Marie was the first recipient of the Women of the Year Window to the World Award in 2001 for her bravery and raising awareness of the war in Sri Lanka.

Read Marie Colvin’s incredible speech, made in 2010, about the importance of reporting from war zones.

More than 120 guests attended the fifth annual Women of the Year lecture at the Royal Institution last night (Monday 23 April), to hear Baroness Helena Kennedy and a distinguished panel discuss the problem of human trafficking in our cities.

The lecture brought Women of the Year alumni – women who have attended the Women of the Year annual Lunch – together to debate the following topic:

“Human trafficking is modern day slavery.  It is a growing, organised and lucrative crime and above all else it is a gross violation of a person’s dignity and human rights.  It is rooted in inequality, particularly global inequities and poverty”.

The evening began with an address from Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, the human rights and civil liberties campaigner and Women of the Year President, who spoke of the debilitating levels of terror she has witnessed amongst the trafficked women she has worked with – fear induced and maintained by violence, threats and humiliation.

Baroness Kennedy called for a disintegration of the taboos of shame and dishonour that blight the investigation of sexual crime, emphasising the necessity of confronting deeply-held attitudes about women when confronting this problem. Asserting that human trafficking must be regarded as a question of human rights rather than immigration, Baroness Kennedy stressed the need for a public awareness campaign to incite a collective fight against it.

Baroness Kennedy then called on the panel to speak about their particular expertise and provide insights into the issue. The panel included:

• Juliet Singer, former consultant on human trafficking & missing persons issues at STOP UK;
• Ronke Phillips, Correspondent for ITV’s London Tonight. Ronke has worked on several high profile journalistic investigations involving children trafficked into the UK from Africa. These include the case of Victoria Climbie (who was murdered by the woman who trafficked her and passed her off as her daughter) and of the boy known as “Adam”, whose torso was found in the Thames in 2001. In March 2011 Ronke discovered that the torso belonged to a 6-year old boy, Ikpomwosa, who was trafficked from Nigeria;
• Martin Houghton-Brown, Chief Executive of Missing People, an independent charity focusing on the plight of the missing and their loved ones.

Baroness Kennedy also asked Sister Lynda Dearlove from Women at the Well (a community of sisters providing support and a place to stay for women who have been trafficked) and Phil Knight, musician and Ambassador of the Helen Bamber Foundation (a collective of human rights specialists who work with survivors of human rights abuses), to discuss their experiences.  In July 2011 Phil spent two weeks locked in a box outside Euston station to raise awareness of child trafficking and the Helen Bamber Foundation.

The panel then opened up the debate to members of the audience, who shared their experiences of working with trafficked people and brought their own areas of specialism to bear on the topic. The discussion ranged from child begging and the impact of major sporting events (including the Olympics), to the role of health services and the vital importance of NGOs in winning the trust of trafficked people.

The Lecture concluded with a call from Martin Houghton-Brown for a “new feminism” to confront a culture where it is still acceptable to use and abuse women, followed by Baroness Kennedy’s reassertion that trafficking is ultimately an issue of human rights and should therefore be addressed with corresponding levels of gravity and urgency.

Baroness Kennedy and the panel were thanked by Women of the Year Chair, Teresa Graham.

The Lecture forms part of Women of the Year’s annual programme of talks and events in celebration of women’s achievements. The first Women of the Year Lecture, presented by former Irish President and Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders Mary Robinson, was held in February 2008. Subsequent speakers have included scientist Baroness Susan Greenfield, Shadow Olympics Minister The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell and world-renowned fertility and female reproduction scientist Professor Nava Dekel.

The Lecture unites the extraordinary women who make up the Women of the Year alumni in stimulating debate, providing the opportunity to raise awareness and highlight solutions to some of the most pressing issues of our time.

The 2012 Women of the Year Lecture will address the topic: “Human trafficking is modern day slavery. It is a growing, organised and lucrative crime and above all else it is a gross violation of a person’s dignity and human rights. It is rooted in inequality, particularly global inequities and poverty”.

Together with a distinguished panel, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC will debate the impact of human trafficking on women and girls and examine how cities planning for major Sporting Events can guard against the predictable rise in statistics related to trafficking during such events, and provide more protection for the victims of this activity.

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC will be joined on the panel by:

•         Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE,  Paralympic gold medallist and non party political crossbench peer in the House of Lords
•         Juliet Singer, Consultant on human trafficking & missing persons issues at STOP UK. STOP (Trafficking UK) is a charity working to support trafficked people and raise awareness of the urgent problem of modern day slavery in the UK.
•         Ronke Phillips, Correspondent for ITV’s London Tonight. Ronke has worked on several high profile journalistic investigations involving children trafficked into the UK from Africa. These include the case of Victoria Climbie (who was murdered by the woman who trafficked her and passed her off as her daughter) and of the boy known as “Adam”, whose torso was found in the Thames in 2001. In March 2011 Ronke discovered that the torso belonged to a 6-year old boy, Ikpomwosa, who was trafficked from Nigeria.

