Social Justice Week Set to Empower and Enlighten

23rd March 2015

Lawyers and film-makers will turn the spotlight on tough issues such as forced marriage, recovering from drug addiction and life in prison during a week of hard-hitting public events.

Social Justice Week at Sheffield Hallam University from Monday 23 March, will feature a series of films, creative writing classes and discussions that turn the spotlight on the so-called "margins" of society. The events follow the launch of Sheffield Hallam's pioneering centre for human rights, the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, in January. Highlights include a session on creative writing in prisons on Tuesday 24 March. That night, a three-day film showcase of social justice films Starred Up, Brute Force and Cell 211. A Public Law Conference on Wednesday 25 March will look at police accountability with keynotes from the Reverend Dr Alan Billings, police and crime commissioner for South Yorkshire, and Rebecca Hilsenrath from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. Hilsenrath will be sharing the commission's recent report into deaths in police custody. Also on Wednesday, there will be a seminar on issues around forced child marriage, with a speaker from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit. There will also be sessions on how to manage prisoners on release, looking at community-based supervision, the resettlement of prisoners and recovery from substance misuse (Wednesday 26 March) The week finishes with Art, Law and Freedom of Expression (Friday 27 March), an art exhibition to promote the awareness of human rights, through the medium of art. Sital Dhillon, head of the department of law and criminology at Sheffield Hallam, said: "We are delighted to follow the launch of the Helena Kennedy Centre with this illuminating and thought-provoking look at 21st century society. By working together in partnership, we can turn the spotlight on marginalised groups and empower them through collective decision-making and discussions." Professor Matthew Pateman, from the department of humanities, added: "We are thrilled to support social justice week through these films, workshops and creative opportunities, and to highlight the intimate relation between genuine social justice and access to engagement in art and culture. To find out more and to book, go to the Social Justice website For press information: Laurie Harvey in the Sheffield Hallam University press office on 0114 225 2811 or email pressoffice@shu.ac.uk