IWD: Shine a Light: The PI team spotlights women who inspire them
Claire Glasgow: Jess Phillips MP has faced violent and misogynistic online abuse for speaking up for victims of domestic violence. She uses her political platform to speak for the most vulnerable of women. She is responsible for a sobering moment among the hubris of #IWD. Every International Women's Day since 2015, she has read aloud in Parliament the names of the women and girls killed in the UK during the previous year where a man has been charged or convicted as the primary perpetrator.
In 2022, 107 women were killed by male violence in the UK. There are no official data, instead this figure comes from Karen Ingala Smith's website Counting Dead Women, which lists the names and circumstances of the death of each woman killed by male violence in the UK every year. Most of these names have not made the headlines, and this list is a sobering read.
Jill Greenfield: Brave beyond measure, the American journalist Marie Colvin worked as a war correspondent for the Sunday Times until her death in Syria at the siege of Homs in 2012. She reported from countries ravaged by war including from Afghanistan and Iraq in horrific and graphic detail. Nothing mattered more to her than exposing these atrocities with significant personal risk. One particular report is of her refusing to leave 1,500 women and children in East Timor besieged by opposing forces. Others had abandoned them, fearing their plight helpless but she remained with UN forces and a few days later, they were evacuated and she was credited with saving their lives.
Colvin gave a voice to civilians. Reading her reports, you realise it is everyone's responsibility to call out bad acts no matter what the personal cost. When things matter, we must shine a light.
Eman Hassan: My mother moved over from Iraq, she and my dad worked extremely hard to build our lives to where we are today. She raised four children, studied her English GCSE here and qualified as a teacher after successfully completing her PGCE. Hard working, driven, caring and always smiling. Her story is one to shout about!
Harvinder Kaur: I often think of is my colleague, Claire Glasgow. She deserves to be recognised not just today but every day. She is a fantastic serious injury lawyer and colleague but first and foremost she is a brilliant mother and a lovely person. Claire qualified many years ago but decided to take some time out to raise her family. She came back into the law some years later and worked closely with Jill Greenfield, learning from the best and becoming the lawyer that she is today. She has been promoted twice within two years and quite rightly so.
Claire is an inspiration to her children as well as many other women coming through the law, demonstrating that it is possible to be both a successful lawyer and a dedicated mother all at the same time.