Women's Views on News |
- Politics, public life, CEDAW, Northern Ireland
- Women, money, CEDAW, Northern Ireland
- Engender, the CEDAW review and Scotland
- The UK to face equality check
- Sports round-up: July 8 – 15
- Stalking to be taken more seriously
| Politics, public life, CEDAW, Northern Ireland Posted: 16 Jul 2013 08:44 AM PDT
The submission made by Northern Ireland's Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) to the UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) with regard to the UK's 7th Periodic Report, to take place on 17 July, looks at women in the criminal justice system and at women's socio-economic rights in light of the current welfare reform proposals. It also raises questions about women's full and equal participation in Northern Ireland’s public and political life. Despite the Concluding Observations from the CEDAW Committee in 2008 calling for 'the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) in Northern Ireland', according to this submission the issue has yet to be addressed by the UK government. Northern Ireland is emerging from 30 years of conflict and there has been much work internationally and in the Northern Ireland women's sector on how women add value to peace processes and peace building. And the parties to the 1998 Belfast /Good Friday Agreement affirmed 'the right of women to full and equal political participation and the advancement of women in public life'. The subsequent United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 Women, Peace and Security is an obvious vehicle by which to realise this commitment, says CAJ, yet the UK has declined to fully implement it in relation to the Northern Ireland conflict. The Associate Party Group on UNSCR 1325 at the UK Parliament initiated an inquiry into the application of UNSCR 1325 to Northern Ireland back in September 2011. But the outcomes of this inquiry have yet to come to fruition, with much of the delay, says CAJ, being due to a wait on a submission from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the UK Government Equalities Office (GEO). The UK's position was set out in response to a parliamentary question put to the then Minister for Women and Equalities, Lynn Featherstone MP by Naomi Long MP: ‘UNSCR 1325 makes provision for the protection of women in armed conflicts and to encourage their participation in conflict resolution and political and public life. ‘The situation in Northern Ireland has never been considered to be an armed conflict, as defined in international law. Nevertheless, some aspects of UNSCR 1325, such as participation in peace and political processes are relevant to all states and the government will continue to work towards increasing the representation of women in Northern Ireland in public and political life.’ The UK has however given no further information as to which particular initiatives it regards as taking forward women's participation in peace building and political process, or in increasing representation of women in public life. There is also, CAJ continues, no need for the UK to seek definition of the conflict as an 'armed conflict' or otherwise. For in relation to UNSCR1325 the Secretary General stated that: ‘…the present resolution does not seek to make any legal determination as to whether situations that are referred to in the Secretary General's report are or are not armed conflicts within the context of the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocols thereto, nor does it prejudge the legal status of the non-State parties involved in these situations.’ The UK see themselves as having a leading role internationally in promoting UNSCR 1325 yet there is no mention of Northern Ireland in their National Action Plan (NAP). CAJ notes the support that the UK gives to women in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nepal in their NAP however the UK excludes the women of Northern Ireland from the benefits that inclusion in the UK NAP would afford them. ‘In our submission to the Associate Parliamentary Group on UNSCR 1325, CAJ stated that we view the UK position: as a missed opportunity to advance gender perspectives and gender mainstreaming along with real and meaningful participation for women in public and political life and broader conflict resolution processes.’ CAJ would like to see the UK applying UNSCR 1325 to Northern Ireland, by incorporation into the UK National Action Plan which is subject to periodic review. It is likely that at a practical level a significant proportion of implementation would be led by the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) in Northern Ireland. It is important to note that the Republic of Ireland as the other state party to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement released its UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan in November 2011 and included a point on engagement with Women in Northern Ireland. Among the areas the application of UNSCR 1325 could address are: under-representation of women in key institutions that are relevant to the peace process; the advancement of gender equality; and the mainstreaming of gender perspectives in high level strategies designed to deal with the legacy of the conflict. There have, CAJ acknowledges, been some positive steps forward in Northern Ireland since the last reporting round with the setting up of an All Party Group at the Northern Ireland Assembly on UNSCR 1325. There are also ongoing commitments to women's representation in the new community relations strategy for Northern Ireland, although