Place: The Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4BS
Date: Monday 23rd April 2012
Time: Lecture & Reception afterwards 6.15pm – 9.00pm

All friends and supporters of Women of the Year (men included) are more than welcome to attend.

Tickets are £25 each and are issued on a strictly ‘first come first served’ basis and are payable by cheque – made payable to Women of the Year.

Payment can also be made online to our Barclay’s Bank Account as follows: Account Number – 80824798, Sort Code – 20 41 41 and the reference must be the attendee’s name.

If you would like to attend this event please contact Mary Krauss or Anne Gorman, via email enquiries@womenoftheyear.co.uk to register your interest or, telephone 020 8732 8874.

Cheque payments to be sent to the office: Women of the Year, 1 Garrick Road, London NW9 6AA and online payments should be confirmed to the office via email so that the tickets can be mailed.

Marie received the Window to the World Award in 2001 – our very first year of giving the ‘Women of the Year’ Awards – for her bravery and raising awareness of the war in Sri Lanka.

Read Marie Colvin’s incredible speech, made in 2010, about the importance of reporting from war zones.

Kate said, “I am very honoured to receive the Barclays Women of the Year award – all the staff at Headley Court work very hard and it is an amazing opportunity to work with both the patients and the staff there. ”

Kate is a clinical specialist physiotherapist, and has worked at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre since 2002 in the Complex Trauma and Physiotherapy services. She is one of six winners of the Barclays Women of the Year Award, all of whom are dedicated medical professionals who have worked tirelessly treating injured and wounded military personnel and civilians in hospitals in the UK as well as in the field.

Kate was unable to attend the Women of the Year Lunch and awards ceremony in October as she was on holiday.

That vision remains the motivating factor behind the lunch. The invitees all come from diverse backgrounds and have followed a wide range of career paths. Take veteran anti-war campaigner Hetty Bower. She became a pacifist after seeing young men return from the trenches in the first world war. Now aged 106, she is still campaigning and was there in Trafalgar Square at the Antiwar Mass Assembly on 8 October. What a fantastic role model to us all.

From the eldest to the youngest: Holly Watson was just 16 when her brother was stabbed to death. To prevent other families going through the suffering her family experienced, she started the ‘I don’t carry a knife campaign’ to promote public awareness of the dangers of carrying knives and improve education in schools. Now 17, she was awarded a Rotary International GB Young Citizen Award this year for her efforts. Some use their own experiences to help others. Karen Sorab fought to set up the Rainbow, a special needs school in Wandsworth, after being told that her severely autistic daughter would never be able to communicate and was ineducable. The charity she founded, BeyondAutism, has recently opened its second school catering for up to 60 pupils aged 4-17 which is regarded as a centre of excellence.

Emma Parry co-founded Help for Heroes with husband Bryn after a visit to Birmingham’s Selly Oak Hospital where they met wounded soldiers. Inspired, they took on the challenge of raising £8m to build a rehabilitation complex at Headley Court. The public’s imagination was caught: a charity bike ride past the French battlefields raised a staggering £1.4m, and within eight months they had already reached their target. But the money kept pouring in and Help for Heroes was born.

Other women are pioneers. In May, councillor Naveeda Ikram became the first female British Muslim Lord Mayor. She presides over the council in Bradford where she has lived for most of her life. In April, Nicola Mendelsohn, chairman of Karmarama, became the first woman president of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising in its 94-year history. And in September, Rabbi Deborah Kahn-Harris became one of the first women to be appointed to head up a rabbinic college anywhere in the world.

You may think that British women’s tennis continues to languish in the doldrums but you’d be wrong: another 2011 woman of the year is Lucy Shuker, Britain’s number one – and seventh in the world – in wheelchair tennis. Paralysed from the chest down after a motorcycle accident in 2001, Lucy has risen through the ranks and is hoping for a medal in the Paralympics. And in another sporting first, Deborah Griffin became the first ever women’s rugby representative to be appointed to the RFU council in recognition of the growth in popularity of the women’s game. Also at the lunch is Elaine Vassie, holding her own in a man’s world as director of rugby at Manchester RC.

Women are the mainstay of the world’s longest running soap opera, The Archers, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. We are delighted that so many of the team could be at the lunch.

These are just a few of the amazing women in the room. Each of you has a story to tell and you are all ‘women of the year’ in your own right.

