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Student and Trade Unions back OBJECT and the Demand Change! campaign
OBEJCT and Eaves ran a small but successful workshop on the Demand Change! campaign at the TUC women’s conference in Eastbourne. The film of the voices from survivors of prostitution was really powerful (you can order a copy from www.demandchange.org.uk) and various union representatives, including a member from the TUC women’s committee, were very keen to support the Demand Change! campaign and to take the issue back to their unions. UNISON Women have already made this a priority campaign. If you are part of a union and want a copy of our union pack or further details of how to get involved please email anna@object.org.uk. It is brilliant to work with unions to call for meaningful changes to end commercial sexual exploitation.
On Tuesday we also ran a Demand Change! workshop and two OBJECT workshops at NUS Women’s Conference. At the Conference there were 4 motions put forward to mandate the Women’s Committee to campaign against the sexual objectification of women; to support OBJECT; and to support and promote Feminist Fridays. Women spoke in favour of these motions with one moving speech in particular from a female student saying that she felt isolated and like a lone voice until she found out about OBJECT and Feminist Fridays and realised she was part of a powerful movement campaigning for change.
There were also two motions about prostitution, one against the Demand Change! position and pro – decriminalisation of the entire industry, and one which was confused but mentioned supporting the Demand Change! campaign to tackle the demand for exploitation through prostitution. The second motion was passed to ensure that NUS Women support Demand Change! This was a brilliant outcome and really shows that more and more people are rejecting the Belle de Jour glamorised notions of prostitution and listening to the voices of the silent and silenced majority who do not see prostitution as an ordinary career choice, but who experience it as abuse, exploitation and rape. Those who want to see an end to the industry to save future generations of vulnerable women and children from being drawn, coerced or forced into it in the first place and to send out a message that women’s bodies are not for sale.
It was brilliant meeting all of the passionate and inspiring women student reps and hearing about how much activism is going on and how involved student groups have been in tackling sexism on the campuses and campaigning against lap dancing clubs and/or strip night in their universities. Thank you NUS for inviting us and for working with us to push these issues forward so that women are seen as equals, not sex objects.
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