again there are no measureable outcomes and it does not say how this will be monitored or achieved. The Department for Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) are addressing the gender differential on internal boards and associated bodies by setting gender targets. But more still needs to be done to increase women's representation in public and political life. A recent (May 2013) peace summit, organised by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to improve community relations, had a delegation of 30 men and only 3 women. The Northern Ireland Assembly has the lowest proportion of female representation of any of the four parliaments in the UK, currently 19 per cent. In local government the proportion of female elected councillors sit at around 22.3 per cent. There are no women judges in the Northern Ireland High Court and very low levels in Magistrate and County Courts. And there are still low levels of women in public appointments, sitting at around 33 per cent. Women also feel their voices cannot be heard when decision making committees in their communities, in particular the deciding committees on the Social Investment Fund for Northern Ireland, where women are under represented. The UK report makes reference to aspirations for female appointments and states that by 2015, 50 per cent of all new appointments to public boards will be women. However, there is no detail in this on how this will be achieved in both the UK as a whole or just in Northern Ireland. Application of UNSCR 1325, CAJ says, would help to address some of these issues and clear reporting structures would be a step forward for the women of Northern Ireland. Therefore, CAJ concludes, the CEDAW Committee may wish to urge the UK to take action to ensure UNSCR 1325 is fully implemented in Northern Ireland and incorporate the women of Northern Ireland into their National Action Plan. And the Committee may also wish to seek assurances from the UK government that the women of Northern Ireland's representation in public life will be addressed – possibly through temporary special measures.  |
| Women, money, CEDAW, Northern Ireland Posted: 16 Jul 2013 08:15 AM PDT
On 17 July the UK government has to present its 7th report on its progress with regard to women’s rights to the UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Several NGOs who work with women’s issues and women’s rights in the UK have been asked to present ‘shadow reports’. The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) is one such NGO. Established in 1981, CAJ is an independent non-governmental organisation affiliated to the International Federation of Human Rights. CAJ takes no position on the constitutional status of Northern Ireland and is firmly opposed to the use of violence for political ends. Its membership is drawn from across the community. It seeks to ensure the highest standards in the administration of justice in Northern Ireland by ensuring that the government complies with its responsibilities in international human rights law. CAJ hopes that the following material, one part of its shadow report, will be of help to the UN CEDAW Committee as it carries out its full examination of the extent to which the UK has complied with the Convention as it applies to Northern Ireland. The UK government, CAJ reports, has announced a number of reforms to the benefits system under the Welfare Reform Act 2012. Similar legislation is now progressing through the Northern Ireland Assembly. The UK report to the CEDAW Committee with regard to the situation in Northern Ireland states that: The Northern Ireland Executive introduced parity measures, as well as key developments in its own jurisdiction, which will make a real contribution to the social and economic well-being of women in Northern Ireland such as: reforming the pensions system in Northern Ireland, introducing new provisions to simply the child maintenance process and the publication of the Northern Ireland Child Poverty Strategy. Notwithstanding the above there are however significant concerns about the regressive impact of welfare reform on women. These reforms will also have a more adverse effect in Northern Ireland due to the post-conflict situation. There have also been substantial changes to the economy since the last CEDAW hearing in 2008 and this has had an adverse impact on women. In Northern Ireland this is manifested by the impact of the recession, emergency budgets and the impending welfare reform bill. Women paid 72 per cent of the net cost of the tax and benefit changes in the UK government's June 2010 emergency budget. The effect on Northern Ireland of the new proposed welfare regime has been analysed by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS). There are particular implications for women when looking at households in Northern Ireland in relation to the welfare reform measures to be introduced in between 2013-2015: Northern Ireland has the second highest loss as a percentage of incomes within the regions and constituent nations of the UK. This is in part to do with the relatively high proportion of households with children, a section of the society which the IFS says will suffer particular losses, and the burden of which will be carried by women. Northern Ireland has an equality duty where public authorities must pay due regard to equality of opportunity on nine grounds including gender. These welfare proposals conflict with this principle, as women will be adversely impacted and more so if they have multiple identities such as lone parent, disabled