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Domestic abuse survivors protest over family courts

Domestic abuse survivors protest over family courts

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Domestic abuse survivors say children are being put at risk by the family courts Previous research by the BBC found that at least four children have been killed in the past five years by a parent with a known history of domestic violence, after a family court granted access. Filmed and produced by Ruth Evans Animation by Hannah McNally, with Emily Downe, Martha Halliday and Gabriella Marsh Executive Producer: Kimberley Rowell https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-50491109/domestic-abuse-survivors-protest-over-family-courts# #courtsaid Glad to see so many people at the #courtsaid protest calling for reform in the #FamilyCourt so many harrowing stories.  

Violence Unseen Exhibition Zero Tolerance 21 November until 10 December – various locations

Violence Unseen Exhibition Zero Tolerance 21 November until 10 December – various locations

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Over the past decades there have been dramatic changes to public attitudes around some aspects of men’s violence against women. Yet domestic abuse, sexual violence and other forms of violence against women are still prevalent in Scotland today, especially for groups of women who face other forms of discrimination; women with learning disabilities, women who sell sex, lesbian, bisexual and trans (LBT) and black and minority ethnic women. In response to this, Zero Tolerance has created a new photography exhibition, Violence Unseen, to explore these types of violence against women that remain unseen and unacknowledged by mainstream society Over the past decades there have been dramatic changes to public attitudes around some aspects of men’s violence against women. Yet domestic abuse, sexual violence and other forms of violence against women are still prevalent in Scotland today, especially for groups of women who face other forms

Human Trafficking & Modern Day Slavery

Human Trafficking & Modern Day Slavery

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The first Soroptomist International sticker on the back of a Croation Truck, which was forwarded to us by John Shirley Ltd, the freight forwarding agency SI Canterbury has been working with to get these stickers on as many long-haul trucks and lorries in Europe as possible. Jane Webb, the leader of the Human Trafficking & Modern Day Slavery group in our club (SI Canterbury) The key issue now is to lobby our MP’s to support the Modern Slavery Helpline, which is under threat of being closed on 30th November due to a lack of funding. Dawn Ryder, one of our club members, has drafted an excellent letter which we are going to send to our local MP’s to try and stop the closure of the helpline. Please adapt the letter as you require (e.g. with the relevant club’s or region’s name). Draft letter regarding closure
Equal to Everything Judge Brenda and the Supreme Court

Equal to Everything Judge Brenda and the Supreme Court

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President of the Supreme Court Lady Hale and Margaret Clark APD Advocacy Ama starts a new school when her family move to Richmond in Yorkshire. On her first day she learns about a school trip to London where they will see many well-known landmarks including the Supreme Court in Parliament Square. On this trip, Ama and class 3 learn about the work of the court and how another little girl from her town went on to become its president. Class 3 can’t believe it when the president, Lady Hale, comes to meet them. They ask her questions and she explains how the law works and some of the interesting cases that illustrate how important the law is to help people and how difficult it is to make just and fair decisions.
UKSSD

UKSSD

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  UKSSD publishes Scorecard of UK Voluntary National Review UKSSD’s SDG Scorecard, assesses the UK Voluntary National Review (VNR) based on UN Voluntary Reporting guidelines and best practice.   Although there a positive signs of progress, of the eleven areas considered by partners in UKSSD’s advocacy action group, none receive a green rating to indicate it satisfied the expectations of a VNR process. Four were considered poor (red), six were unsatisfactory (amber/red) and only one was satisfactory, though lacking in some areas (amber/green). Issues of particular concern include the lack of comprehensive analysis of the UK’s performance on the SDGs, the process of stakeholder engagement undertaken as part of the review and the failure to use the VNR as a way to create a step change in the UK’s implementation of the SDGs. Download your copy From its eleven recommendations UKSSD is calling for:  

Conference 4 September 2019 – Prison Reform Trust

Conference 4 September 2019 – Prison Reform Trust

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  Justice minister Lucy Frazer to address conference on delivering effective solutions to tackle women’s offending A year after the publication of the government’s Female Offender Strategy, the Prison Reform Trust, in partnership with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Centre for Mental Health, are bringing together allied organisations to support the delivery of better outcomes for women in trouble with the law. The event, held at The Supreme Court  [4 September 2019], hosts a keynote speech from Lucy Frazer QC MP, Minister of State for Prisons and Probation, and bring together practitioners, politicians and policy makers from health, social care and criminal justice fields, alongside women with lived experience of the justice system. London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Sophie Linden, will also address the event. Working closely with national and local governments, statutory agencies, and voluntary and community sector organisations, the

Cities for CEDAW – Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women

Cities for CEDAW – Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women

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The aim of the Cities for CEDAW (The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) campaign is to “Make the Global Local” and protect the rights of women and girls by passing legislation establishing the principles of CEDAW in cities and towns across the United States.  http://citiesforcedaw.org It’s about time. Women can’t wait any longer. WHAT IS THE CITIES FOR CEDAW CAMPAIGN? Cities for CEDAW is a campaign to protect the rights of women and girls by passing ordinances establishing the principles of CEDAW in cities and towns across the United States The campaign was launched at a meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2013 by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women (NGO/CSW NY) that supports the work of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and UN Women.  NGO/CSW NY created

2020 Anniversaries

2020 Anniversaries

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2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. This anniversary provides a much-needed opportunity to reflect on the direction of the UN and ensure it is built to address the global challenges of the 21st Century.   2020 marks a confluence of the 25th anniversary milestone since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+25), 20th anniversary for the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and, importantly, the 5-year milestone for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda). It is thus a window of opportunity to take stock of progress made and actions required to address barriers to gender equality and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.     15 year anniversary of The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence  Istanbul Convention 10 year Anniversary of UN Women Beijing+25 (2020) In 2020, the

Mass Lobby of Parliament  on Wednesday 26th June 2019

Mass Lobby of Parliament  on Wednesday 26th June 2019

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To mark the one-year anniversary of the Female Offender Strategy Women in Prison are bringing together other women’s centres at a Mass Lobby of Parliament  on Wednesday 26th June. The purpose of the day is to raise the profile of community-based support services and women’s centres in Parliament and to increase understanding that investment in these support services is central to the success of the Female Offender Strategy and reduction in the women’s prison population. A core ‘ask’ on the day is that the £80m raised from the recent sale of HMP Holloway is used to deliver the Female Offender Strategy and spent to sustain and grow the network of women’s centres and other specialist support services. We are inviting women affected by the criminal justice system and supporters to meet with their MP in Parliament all on one day – Wednesday 26th June. This

Stop forcing sexual assault survivors to hand in their phones in investigations #victimsnotsuspects

Stop forcing sexual assault survivors to hand in their phones in investigations #victimsnotsuspects

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Rachel Lawson Policy and Research Officer OPCC Dear Dame Vera, Following the incredible and (almost entirely) positive coverage earlier this week about survivors being forced to hand over their phones and excessive information to the police, we’ve started a petition alongside the campaigning organisation 38 degrees, directed at the CPS and NPCC. Its already hit 10,000 signatures overnight! The petition is here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-forcing-sexual-assault-survivors-to-hand-in-their-phones-in-investigations Regards, Griff Ferris Legal & Policy Officer Big Brother Watch www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk OUR CALL FOR CHANGE At a time when more women and men than ever are pursuing justice against sex offenders, the justice system is letting them down. Victims’ consent to access their personal records should be freely given, specific and limited to the information relevant to the crime – not blanket. Victims of crime should never have to sign away their privacy rights in the pursuit of justice. The police’s digital evidence technology