EHRC cuts ‘will decimate local equalities services’
Navca and Voice4Change have expressed ‘alarm’ at government plans to cut £10m of grants to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), and warn that the cut will filter down to 62 local anti-discrimination groups.
The umbrella bodies joined to voice concern over what they are calling a “backwards step” taken by the government through its equalities red tape challenge and reform of the EHRC announced in the publication of the Home Office business plan.
Civil Society magazine has more …
Female genital mutilation ‘offered by UK medics’
As many as 100,000 women in Britain have undergone female genital mutilations (FGM) with medics in the UK offering to carry out the illegal procedure on girls as young as 10, it has been reported.
Investigators from the Sunday Times said they had secretly filmed a doctor, dentist and alternative medicine practitioner who were allegedly willing to perform FGM or arrange for the operation to be carried out. The doctor and dentist deny any wrongdoing.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/22/female-genital-mutilation-uk-medics
New York Times on the impact of cuts to women’s services
Great to see the New York Times picking up on the story of the impact of the cuts on women’s orgs - Women’s Resource Centre, Eaves, Women’s Aid and Refuge were all quoted in Katrin Bennhold’s excellent piece.
The story, it seems, is going global …. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/world/europe/18iht-letter18.html?pagewanted=1&ref=world
Legal Aid - MPs should vote to protect vulnerable women and children
MPs are voting on the government’s cuts to legal aid today. Over the last few months, the House of Lords has made some vital changes to the legal aid bill. These changes would protect children, domestic violence victims and disabled people from the worst of the legal aid cuts.
The government has made some concessions but all these commitments could be reversed in the House of Commons.
MPs now have a choice to either back the Lords to stop the worst of the cuts or they can vote to stick with the government’s original plans.
Mumsnet is supporting a campaign calling on MPs to vote against cuts that will penalise domestic violence victims.
Almost every day on the Mumsnet forums there are stories from women trapped in abusive relationships, or parents desperately challenging local authority decisions on provision for their children with special needs.
The legal aid budget helps women and families out of these situations, which is why it needs protecting – because those who use legal aid are some of the most vulnerable in our society. Currently 250,000 cases of divorce and family breakdown receive legal aid. If the bill is passed it is estimated this will be reduced to 40,000.
Only women who can prove a ‘high risk of violence’ would get help under new proposals. A survey by Rights of Women has indicated that almost half of all victims of domestic abuse would not meet these criteria.
Read the full article on the Guardian website
Progress in gender equality leads to economic growth, new EU report shows
The latest annual report on gender equality from the European Commission shows that improving equality between women and men is essential to the EU’s response to the current economic crisis.
It is said that EU countries need to get more women into the labour market if they are to meet the EU’s overall objective of 75% employment rate for all adults by 2020. One of the way’s of improving Europe’s competitiveness is to obtain better balance between women and men in economic decision-making positions. Studies have shown that gender diversity pays off and companies with higher percentages of women on corporate boards perform better than those with all-male boards.
“The economic case for getting more women into the workforce and more women into top jobs in the EU is overwhelming,” said Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship.
“We can only reach our economic and employment goals by making full use of all our human resources – both in the labour market as a whole and at the top. This is an essential part of our economic recovery plans.”
The Commission also took an important step towards the goal of ending gender-based violence by proposing a package of measures to strengthen the rights of crime victims (IP/11/585), which included a series of measures specifically aimed at helping women who fall victim to domestic violence.
You can read more on the report and accompanying documents on the EC News website.
Invitation to participate in a community history project “Sounds from the Park”
The Sounds from the Park project aims to record the life stories of orators and hecklers from Speakers’ Corner and celebrate the rich tradition of live public debate in London.
The project is applying for funding for workshops for young people and community groups, as part of the project’s outputs. The project is being delivered by a new organisation, On the Record, in partnership with the Bishopsgate Institute. On the Record is a not-for-profit company run by two feminist oral historians, and they would like to develop the funding bid in consultation with grassroots women’s groups.
The funding deadline for this project is in less than a month, so the organisers would like to hear from interested women’s groups sooner rather than later what activities would be useful and interesting for groups in the sector.
On the Record is dedicated to developing people’s history projects that provide learning opportunities for marginalised groups. They have already secured some core and project funding from charitable trusts. The On the Record website is currently under development.
For more information or to arrange a meeting, please contact Laura Mitchison:
e. speakerscornerhistory@gmail.com
t. 07787243656
Women’s equality - holding national and local government to account
WRC is offering a FREE training and consultation event about holding national and local government to account on women’s human rights.
Place: Taunton, Somerset County Cricket Club
Time: Monday 16th April, 10.30am
The training is intended for all organisations in the women’s sector that wish to learn more on how to use international and UK legislation as a lobbying tool to influence policy. Individual service users of women’s sector organisations and activists are also welcome.
You will learn about CEDAW and the Equality Act and how to use these to influence what local public authorities are doing.
The event is organised in partnership with South West Forum, Equality South West, Fair Play South West and South West Foundation.
Book your place via our website!
Dozens of new feminist organisations springing up around the UK campaigning on women’s issues
The number of active grassroots feminist organisations has doubled in the past two years, according to a research carried out by the campaign group UK Feminista.
Kat Banyard, the founder of UK Feminista and author of The Equality Illusion, says “It’s a really exciting time. We are seeing a real resurgence in feminist activism that is moving from the margins to the mainstream”.
“People are willing to put up their hand and say they are a feminist without the fear of being ridiculed. Particularly in the past 12 months, we are seeing people standing up and willing to be counted.”
Campaigners can be found in practically every area of Britain – even the Orkney Feminist Network has 40 followers on Twitter, the Guardian reports. Michael Moore, the regional organiser for UK Feminista in Northern Ireland, said sites such as Twitter and Facebook had enabled people in even the most remote parts of the UK to tap into the debate. “Now it’s as easy as sending an email to mobilise people. There’s no apologies, no minutes – people can engage and thrash out issues in an online space immediately. It’s really sped up the power to communicate.”
You can read the full feature here.
EVAW hosting London Mayoral Hustings April 12th
Following the launch of their campaign on making London the safest city for women, End Violence Against Women are hosting a major London Mayoral and Assembly elections hustings event.
Experts on violence against women, frontline workers from across London, activists, students and members of the local community will be there to ask questions.
When: Thursday 12 April, 6-8pm; event to be followed by drinks
Where: Auditorium, Human Rights Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn Yard, EC2A 3EA
Confirmed speakers: Natalie Bennett (Green), Kit Malthouse AM (Conservative), Caroline Pidgeon AM (Liberal Democrats), Val Shawcross AM (Labour)
You can read the EVAW Coalition election manifesto online here.
Members of the press may also reserve places at the hustings by emailing sarah.green@evaw.org.uk or phoning 07984 717 817.