women or carers. The official Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has stated that the proportion of lone parents in employment in Northern Ireland is well below the average for the United Kingdom, with female lone parents at the highest risk of poverty. Only one in seven lone parents in Northern Ireland is currently working. This is a smaller proportion of lone parents than for any other region within the United Kingdom. And one commentator has argued that the benefits overhaul does not take into account those in work poverty, especially those women who take on low paid, high risk, part-time jobs. In the Women's Ad Hoc Policy Group briefing to the Northern Ireland Department for Social Development on the proposed Welfare Reform Bill it is said that, 'Reforms will result in reductions to women's income and reduce opportunity, capacity to work and to gain economic autonomy'. On top of that, under Universal Credit proposals couples will receive a single payment once a month to just one person in the couple. Couples will not be able to decide to have it paid more frequently, or to split to whom it is paid. It is estimated that in 80 per cent of cases the nominated person will be the man for most claiming families. Research over the years has shown that to reach children most effectively, money should be paid to those taking the main responsibility for their care. For this reason, existing tax credits and money for childcare costs are currently paid to the main carer in the family – usually the woman. When these payments are replaced by universal credit, either the family has to agree that all their universal credit is paid to the main carer or the main carer will receive none of it. Although at the time of writing the Northern Ireland Executive has agreed some flexibilities with payments this will not be guaranteed until the Bill is passed. Women account for two thirds of the Northern Ireland public sector workforce. Public sector cuts will therefore likely have a significantly greater impact on women than men. Not only this, currently Northern Ireland has no childcare strategy, which is a significant barrier to work for women and a 'primary barrier to women's equality and participation.' Forty-three years after the Equal Pay Act (Northern Ireland) 1970, and 37 years after the Sex Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 Northern Ireland still has a gender pay gap, as the 'Women in Northern Ireland' Labour Market, Statistics Bulletin from September 2012 shows: ‘The median gross weekly wage for full-time females at April 2011 in Northern Ireland was £427.80 while for full-time males the figure was £463.50. ‘The ratio between male and female full-time median hourly earnings excluding overtime has increased to 102 per cent (from 100.5 per cent in 2010), which represents a slight widening of the full-time gender pay gap.’ The welfare reforms are taking place in the absence of a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights as committed to in the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement or a Single Equality Bill, both of which are currently outstanding. Both could have provided extra safeguards to protect women and the most vulnerable in relation to welfare and austerity. The UN Committee, CAJ concludes, may wish to ask the UK to review – and mitigate against – the gender impacts of the welfare reform and public sector cuts in Northern Ireland, and implement single equality legislation and the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights.  |
| Engender, the CEDAW review and Scotland Posted: 16 Jul 2013 07:18 AM PDT
The period since the last examination of the UK by the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Committee has seen a clear and stark diminution of women's rights across the four nations of the United Kingdom. The complexities of the UK's constitutional arrangements are beyond the scope of this statement, but it is important for the Committee to be aware that Scotland has separate and distinct judicial, education, and health systems from the rest of the UK. The effect of UK government policy on women in Scotland is significant, but the Scottish government must also be held accountable for significant policy areas. We will highlight those areas in this statement but refer Committee members to our shadow report for the whole picture. Economic policy: It is women who have borne the brunt of the impact of the austerity measures that have been the UK government's response to the financial crisis and recession. It is women who have seen a withdrawal of essential public services, including refuges and support services. It is low-paid women and lone-parents who will shoulder the cost of "welfare reforms" that will push people further into poverty and homelessness. It is women's jobs that have been lost and will be lost as the UK government relentlessly seeks to shrink the public sector. It is women's lives and experience that are missing from the analysis as the UK government sets its economic policy. The Scottish government should identify areas in which it can mitigate the impact of the UK's welfare reform programme with a broad review of the impacts on women. This should include particular attention to disabled women and lone mothers who will be among the hardest hit. Scotland has seen its highest levels of female unemployment in 24 years. Although male-dominated areas of the economy have seen some resurgence, with men back at work on construction sites and in manufacturing, the reductions in the female-dominated public