TUESDAY NIGHT LIVE!

Domestic Violence.

Meg Munn: “These schemes offer a sanctuary room: locks, security and a phone line to the police. She can be safe until the police arrive. Women have the choice of this. It costs about £800 ($1,500) to fit out a room. It costs less than rehousing someone. It’s an option – we are not forcing it upon people.”

Andy is in London: “I applaud the moves but I don’t think they understand the psychological violence. I agree with the concept of a safe room. Perpetrators should be treated as the common criminals they are.”

Madu is in India: “If it’s a large-scale phenomenon then it’s a band-aid-ish way of dealing with a deep social crisis.”

Sandra Horley, Chief Exec of Refuge a domestic violence charity: “Why would we want to make the victims the prisoners. These are ordinary men who think they have the right to beat women up. The problem we have with these rooms is they cannot live like Jodie Foster in the film. They have to go to the shops and do their daily routine. It’s the cart before the horse to say these rooms will help. This is not a good thing for women whose husbands know where they are living.”

Lisa is in London: “You have no safe room. They always get the phone so you cannot ring out.”

Sandra: “On the whole the police response is patchy. Legal aid budgets have been cut.”

Another Lisa is in the USA: “This option sounds like a good thing to explore. In North Carolina we had a woman killed at the shelter. If cannot get to her at home he will try elsewhere. It sounds good as a single resource for a victim.”

Sandra: “Sanctuaries are a partial response. Too many women are at risk. We need governmental policies. You can educate via public awareness. Get into the schools and teach children that using violence is unacceptable.”

Lisa (USA): “We want men involved in solving the problem.

Sandra: “Domestic violence costs the state in the UK £23bn.”

Nadiera is in South Africa: “In South Africa black women suffer at the hands of the state. Domestic violence is part of a larger problem. This type of scenario is not possible for Africans living in poverty. CCTV in their home is an offence to liberties. You’re being monitored by the state and it perpetuates the gender differentiations. There are pros and cons. The state is hegemonic masculinity. This is a short term solution, it might give a sense of security now . . . ”

Rabiya: “Aren’t men victims too?”
Sandra: “We have to cater for the majority and Refuge is here to help women victims. There are other charities to help men. Domestic abuse happens within a relationship. It’s an abuse of power. We live in a patriarchal society.”

Marylyn has called from the UK: “The British government that have initiated programmes that start before birth.”

Sandra: “There are things happening up and down the country. This government has done more than any other in thirty years. There’s a long way to go. There’s a difference between policy and practice.”

Iranian elections.

Hossein: “I think it’s quite revealing about how Iran is perceived by the West in the wrong way. When Ahmadinejad was first elected he was unknown and people were shocked because they thought Iran is becoming more radical. Now lots of people including reformers like myself know that this is not the way Iranians want there country. The incident in the university is the only thing that the West is now seeing as evidence of his unpopularity but if you talked to people in the streets then you would know this dissatisfaction has been increasing even among the less educated people.”

Dr Mehrdad Khonsari: “The Ahmadinejad bubble has burst. It’s the first visible sign. What is being ignored is the fact that the whole reformist movement has been quashed. The military and secret service dominate.”

Hamid is in Iran: “According to the results I believe that his politics inside Iran is not working. Tehran’s mayor is getting more support.”

Amir is in Iran: “The tide is not turning. These elections will change nothing at all. Usually only minor things change. Compare Khatami to Ahmadinejad - what has changed? Nothing!”

Dr Khonsari: “What Amir meant is that irrespective of the setback Ahmadinejad has suffered the new people will not implement policies that will change things.”

Khourosh: “Ahmadinjad is playing power politics with the Western press and governments. He’s playing this game well. They hold elections which are more or less insignificant but which get major coverage around the world and the final message is look at Saudi Arabia: they have no elections.”

Mark is in Switzerland: “There is an irony. Listening to this programme we’re hearing the same comments that we heard about President Bush four weeks ago. It’s unfortunate we don’t listen to our populations.”

Dr. Khonsari: “There is some truth in that. In this election the people had 2 dilemmas: 1. Boycott the vetted elections or 2. participate. 65% of the population live in major cities and in those cities the turnout was 35% per cent – not very much.”

Hossein: “The elections show Iran has a minimum level of democracy and fragmentation.”

As usual we had problem with phone lines to Iran. It’s a shame because we know how much the Iranian population want to contribute.

That’s all for tonight. Goodnight and sleep tight.