Woman's Hour - 28/05/2009

With Jenni Murray. Jenni is joined by the Sri Lankan writer Roma Tearne to discuss her new novel, Brixton Beach, which explores the themes that have marked the lives of her own family: identity, homeland, and loss. Roma Tearne was only ten when she fled Sri Lanka with her parents. Open war had broken out on the island, and her Sinhalese mother had been outcast by her family for marrying a Tamil man. The family came to England in search of safety. But her parents never managed to integrate successfully into British society. Roma discusses the autobiographical elements of her new novel and the anger she still feels about the ethnic tension which mired not only the island of her birth, but the lives of both her parents. For many pregnancies, women 'go public' at around 12 weeks, after the first scan and when the chance of miscarriage has been greatly reduced. But if a woman has kept quiet about her pregnancy and miscarries, what is it like dealing with the loss of her hoped-for baby without friends, family and colleagues' support? Woman's Hour considers why women tend to keep quiet about early pregnancy and what impact this has if they miscarry. As the UN debates whether to establish an agency like UNICEF to champion women's rights around the world, Jenni looks at the proposals and asks whether they would be able to make a difference. She is joined by Cathy Peach from Voluntary Service Overseas and the journalist and human rights campaigner Lesley Abdela.