International Women's Day hosted by Fiona Bruce

More than 300 women from the fields of law, international finance, banking, education, accountancy, government and insurance came together in the City of London on Friday 7th March to recognise International Women's Day.

The breakfast reception, Celebrating the Contribution of Women Within the Square Mile, was hosted by the City of London Corporation in the Guildhall. Chairing the event was Fiona Bruce, BBC News anchor and patron of national domestic violence charity Refuge. Funds raised from the event were donated to Refuge.

The event provided an opportunity to reflect on the progress made by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of women's rights; the contribution of women in the work-force, particularly within the City of London, the world's leading international financial and business centre; and also gave an opportunity to think about the women who are living in the grip of domestic violence, many in fear of their lives and who are in urgent need of Refuge's life-saving services.

Guest speakers included:

• Carole Stone - Freelance journalist, broadcaster and media consultant.
• Rosalind Wright - Chairman of the Fraud Advisory Panel.
• Tricia Okuwara - Deputy Director of the Learning Trust.

Also launched on the day was an innovative toolkit which provides detailed information on domestic violence and its impact on the workplace. The cd-rom, which has been developed by the City of London Safer City Partnership in collaboration with Refuge, is aimed at HR professionals and explains how to support staff and colleagues who may suffer from domestic violence.

Domestic violence affects one woman in four at some time in her life; 54% of women who experience domestic violence miss at least three days off work per month.

Attending the reception was Fiona Bowman, General Manager for facilities management company ISS Coflex at Lloyds of London. A former victim of domestic violence, she turned her life around with her then-employers help. Fiona now campaigns for businesses to adopt domestic violence policies.

Pauline Halliday, Chief Commoner at the City of London Corporation, said: "The reception provided a great opportunity to celebrate the role played by women from all walks of life to the success of the City of London.

"It also reminds everyone of their responsibilities towards their staff and we hope that the information on this cd-rom will help employers to play their part in ending domestic violence."

Fiona Bruce, BBC news presenter and patron to Refuge, who is chairing the "Celebrating Success in the Square Mile" breakfast said: "Domestic violence impacts on one woman in four at some time in her life - this means that thousands of women are affected by domestic violence every day. Many women will be working and will be suffering in silence. This is a great opportunity to not only celebrate fantastic success but to also bring workplace domestic violence into the open. I hope that today's event will encourage companies and organisations to take positive action against domestic violence to bring about much needed change."

Sandra Horley, OBE, chief executive of Refuge says: "Domestic violence is everyone's responsibility. It is the responsibility of the friend who makes excuses for an abuser's behaviour and takes his side. It is the responsibility of the colleague who sees the bruises but walks away, knowing it might happen again tonight.

"Only when we all recognise the impacts of domestic violence and take positive action to address and prevent the problem will we start to bring about enduring change. Refuge hopes that through today's event we can encourage influential organisations within the square mile to recognise this responsibility. Only then will we start to make positive inroads to support the thousands of women who will be at work today and living in fear of a current or former partner. International Women's Day is a great day to start this action. I applaud the City of London Safer City Partnership for its work in bringing domestic violence from the shadows and into the workplace."

To register interest in next year’s event,  email –IWDCity@google.com