Events

Vandana Aparanti This talk explores how religious beliefs and institutions can both perpetuate and help prevent abuse. It will show the importance of engaging with faith communities to challenge harmful practices, uphold human rights, and promote gender equality. Vandana was born in Mumbai (India) in 1961. She trained as a dentist there, and met her husband, Sanjay, whilst at university. Both Vandana and Sanjay come from an Oppressed Caste background, from a community often known as Dalits. Vandana rejects this term. Now in the UK, Vandana has dedicated her life to supporting women and girls who have experienced gender-based violence. She worked in domestic abuse services at Harrow Council for Racial Equality and the Asian Wom...

Martin Pantling & Suzi Felsted The talk will cover who magistrates are, what they do and how they sentence guilty defendants. It will include some history and how criminal justice is changing. There may also be a scenario of a mock trial if the audience is prepared to participate.    All welcome - admission free. Tea & biscuits. Donations welcome - £5 suggested to cover speaker and other costs. Image generated by Gemini AI.

Sunday 26th October 6.30pm Unholy Alliance: Religion and Patriarchy Rahila Gupta Rahila Gupta argues that religious shackles prevent the liberation of women, in particular in Russia, El Salvador and Saudi Arabia. Rahila Gupta is a freelance journalist, author and activist. She is Chair of Southall Black Sisters , a group which has campaigned and advocated for black and minoritised women escaping violence.  Her books include:   From Homebreakers to Jailbreakers : Southall Black Sisters in 2003  - a collection of essays she edited; Provoked - the story of a battered woman who killed her violent husband. She co- wrote this with Kiranjit Ahluwalia and the screenplay of the film which was released in 2007;  Enslaved: The New British Slavery - on immigration controls, was published in 2007. Planet Patriarchy - co-written with Beatrix Campbell, argues that religious shackles p...

Directed by Somnath Waghmare   An American Fulbright scholar from Minneapolis – Gail Omvedt – arrived in India in the 1970s. Shocked by its caste system, she dedicated her life to the struggles of Dalits. Alongside her partner, the brilliant anti-caste activist Bharat Patankar, she forged a lifelong fight for justice in Kasegav, Maharashtra.    This intimate new film explores their shared journey and Gail’s impactful final years in rural India.    Join us for a special screening followed by an in-person discussion with the director, Somnath Waghmare,  who was born to a rural Dalit-Buddhist family in Malewadi, Western Maharashtra, India. His mother worked as an agricultu...

The film is introduced by scientist Dr Caroline Vincent. It shows how a group of scientists, frustrated by the UK government ignoring the mounting evidence, turn to civil disobedience to warn the public of climate breakdown. Caroline is volunteering for Scientists for Extinction Rebellion after 20 years of experience developing forecasting models and analytical tools in the pharmaceutical industry. All welcome - admission free. Tea & biscuits. Donations welcome - £5 suggested to cover speaker and other costs.

Ian Myson Ian speaks about Amnesty’s campaign to curb the abuse of the UN Security Council veto. Wars today in Ukraine and the Middle East are just two examples of the UN’s repeated failure because of the use of the veto held by the permanent five members of the Security Council.   Ian has been involved as a volunteer with Amnesty International for over 40 years and currently hold a number of voluntary roles: Activism Representative for the South Midlands Lead organiser for the Amnesty Central England Network Chair of Banbury Amnesty Group. Representive of Amnesty’s local activists on the relevant Amnesty UK Board Committee Education lead for the United Nations Network and Veto Campaign Organising a campaign against human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir. He has been a Director of the main professional institute for management and leadership, workin...

Ffion Autumn   A powerful, personal talk exploring the lived experience of growing up as a woman in an Islamic Mediterranean society, navigating a patriarchal culture shaped by religious, social, and familial expectations. Image generated by Gemini AI.