Photography copyright Wendy Carrig ©2021 All Rights Reserved
Scary Little Girls is a feminist production hub, dedicated to sharing untold stories, unearthing forgotten histories and creating a safe and joyful haven for women in the arts. Those stories are often of and by women, and they have been lost, hidden, buried largely because they were of, and by women.
We recognise that we live in an unequal world.
We recognise that patriarchy is real.
We were all incredibly sad to read, recently, that domestic abuse and sexual violence in Cornwall have increased massively. New statistics tell us that there has been a 40% increase in sexual offences over the past four years. In the year leading up to May 2024, 1,700 sexual offences were reported to police across the region, giving an average of more than 30 incidents each week. Alongside this, in our region, approximately 10,000 reports of domestic abuse are made annually. Tragically, this is part of a broader national picture – the National Policing Statement for VAWG, commissioned by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing, found that the UK sees 3,000 offences recorded each day, with 1 in 12 women victims each year. They described this as an ‘epidemic scale of offending’ and are calling for ‘a whole-system approach that brings together criminal justice partners, government bodies and industry, in a new partnership that seeks to reduce the scale and impact of VAWG’.
We wholeheartedly welcome this statement, as we do the words of Cllr Carol Mould, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, including community safety and the Safer Cornwall partnership. Cllr Mould specifically acknowledged the reality of patriarchy when she said, ““It is all of our responsibility to report abuse and call out patriarchy, sexism and misogyny when we witness it.”
Our Artistic Director Rebecca Mordan has been at the forefront of feminist activism in the UK for many years. From being part of, and national spokesperson for, the Reclaim The Night movement since it was restarted in London in the early 2000’s, to speaking on Sky News, and co-creating the epic reconstruction, in 2021, of the 1981 March for Life that started the Greenham Women’s Peace Camp, Rebecca has ensured that centring women and girls, is at the core of our work. We’ve heard, time and again, what a haven Scary Little Girls is for women and girls and while we love hearing that – of course – we’re looking forward to the day when we don’t need to create a safe haven, because there will be nothing for them to escape from. We believe that our sisters at The Women’s Centre Cornwall, with whom we have worked many times, and other sexual and domestic abuse services across the UK feel the same. We’re glad to hear we’re loved, but we wish sanctuary from male violence wasn’t necessary.
In a timely coincidence, Rebecca has recently written to Cornish MPs , highlighting the work we do for women within the arts and suggesting that Cornwall, with our input, lead the way for improvements for women in the arts, across the UK. In her letter, she shares industry facts and statistics before going on to share the difference we make.
“Women comprise only 34% of managers and directors in the creative industries; are given less money than male CEOs and Artistic Directors by the Arts Council for their organisations when they do ascend these positions; and are more than twice as likely as their male counterparts to need second jobs to supplement their arts careers…In the last 12 months alone we have worked with over 200 creative arts freelancers across the UK, with a 98% female freelance workforce. In total, we estimate we have provided over 4,000 opportunities for women in the creative arts workforce. We feel passionate about a conversation..about how to ensure Cornwall leads the way in best practice for equality, access and female visibility; we know that – with your support – how we work at SLG can become a blueprint for women’s employment and advancement in the arts nationally.”
Before we fix any problem, we have to name the problem. Patriarchy – the fundamental idea that men (and often white, able bodied men) are better, more deserving of power, autonomy, respect and authority than women or anyone else – is still ingrained in our culture.
Our culture has to change for the epidemic to stop. We are seeing shifts in culture, and we know we need more. We will continue to put our best effort into being part of that change.