Breaking bread together today are women who are famous and women who are unsung; women who are older and women who are not so old; women who are political, women who are not; women from the world of business and from the public sector; women who are in the public arena but also women who labour quietly in the vineyard. But what all of you have in common is that you are, truly and utterly, amazing women. Each of you in your own way has made a huge difference to the lives of others. Every woman who is invited to this lunch has been the subject of discussion and debate. There is nothing random about your being here. Every single woman has done something special with her life and made an impact. Each of you is a woman who has used her special talents, gone the extra mile and inspired others. You are all women of the year.

The creation of this unique and amazing event came out of the genius of the late Tony Lothian – the Marchioness of Lothian – who started having these lunches back in the fifties, when women were being encouraged back into the kitchen after the Second World War. As a journalist, she was all too aware of the amazing contribution, paid and unpaid, that women had made to our country during that bleak period. She wanted to ensure that women in peacetime would continue to have opportunities to pursue careers or other passions and that women would not be pushed back into the margins. She saw that women were the great creators of social capital, the good stuff that binds our society. She recognised the importance of role models. She knew that celebrating achievement acted as an inspiration to others. And she knew that flagging up the extraordinary accomplishments of women helped embed these achievements in our society.

The first time I was invited to this lunch was back in the eighties. I was a young woman practising at the Bar, a profession where then only 8% of practitioners were women. I was trying to shine a spotlight on the ways that the law so often failed women and was campaigning for reform. I wanted reform of legislation, reform of the legal system, reform of prisons. I wanted more women practitioners, more women judges and better judicial training. There was no end to what I wanted. But what I was really after was fairness and a better world. Just like all of you. My campaigns brought me to Tony’s attention and I was invited to this lunch. I was utterly bowled over, sitting at a table with Cilla Black, a shepherdess from Cumbria, an Olympic shot putter and a coal merchant from Wales. The conversations were hilarious.

In among the sheer pleasure of being with such glorious women in all shapes and sizes, were their stories. In the room each year are dedicated women who have succeeded beyond imagining in their chosen sphere.

There are those who put their own good fortune in their career to the use of others through philanthropy. There are also women who put their own loss and tragedy to the most incredible purposes and refuse to buckle under their grief. Women who, after the death of their husbands in war, create charities to provide support for soldiers who are physically maimed. There are women who after cancer set up counselling groups or run in marathons to raise money for research. At your table will be women who look after disabled children or do battle with the authorities to improve their council estates for the good of their whole community. You will meet women who overcome their fear of failure and become successes in all sorts of endeavours.

People ask why we still want to have a women’s lunch. Well, you only have to look around the world at the position of women and the suffering women endure to recognise that we still have a distance to travel to achieve genuine equality. One of my own public roles in this last year has been to act as Investigating Commissioner into Human Trafficking. As a human rights lawyer, I thought I knew all there was to know about cruelty and inhumanity towards women but this inquiry has reminded me of the horrifying suffering that women still too often endure. Opportunities like this gathering remind us that women have the ability to make change, that we are powerful if we come together.

The other question that is thrown at us is how do we find all these exceptional women? It actually takes up the time and energies of a dedicated cohort of women on the Women of the Year council, who tirelessly scour the land to find all those who are honoured here today. I want to thank them all. They know who they are. This year we were greatly helped by the marvellous Lorraine Kelly, whose morning television show invited nominations. We also rely on the women who come here today to write with recommendations for next year. So please remember to do that for us.

I also want to thank our committed sponsors – Barclays, Good Housekeeping, Sacla’ and Sainsbury’s, and all the other people who really do make the event possible. I hope you will leave the Women of the Year lunch with your heart warmed and your optimism restored. There are wonderful women doing amazing things – and you are one of them.

Yours ever,
Baroness Helena Kennedy QC
President

The 2011 Women of the Year winners in full are:

• Debby Edwards, Victoria Mulleady, Sgt Lauren Odell , Kate Sherman, Surgeon Commander Sarah Stapley and Sarah Winters – Barclays Women of the Year Award
• Dr Nawal El Saadawi – Good Housekeeping Women of the Year Outstanding Achievement Award
• Lulu – Sacla’ Women of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award
• Katie Piper – Sainsbury’s Women of the Year “You Can” Award
• Jackie Millerchip – ITV1’s Lorraine Inspirational Woman of the Year Award

The Women of the Year Lunch was attended by 400 extra-ordinary women from around the UK. Every guest at the Lunch is a ‘Woman of the Year’ and celebrated for her own achievements and contribution to the community. The guests represent not only themselves but the millions of extraordinary women who make a difference every day.

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, President of the Women of the Year, said: “The magic of this event is that it does what no other awards ceremony manages to do. It brings together the most fabulous women from the widest range of geographical, social, ethnic and political backgrounds – from the very well-known to unsung heroines doing outstanding work in their community.

