A Perth church service to raise awareness of gender-based violence takes place this Monday, November 25.
The ecumenical service is taking place at St Matthew’s Church, Tay Street, at 1.30pm and is a collaboration between local churches and international development organisation Christian Aid.
It marks the start of the United Nations 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign – an annual event to draw attention to the number of women and girls globally who experience violence and sexual abuse.
Christian Aid community relations and fundraising manager Charlie Meiklejohn said: “We feel it’s important to mark the start of this awareness raising campaign, which runs from the November 25 (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) until December 10, which is Human Rights Day.
“We know that the lived reality for many women and girls is deeply distressing both here in Scotland and around the world, with around one in three experiencing violence at some point. During the service we’ll hold these women and girls in our prayers and commit to doing all we can to tackle this unacceptable violation of human rights.”
Monday’s service is being promoted by MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife Claire Baker in a motion to the Scottish Parliament to help raise awareness of the event and the importance of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence Campaign.
Elsewhere in Perthshire, First Minister John Swinney, who is also MSP for Perthshire North, will be speaking at an event which will launch this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign in Perth and Kinross.
The event will feature a keynote address by Mr Swinney a special performance by the Rock Choir.
Perth Film Society will also be supporting the PKC campaign with their next screening on November 28.
PFS will be showing ‘She Said’ at 7.45pm at the Joan Knight Studio in Perth Theatre.
“She Said” is a taut sobering drama directed by Maria Schrader, written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, released in 2022, and based on the 2019 book by Pulitzer Prize winning journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.
The film follows the remarkable true story of the newspaper investigation, which shattered the silence surrounding sexual assault in Hollywood, empowered women to speak out about their treatment, and exposed Harvey Weinstein’s history of abuse and sexual misconduct.
The film’s title comes from the phrase ‘he said, she said’ that is often used in to dismiss rape allegations and the story follows the New York Times investigations that lead ultimately to Harvey Weinstein’s convictions and was the foundation of the #MeToo strategy.
Tickets with many concessions and special offers are on sale online at perththeatreandconcerthall.com and in person and by phone from the Perth Theatre Box Office (10:00 – 18:00 Tue – Sat, 01738 621031).