunity to support the vital services provided by a number of projects, including: The Nonceba Family Counselling Centre in South Africa, Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis in Scotland, ACT Alberta in Canada and the End Violence Against Women Coalition, a lobbying organisation based in the UK.
Chai Day is about gathering together with friends, family or colleagues, and using that time to do some good. This is a movement that you can take part in to raise funds to support survivors of gender-based violence and also raise awareness regarding the issue amongst your circles. Despite its prevalence across all demographics, violence against women is still regarded as an uncomfortable subject with public discourse often shaming the victim.
About The Circle:
Founded by Annie Lennox in 2008, The Circle brings women together from all walks of life, so that they can learn about the injustices and inequality facing many millions of women and girls across the globe, to be inspired and ultimately take action to bring about transformative change. Over 160,000 women and girls in more than 16 countries have been supported by the income raised by the women members of The Circle, which stands at just over £2.5m, and through the advocacy work they have undertaken. Issues they have worked on or continue to do so include ending violence against women, ensuring a living wage in the fast fashion industry, ensuring girls receive an education, women can have livelihoods and economic empowerment and access to health.
For more info see the below links for everything related to the Circle and Chai Day:
All Image Credit- The Circle NGO
