AGENDA
_ Home truths
The Women’s Aid Federation estimates that one in three women will suffer emotional, sexual or physical abuse from a partner or ex-partner during their lives. And while a number of myths still persist about the men who batter women, the statistics show starkly that it can happen in any home. As many as one in ten women suffered domestic violence last year. while more than halfofall men continue to think violence against their partners is an option.
Hot on the heels of Lothian District Council’s hard hitting Zero Tolerance campaign. the Home Office is launching its own Don’t Stand For It initiative next week. Together with the BBC and Women‘s Aid Federations throughout the UK. a series of radio programmes. helplines and user- friendly publicity has been designed to increase public awareness of domestic violence.
BBC Radio Scotland’s contribution is
l a five-part series Home is Where the
3 Hurt Is featuring conversations with
! women who have experienced domestic : violence and abusive men. Involved in
3 the programmes is psychotherapist Jim
Safe haven: finding a refuge from violence is vital Griffin who runs the recently opened Men‘s Centre in Edinburgh. Though securing the safety of abused women is the most vital part ofdomestic violence work. Griffin is offering a different
approach which seeks to ‘re-educate’ abusing men. Part of his work is to encourage the men to confront the myths that they construct around their own violent behaviour.
‘A very common myth is that domestic violence is caused by alcohol.‘ Griffin explains. ‘Whilst it’s true to say that there are a lot of cases of battery that involve drink. there are many that do not.
‘One of the things we hear a lot from men at the centre is that they are provoked into violence and see themselves as “out of control". In the same breath. a man who has battered his wife because he claims to be out of control can comment that he hits her where the bruising will not show. This is an obvious contradiction and i think a man who batters a woman is emotionally confused which he mistakenly associates with losing control.‘ (Lila Rawlings)
Home Is Where the Hurt Is is broadcast Mon 24—Fri 28 Oct, 12.20pm, Radio Scotland. Scottish Wooten Is Aid is on 03 I 22] 040] and the Edinburgh Men 's Centre is on 03/ 662 0667.
:— Glasgow skyflne
First the myth; Glaswegians love nothing better than getting booted and spurred, before heading off for a rhinestone-encrusted hootenanny.
The truth is that there are country music fans a-plenty on the west coast, but most of them wouldn’t be seen dead in a stetson. And those are the people that Country 105, a fledgling radio station that has been granted a month-long broadcast licence, hopes to reach.
Glasgow Country Radio, the company behind the station, has already made
! one pitch for a permanent licence, 1 which eventually went to Scot-FM, and 9 plans to bid again when a new
3 frequency is made available next year. .' ‘When we did research for the central
: Scotland franchise it showed there , was an untapped market,’ says
2 Country 105’s Spencer Pryor.
I The station promises to stay away
a from the Sydney Devine end of the
5 country spectrum, with names like
Garth Brooks, Dwight Yoakam and Iris DeMent all mentioned as playlist
.‘ probables. A possible tie-up with the
forthcoming Nanci Griffith gig at the
Royal Concert Hall is on the cards,
including an interview and ticket
giveaways. There are also plans for a
Sunday afternoon show broadcast live
from Nashville. (Eddie Gibb)
Country 105 broadcasts 24 hours on
105.4FM from Saturday 22 October.
Nanci Griffith: Country 105 opener
_ Local area network
Will computer terminals linked by phonelines really will mean the democratisation of information. as we keep hearing? One peripheral housing scheme in Edinburgh thinks so and is making sure the super-highway is routed through its main street. Craigmillar is going on-line.
The theory is that by linking up Craigmillar's large number of community action groups, a culture of information-sharing will develop that will ‘empower‘ the ordinary citizen. Empowerment is the buzzword among public sector workers trying to regenerate deprived urban areas such as Craigmillar. The global lntemet, of which Craigmillar has just become a small corner. was founded on the principle of equal opportunity and freedom from centralised control. making it a seductive model for community self-help.
With only twenty groups linked up. including tenants' associations,
Andrew McDonald: encouraging users
community schools and local enterprise companies, the reality is still a little more prosaic. One bulletin board, the open forum where groups can communicate with each other, is called ‘Heard a good joke . . .‘ But Andrew McDonald. manager of the Craigmillar Community Information Service. reckons that is as good a way as any to get people used to the system. ‘We are just trying to encourage local people to put information on the system.‘ he says. The system. set up using Urban Aid funding. has been operating for a couple of weeks, but already several
groups are getting the hang of ‘e-mail‘ (electronic mail). saving themselves the price of a phone call or stamp. However. ifthe community network is to have real impact. groups will have to get better at downloading information about their work. This could be notices of meetings. annual reports. opening hours — anything which might be useful to another user.
All dull stuff admittedly, but with a leap of imagination it’s possible to see a time when there will be terminals in every library where users can go to gather information to support a grant application. lobby their local councillor or ask for advice on a small business start-up.
‘Many small groups have computers which are being used for word processing or even desk-top publishing, but there‘s a distinct lack of people harnassing the new technology for information and communication.‘ says McDonald. Now the CClS task is to encourage people to share information and overcome technophobia so Craigmillar can become the electronic village of the future. (Eddie Gibb)
The C raigmillar Community Information Service is on 031 659 5558 or e-mail.‘ CRAIGMILLAR©MCRLGEONETDE.
I Counting costs The cost of living is substantially higher in Glasgow than Edinburgh. according to a ‘quality of life‘ survey by pay consultants Reward. On a list of UK towns and cities. Glasgow was the 21st most expensive place to live. while Edinburgh was placed at 55. However, when accommodation costs are included, Edinburgh shot up to eighth on the list (Shetland is the most expensive
place to live). while Glasgow went to fourteenth.
I Library launch The Glasgow Women's Library has moved into new premises at Trongate. where it will be able to offer better services. including its well-established information resource on women's issues and women-only cafe. There are further plans for expansion later in the year. with a performance and exhibition space, where the library will hold regular readings. film screenings and workshops. Glasgow Women’s Library is at 109 Trongate. Glasgow, 041 552 8345.
I Dead dad Fiona Knowles of MsFits is doing a special benefit performance of Burying Dad for Scottish Women‘s Aid. The show is at The Pleasance on Friday 28 October at 8pm and is followed by a women-only disco.
l European views The Lothian Lecture series continues with Professor Neil MacCormick‘s address ‘Sovereignty: myth and reality’ on Tuesday 25 October at 5.30pm in the Playfair Library. Old College. Design guru Kenneth Grange of Pentagram considers design in Europe on Wedneday 26 October at the Royal Museum at 6.30pm. and Lord Jenkins of Hillhead will be considering ‘The disappointing partnership: how and why British government fails in Europe' on Thursday 3 November at the Signet Library. Parliament Square at 7pm. All tickets are free and are available from Ticketline at the Assembly Rooms or call 031 220 4349.
4 The List 21 October—3 November 1994