Monday 15th March, 2021

Glasgow, Scotland - SISCO, FAVOR Scotland, and Marriott Communications are pleased to announce the continued success of our #UnheardVoices campaign, and our recent Choose To Challenge Zoom Panel.

The #UnheardVoices: Choose To Challenge panel is the second event within the previously established #UnheardVoices campaign. As it was International Women’s Day (a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women) on March the 8th, we subsequently decided to accelerate the discourse surrounding gender parity by hosting the event which aimed to explore:

• The barriers faced as a woman (prejudice, misogyny, shattering the glass ceiling of the patriarchy)

• Personal history as a woman, and how this has influenced and shaped your career and life

• How you feel now, and how influence and power is used to serve and help the #UnheardVoices

We hope that the panel brought more awareness to the inequities faced by women in a personal and professional manner, and demonstrated how it is possible to rise above prejudice, assert autonomy, and find success, power, and influence. 

FAVOR Scotland CEO, Annemarie Ward, stated that:

“Our event on the eve of international women day highlighted women's experiences of adversity, trauma, and violence substantially increasing the risk of drug-related harms, including death. Highlighted causes for the rise in women's deaths included Changes in the social security system which make women more vulnerable within relationships, bereavements, & multiple child removals. The event focused on hearing from powerful scottish women in recovery & their supporters who insisted on the importance of involving women with lived experience in the design, delivery and evaluation of policy and services, was vital to stop these needless deaths continuing to rise.   

The event also highlighted the need for: more co-ordinated and holistic approaches across substance use treatment, mental health, physical health, and social support; trauma-informed family-sensitive treatment services. Drug-related deaths have increased significantly in Scotland in recent years.

Although men still account for the majority of cases, over the last 10 years the percentage increase in deaths among women has been much greater than among men.”

SISCO CEO, Natalie Logan MacLean stated that:

“We live in a world of inequality and I'm just so grateful to be surrounded by strong powerful women that help me see my worth.”

Marriott Communications Managing Director, Samuel Marriott-Dowding, echoed a similar statement:

“Our panel directly highlighted gender barriers, female experiences of trauma, addiction, recovery, and gender-based inequalities. It is vitally important that women are offered a safe, and compassionate space to speak about these experiences, without fear of being ridiculed, or #Unheard. 

As a man, I am aware of the gender-centered privilege I possess simply from being born male, and whilst I will never personally feel the frustration and pain behind situations like gender-pay gaps, harassment, misogyny, or gender stereotypes - I feel that it is critically important as a man, and for all men, to demand that gender inequalities recede, and to speak out and let it be known that male harassment or threat against women, in any shape or form, is not and will never be, acceptable.”

SISCO and FAVOR Scotland are continuing efforts to provide compassion and support to vulnerable and marginalised men and women experiencing addiction and adverse mental health, and have seen a successful adaptation to the shifted landscape of support services directly linked to the current pandemic and various restrictions, and regulations. 

The continuation of the #UnheardVoices campaign and the subsequent panels signifies a shift in attitudes towards speaking out about the honest and genuine experiences of addiction, recovery, and gender barriers. It is critically important to highlight these unheard ‘voices’ in order to continue building a recovery community centred around compassion and understanding. More events through this campaign will follow to ensure that no voice goes unheard again. 

ENDS