Women's research matters

The #DMUResearchMatters event offered an eye-opening insight into the social value of university research as four women talked about their academic work. 

 First up was Hazel Kemshall whose Four Pillars model is used throughout the UK and Europe to monitor sexual and violent offenders and prevent further crimes. Her research helps to develop policies and to provide better information to EU countries about international 'sexual tourism'.

 Newspapers run scaremongering stories but Hazel's talk helped me understand just how much work goes into prevention. She also talked about the possible negative effects of Brexit in this area.

Criminologist Lucy Baldwin conducts research into mothers in prison. She detailed how prison can ruin some mothers' lives, even after their release. Schools often know nothing about affected children or how to support them, and many mothers become heavily depressed or worse, believing they've failed in their maternal role.

Lucy's inspiring work gives hope to many mothers motivation and helps them succeed in recovery from substance abuses or just to get back on their feet after release. Her research changes many women's lives.
Lala Meredith-Vula spoke about the concept of 'Blood Memory' and blood feuds: a sort of former 'Alabanian Judicial' system. On 1st May 1999, citizens of Alabania held ceremonies against the will of the government to put an end to blood feuds, many of which were more than a hundred years old. Lala took photos of the event secretly, and these are now one of the few mementos of the event.

Her work has gone global, being shown in galleries and across social media, bringing together people and their memories.

The final talk was given by Vanessa Bettinson who explained the crime of coercive control, which has only recently been recognized in law as a form of domestic violence. It's a primarily psychological form of abuse that causes victims to alter their typical everyday behaviours by threatening and punishing them. 

Her work providing evidence on how coercive control works and its effect on victims has recently come to the fore as in the recent appeal lodged in behalf of Sally Challen which has resulted in a retrial. 

I was inspired by the work of all four women and learned a great deal more about the world in which we live.


Lydia Morgan

There will be sex

I read somewhere that if you put sex in the title of an article, people have been scientifically proven to be 78% more likely to read it. Or something like that.

Well, I can confirm at 12 o’clock, Saturday 19th March 2011 at the States of Independence Independent Press Day at De Montfort University, you will get sex. How’s that for a sure thing?

It’s all above board though. Nicola Monaghan’s talk, Sex and Sensibility, is just one of the 27 different workshops, readings and book launches at this press day event, a fantastic opportunity to meet and hear writers and their work, or establish new contacts with independent publishers.

The timetable is impressively eclectic: from the Moomims to anarchism, Arts funding cuts to crime writing. And, of course, poetry readings.

This is the second year Five Leaves Press and the Creative Writing team at De Montfort University have organised this special event. Even better, it is free.

I went last year with my daughter Sarah (as I don’t remember any sex on the timetable). Highlight for her was having three of her bedtime story books signed by their author, Berlie Doherty. Sarah was awe struck, “Mummy, that lady is famous!”

So, take advantage of this rare opportunity for fledgling and established writers, and interested readers, to share work and experiences, to talk to publishers and editors. You never know where it may lead.

The obvious way to round this off would be to somehow mention sex again. But I wouldn’t do that, would I?


Sally Jack