Film: 
Women Talking

They didn’t have the language to speak about the abuse they were suffering. The words of explanation they were given were ‘ghosts, demons or the wild female imagination.’ The film opens when they begin to find a language of their own and hence the title rings true, the women talk. Yet what follows is so much more. The majority of the film takes place in the same hay barn, with the same small group of women talking over their options which are as follows: stay and do nothing, stay and fight, or leave. If that sounds boring to you, I promise it is anything but. Through their prolonged dialogue, through screams, laughter, philosophy and theology, we gain insight into each woman’s position and the horrors that she has endured that occur off-screen. 

Shamima Begum has lost her appeal at the Special Immigration Appeals Tribunal over the stripping of her UK citizenship.

This divisive issue is raising a lot of questions about what constitutes child exploitation and whether that should be discounted when it concerns matters relating to terrorism and national security.

Human Rights Groups assert that Begum had lived her whole life in the UK until, at the age of 15 - still very much a child - she was lured to Syria by ISIS and married a terrorist fighter. As an impressionable teen, the court found "credible suspicion" that she was groomed and trafficked by criminals, yet she is being held responsible and treated as a criminal herself, rather than a victim. 

Her UK citizenship has been revoked on national security grounds, meaning she will remain in "a dangerous refugee camp in a war-torn country and left largely at the mercy of gangs" according to Amnesty International.

This detention camp holds thousands of ISIS suspects without charge or trial, in dire conditions. Around 50 other British women and children are housed there. The UK's approach contrasts with many European countries who have repatriated most women and children.

While many people believe that National Security should come first, the Begum case is divisive, and many human rights organisations and officials oppose her exclusion from the UK. In addition, The decision which rendered her stateless was condemned by former supreme court justice Jonathan Sumption who wrote: 

“Children who make a terrible mistake are surely redeemable.”

With concerted efforts, women's representation at board level is at an all time high. Just 10 of the FTSE 350 companies are holding out, with all-male executive teams. Women on FTSE boards has been increasing over time in sight of the 40% target by 2025, still short of women's representation in the population however. This is also a voluntary target; the government have refused to introduce mandatory measures as the EU have. And despite this positive progress on boards, companies are failing to appoint women to leadership positions below board level. Women only hold about a third of the 5,200 top roles across UK society.

Black women's hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional, according to a study from Dove and LinkedIn. 
Two out of three change their hair for a job interview. Over 20% of black women 25-34 have been sent home from work because of their hair. The CROWN Act is a law that protects black women from racial discrimination on the grounds of their hair. Dove and LinkedIn have partnered to support this act by providing free learning resources to educate hiring managers and shining a light on real life stories from black women with the hashtag #BlackHairIsProfessional.