Engender

Women against the Far Right Scotland We reject the far right’s racist lies about “protecting” women and girls. They are not defenders of women—they exploit violence against women to fuel hate and division. Standing up for women’s rights ...

We stand in solidarity with racialised & minority communities who are being made to feel unsafe by far-right protests, hate speech & incitement of violence here in Scotland.

Find out more & sign the letter here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/wo...

Standing up for women’s rights means rejecting racism & division. It means fighting for investment in childcare, housing, education, social security & community resources: the things that genuinely improve women’s lives.

The weaponisation of women’s rights & safety to demonise minorities does nothing to keep women safe. Instead, it distracts from the urgent political action needed to tackle men’s violence against women & girls.

The false & racist narratives promoted by the far-right ignore the fact that violence against women & girls is most commonly perpetrated by someone close to the victim.

The graphic shows a purple background with a screenshot of a post from Women Against the Far Right Scotland. The graphic includes a collage of notable women who have signed up to support the open letter.

The graphic shows a purple background with white left-aligned text quote that reads "The weaponisation of women’s rights & safety to demonise minorities does nothing to keep women safe. Instead, it distracts from the urgent political action needed to tackle men’s violence against women & girls." In the top right-hand corner of the graphic there is the Engender logo.

📝 We’ve signed - have you?

We're proud to stand with over 200 women & organisations across Scotland who have signed the Women Against the Far Right Scotland open letter, rejecting the far right’s racist lies about “protecting” women & girls. 🧵⬇

Hear more from Falkirk Councillor Laura Murtagh in our interview series accompanying our latest report exploring women's political journeys & what it's like to stand as a candidate.

Stay tuned to see more in the series soon & read more about the report here: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/en...

Today Aberdeenshire Councillor @fatima-joji.bsky.social shares her experiences of being a woman in politics ⬇

Our report highlights the barriers & challenges women face & outlines actions needed to improve our political systems.

Find out more: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/en...

📣 If you work in film exhibition in Scotland, the @emcc-scotland.bsky.social wants to hear your views on gender equity in the sector - take the survey before 17th October ⬇

TFN is @scvo.scot's magazine for the #VoluntarySector

With next year’s crucial #Holyrood #elections moving ever closer, we hear about a report published by Engender urging reform to enable more women to become politicians

Available to read here: buff.ly/ntybgci

@engenderscot.bsky.social

Engender

You can help us build a more equal future by supporting our vital work on intersectional policy & advocacy:
➡️ Become an Engender member
➡️ Make a donation

Together, we can push for change - head to our website to find out more: www.engender.org.uk

Their voices are helping to shape the fight for women’s equality in Scotland & will help us hold the UK to account on women’s rights under CEDAW, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

A huge thank you to all who have generously shared with us so far. 💜

We've heard from them about the issues impacting women's lives, including violence against women & girls, poverty, physical & mental health, racism, sexism, misogyny, ableism & much more.

📢 Women across Scotland have been sharing their experiences with us in a national series of workshops discussing their rights & where they most need change.

Correction: Apologies for the wee mistake in last week's Friday Feminist Five newsletter - the @abortionrightsscot.bsky.social International Safe Abortion Day event is happening on 28th September from 11.45am ⬇

👇

We welcome @engenderscot.bsky.social's manifesto, in which they seek to fix Scotland's broken and biased housing system to ensure all women have access to a safe, secure and affordable home. #HousingEmergency

The UK’s asylum and immigration systems compound this harm, particularly through the brutal No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition, which increases women’s risk of gender-based violence and restricts access to support, including refuge accommodation.

Racism, Islamophobia and anti-migrant attitudes play a major role in the increased risk of violence that women of colour, asylum-seeking and refugee women face.

Last year, the UN reported that the home is the most dangerous place for women, with 60% of women killed by men globally in 2023 dying at the hands of a partner or family member. 2 out of every 5 people arrested during far-right riots in summer 2024 had previously been reported for domestic abuse.

The false and racist narratives these groups are promoting ignore the fact that violence against women and girls is most commonly perpetrated by someone close to the victim.

Improvements to our social security system, investment in childcare, social care, education, housing and community resources, are the things that make a real difference to women.

Men’s violence against women and girls is endemic in our society and is caused by gender inequality. Spreading inaccurate and hateful rhetoric only generates more violence and creates a distraction from the political commitments that are needed to address it.

We also want to express our solidarity with racialised and other minority communities who are being made to feel unsafe by hate speech, incitement of violence and far-right protests, including here in Scotland.

As Engender, we want to add our voice to calls for action against the spread of hate and misinformation, and for protection and safe and legal routes to be provided for people fleeing war and crisis to the UK.

The graphic shows a purple background with white left-aligned text quote that reads "We are increasingly alarmed at the way women’s rights and safety are being weaponised to demonise minorities across the UK. This kind of distortion of the facts only causes harm to individuals and communities and does nothing to end violence against women and girls." In the top right-hand corner of the graphic there is the Engender logo.

We are increasingly alarmed at the way women’s rights and safety are being weaponised to demonise minorities across the UK. This kind of distortion of the facts only causes harm to individuals and communities and does nothing to end violence against women and girls.

10-point plan to tackle gender inequality in Scotland unveiled AN ambitious 10-point plan to tackle major issues women are facing in Scotland including poverty, discrimination, and medical misogyny has been…

Read here- www.thenational.scot/news/2542174...

💥LAUNCHED TODAY💥

'Investing in Women, Transforming Communities': Engender's Manifesto for Holyrood 2026.

Read it here: www.engender.org.uk/holyrood-2026/

'.. how missing women's voices were from decision making...'

We spoke with Laura Murtagh, about her experiences as a woman in politics.

Read our report - shorturl.at/kSQVa

#ScottishPolitics #WomeninPolitics

@cheetaramummy.bsky.social

Engender blog | Engender launches report on women’s experience of the election process Engender’s new report ‘Women’s Political Journey’ explores the candidate journey—from preparing to stand as a candidate, including all the interview and vetting processes, to being elected and what ha...

➡️ Stay tuned to see more stories in the series coming soon, & see the full report, including vital recommendations for action, here: www.engender.org.uk/news/blog/en...

The political arena is becoming increasingly hostile, especially for women & marginalised women, & our new report highlights the barriers & challenges women face when participating in politics.