Elections in England and Wales for the new Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will be held on 15th November.

This new critical role will fund local victims’ services, hold the Chief Constable to account and publish a Police and Crime Plan.

End Violence Against Women, Rape Crisis England and Wales and the Women’s Resource Centre have published a leaflet to help women’s groups ensure that VAWG is a priority.

Please download the flyer here and send it out far and wide!

Natalie Ntim, policy officer for the Women’s Resource Centre, on whether women can make the most of opportunities granted to communities under the Localism Act:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/local-government-network/2012/may/28/localism-act-women-communities?CMP=twt_gu

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!

There are still some places left at our FREE training on Wednesday the 28th for women’s voluntary sector organisations on the impact of current government policies on the sector.

The training is intended for anyone who wants to know more about how the devolution of power to local areas and the new legislation connected to this will impact on your organisation and the women you work with and what the challenges and opportunities are for women’s organisations.

Find out about the Public Sector Equality Duty and the obligations arising from the Specific Duties regulations and what it means for public bodies. Learn how you can hold public bodies to account and what it means for organisations in the voluntary and community sector who provide services or perform a public function. Discuss and share your concerns and experiences since the duty was introduced under Equality Act 2010.

Learn more about the Localism Act and all the different measures under this that create challenges and opportunities for women’s organisations. Learn how you can engage with the different programmes of work under the localism agenda and also hold public bodies to account. Produce a local action plan and ideas for what you can do locally. 

Training will be held at St Luke’s Community Centre, Islington, London.

Book your place now via the WRC website!

http://www.wrc.org.uk/training_events/public_sector_equality_duty_training.aspx

The demonisation of young women is contributing to the failure to secure more convictions of suspected rapists, one of the country’s leading prosecutors warns on Monday.

Read full Guardian article here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jan/30/rape-victims-acquittals-chief-prosecutor