The First Man Standing campaign has now been running for six years. One trend I continue to notice is the expanding coverage of violence against women in our media and the increasing level of public debate.

Does that mean that things are getting worse or just that there is more coverage? I think it is the latter, although some of the current cases in the media show that we still have long way to go. Mustafa Bashir, pictured above, was originally given a suspended sentence of 18 months for beating his wife with a cricket bat and forcing her to drink bleach. He has today been jailed for the same period, but largely, it seems, because he lied about a potential job as a professional cricketer, rather than the severity of his violence against his partner.

The original judge gave a suspended sentence in part because he ruled that Bashir’s former wife was not particularly vulnerable as she was “plainly intelligent” and had a network of friends and a degree. I have seen legal arguments to justify this approach, but it seems astonishing that someone could commit such horrific violence and escape jail and that the intelligence of his wife should be seen as mitigation in any way.

What is it like to live with an abuser?  This article and the picture above from the Huffington Post give a chilling illustration of the psychological torture that many women endure as part of domestic abuse.

Look out for my new book, “The Ascent” in July

I am very excited that, at the beginning of July, Onwards and Upwards are going to publish a devotional book I have written called “The Ascent.” This was originally written with FMS in mind to think about how we can pursue intimacy with God. It describes an imaginary journey up a mountain with Jesus. It includes some amazing illustrations by Emily Eggz, such as this one, entitled “The Hug.” All the royalties will go to Restored. Look out for more details as the publication date approaches and if you think you could help me to publicise the book, then please let me know.

Snippets

Michael Conroy from “A Call to Men” speaks out on street harassment and domestic chores amongst other topics.

Women’s Aid report that on a typical day 78 women and 78 children are turned away from refuges due to a lack of space.

Former Restored trustee, Betty Makoni, has been in the news this week talking about female genital mutilation committed against young girls in the UK , (warning this link contains explicit discussion of FGM).

We are very excited for our colleagues at IC Change that the Istanbul Convention Bill has now passed into law.  This will require the Government to report against its progress in implementing rights and services for women affected by violence. Many congratulations to the team for this amazing achievement through a Private Member’s Bill. Find out more and back the campaign at   http://icchange.co.uk/