Thank you for taking the time to visit the Leeds University Amnesty International groups' page!

At the end of March, it was with a heavy heart that we had to cancel our favourite annual music fundraiser Jamnesty. Over the last four years, our Jamnesty events have raised a fantastic amount of money in the name of Amnesty International and one other charity supporting a pressing issue at the time. At our last event in November, we managed to raise a phenomenal £1,335.

However, now, more than ever, is the time we need to be proactive and help those amazing charities that support the most vulnerable year-round. As the Amnesty International motto says: “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”. So, on Sunday 31st May we will be hosting our own virtual Jamnesty event!

As we are unable to raise money through ticket sales, we are hoping to raise some money (and some spirits) through the 2.6 challenge. To join our 2.6 Challenge, all you have to do is complete an activity relating to this number – anything from taking your dog for a 26 minute walk to baking 26 cupcakes or even to drinking 26 beers for the more adventurous of you!

All we ask is that when you complete the challenge, you share your attempt, tagging our Instagram (@leedsuniamnesty) or Facebook (Leeds University Amnesty International) page and tell your friends. Then donate any amount you can to this page. If you’re feeling particularly generous you could even give the £5 it would have cost to buy a Jamnesty ticket!

The money we raise will all be donated in a 50/50 split to Amnesty International UK and Refuge.

The charity sector in general has taken a big hit in the current environment, with charities losing the vital income they need to survive as a result of lockdown. As an Amnesty student group, we want to do everything we can to keep supporting this amazing organisation through this difficult time. Amnesty International is independent of any political ideology, economic interest or religion. Their work investigating and exposing abuses, educating and mobilising the public, protects human rights and empowers people around the world.

However, at this time, we also recognise the heart-breaking reality that the Covid-19 lockdown has brought about an increase in abusive behaviour and violence. While for some of us this lockdown may have offered a welcome break from our hectic lives, for over 1.6 million others it has meant being trapped indoors with their abusers. Since lockdown, the number of domestic killings has doubled in the UK.

Amnesty International has campaigned extensively over the last year to support migrants suffering from domestic abuse. Under the current Domestic Abuse Bill in the UK, when someone with insecure immigration status (any person who would be expected to prove their right to remain in the UK) reports domestic abuse to the police, their information is often passed onto the government and they risk deportation. Insecure legal status is often a tool of control used by perpetrators to abuse their partners and threaten them with deportation, with 92% of women with insecure status having received threats of deportation from perpetrators. Reporting domestic abuse is scary enough without the added fear of deportation, that’s why we think that it's vital, especially now, to support Amnesty’s work in fighting for the inclusion of safe reporting-mechanisms in the bill and the end of data-sharing policies when victims turn to the police for help.

Our second charity, Refuge, is the UK’s largest domestic abuse charity, and they alone have experienced a 120% increase in calls to their helpline and traffic to their website has tripled. Join us in helping Refuge to maintain their frontline services, such as their 24/hour helpline, so that they can continue to reassure those experiencing abuse that they are not alone during this difficult time.

We hope to keep this 2.6 challenge going over the next month, and we will finish on Sunday 31st May when we will stream our amazing virtual Jamnesty concert for you all on youtube and at www.jamnesty.org.uk to celebrate any money we have managed to raise and to keep you all grooving in the name of two amazing causes.

Go raise those pounds and we’ll share some sounds!

Thank you for reading our page, keep your heads up, keep smiling and most importantly keep fighting that good fight.

Fiona, Connor, Helena, Tash and Freya x