“Our special winners today highlight this: from the incredible Lulu, a national icon whose career has spanned decades yet continues to go from strength to strength, to a group of hugely talented medical professionals making a difference to the lives of wounded British troops; and from one of our most brave and active young campaigners, Katie Piper, to Nawal El Sadaawi, who – as she approaches her landmark 80th birthday – is still inspiring students and women to fight for their beliefs.

“Their achievements, dedication and passion are an inspiration to women everywhere, encouraging us all to fulfill our ambitions, support others and stand up for what we believe in.”

The winners are selected by a diverse cross-section of women represented on the nominating council, consisting of prominent figures from the arts, media, science, politics and a number of other major fields. Women on the council include Maureen Lipman CBE, Sue MacGregor CBE, Mary Nightingale, Dianne Thompson CBE, Nancy Lane OBE, Doreen Lawrence OBE and Virginia Wade OBE.

Katie Piper, 28, commented: “I feel honoured to have won the Sainsbury’s “You Can” Women of the Year Award. This is particularly special coming from so many inspiring women. It means a lot to me to have such support and encouragement along my journey, from women who I admire.”

Lulu said: “When I attended the Women of the Year Lunch last year I was so moved by the amazing women I met and the inspiring work they do in their communities, nationwide and indeed world wide. To be invited back again as a winner is beyond my wildest expectations and I am both humbled and thrilled. What I have learned is that when women roll up their sleeves, there is no end to what we can achieve.”

Dr Nawal El Saadawi added: “I am very happy to win this Women of the Year Award. It means that my creative work gains more and more recognition from my peers and others and it will help other groups in other countries to recognise my work, too. Winning this award encourages me to continue my creative dissident writing and fighting.”

Sergeant (Sgt) Lauren Odell said: “Winning the Barclays Women of the Year award is a great honour and we are so touched to be recognised for the day-to-day job that we love. Our aim is to provide the best care possible for the military and civilian patients whom we treat, and to be nominated for this award means so much, as it was truly unexpected.”

The 2011 Women of the Year Awards were hosted by Sandi Toksvig and were presented by Deanna Oppenheimer, vice-chair of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, Lindsay Nicholson, Editorial Director of Good Housekeeping, Clare Blampied, Managing Director of Sacla’, Gwyn Burr, Customer Service and Colleague Director at Sainsbury’s, and Lorraine Kelly, presenter of ITV1’s Lorraine.

The winners were introduced by Captain Martin Hewitt and Private Jaco Van Gass, of the Parachute Regiment and members of the North Pole Walking with the Wounded team; Bianca Jagger, human rights advocate; Anne Aslett, Executive Director of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Pam Warren, survivor of the 1999 Paddington Rail Crash and Lorraine Kelly, presenter of ITV’1 Lorraine.

Other guests at the Lunch included Camila Batmanghelidjh, Shami Chakrabarti CBE, Ruby Wax, the author Joanna Trollope and Home Secretary Theresa May MP.

In September, Lorraine viewers were invited to nominate an inspirational woman in their lives, as part of a brand new partnership between the programme and Women of the Year.

The Lorraine production team selected a shortlist of entries from the nominees they considered best met the selection criteria. Each eligible shortlisted entrant was judged by a terrific panel: Lorraine Kelly, Baroness Helena Kennedy, President of Women of the Year, and Nina Barough, founder of Walk the Walk charity and a former ‘Women of the Year’ winner.

From the shortlist, the panel selected three inspirational finalists:

• Fiona Storer, 49, from in Newtownabby in Belfast was registered blind at 15. Since then she put herself through the University of Salford and qualified as a social worker. She currently works on a cross community project at the 174 Trust in Belfast helping young carers as well as her own two children.
• Gez Watson, aged 58, from Bognor Regis in West Sussex who has been nominated by her husband for her work in the local community. She has worked with the police, local authority and others to make the estate a better place for all ages to live.
• Jackie Millerchip, aged 46, from Hinckley in Leicestershire. Jackie is a childminder who looks after both able bodied and severely disabled kids.

Viewers were then invited to vote online for the women they felt deserved to win the award. The three women attended the Women of the Year Lunch in London today, where the winner was announced along with the winners of the four other special awards.

A word from Gill:

“In a moment of madness I agreed to join James for a second marathon just 3 weeks later on 6 November in New York , so Amsterdam will now be a 26-mile training run for that!

My battered feet and sore muscles, and your generosity, should ensure that many deserving women will have cause to thank us for the help that we will be able to give them as a result of our efforts.

Please sponsor me! Your support will spur me on to the finish line when my feet are ready to be divorced from my legs!”

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