sector will be permanent. This is having a dual impact on women as workers, and women as service users. The Scottish government is responsible for education, employability, skills, and economic development in Scotland. It must ensure that the action plan to be developed from the recent Women's Employment Summit delivers significant and measurable outcomes, and tackles all of the causes of women's economic inequality. The Scottish government should also invest in gender-sensitive employability and related support services for women forced either into the part-time labour market or out of the labour market due to the design of the UK's welfare and tax reform policies. Access to Paid Labour Market: Childcare The Deputy First Minister of Scotland, speaking at a 2012 conference on women and work, identified childcare provision as infrastructure. We agree with that analysis, and deplore the rising numbers of parents in poverty who have given up work because of the cost of childcare. Scotland has the highest childcare costs in the UK, and a solution must be found to ease the tension between quality and cost. The Scottish government should deliver a costed assessment of childcare needs and outline plans for delivery of quality universal provision, in line with its framing of childcare as infrastructure. Violence against women: Like women across the world, our inequality in Scotland means that women experience men's violence, including rape, domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, prostitution and pornography. Our report makes recommendations about different forms of violence against women, including the lack of safety and security experienced by asylum-seeking women. Two issues are highlighted here: 1. Scotland's criminal justice system requires that all key evidence in criminal prosecution must be backed by two sources. This 'corroboration' has been identified as underpinning the fact that 75 per cent of rape complaints do not progress to court. Engender welcomes the Scottish government's intention to remove corroboration but challenges the Scottish government to ensure that removal of corroboration does not lead to an even more heightened focus on the credibility of complainers. In addition, the Scottish government should introduce a system of independent legal representation specifically to enable complainers of sexual offences to assert their rights to privacy in the content of a rape or sexual offence trial. 2. In a recent Scottish study, a third of men stated that prostitution provided an opportunity to have "freedom to do anything they want in a consequence free environment" and indicated that sanctions could deter them from buying sex. The study also found that 34 per cent stated that rape happens because their sex drive "gets out of control" and 12 per cent believed the rape of a prostitute or call girl was not possible. The Scottish government includes prostitution in its definition of violence against women. This must now be reflected in a targeted strategy to criminalise demand and to develop or support the development of exit services. The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was signed by the UK government in 1981 and ratified in 1986. CEDAW is an international bill of rights for women that defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. As a signatory the UK has a moral and legal commitment to end discrimination against women in the UK, reporting back on their progress to CEDAW every 4 years while working to put CEDAW provisions in to practice. The UK government can also be held accountable for any transgressions that discriminate against women. Engender is a registered reporter to CEDAW and along with a number of other NGOs produces a shadow report to that of the UK government that evidences continuing areas of discrimination against women in Scotland, acknowledges progress made, and makes the Committee aware of areas for concern. The shadow report is submitted alongside the UK government's report.To read it, click here. Engender is committed to providing the most grounded, representative and authentic report possible, and so we work hard to engage and involve a diversity of women and work with a wide range of organisations across Scotland and the UK.  |
| Posted: 16 Jul 2013 05:30 AM PDT
On 17 July the UK government will appear before a United Nations committee to discuss the UK's progress, or lack of progress, on furthering women's rights. Representatives from the UK’s government will appear before the committee responsible for the oversight of the UN Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which is also known as the Women's International Bill of Rights. The Convention places obligations on the UK government to eliminate discrimination against women and provides a framework for the government to take responsibility for tackling discrimination and achieving substantive equality in both public and private life. Every 4 years, countries that have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) are committed to submit a country report on the implementation of CEDAW and status of women's rights. Alongside this NGOs are encouraged to submit their own reports, known as 'shadow' reports to the CEDAW committee. So on 17 July the government will be examined on its progress as set out in its own report to CEDAW in 2011. And as NGOs from the women's and human rights sectors have also been invited to give evidence, a team from the Women's Resource Centre (WRC) will follow up on their recent submission of a Shadow Report to the Committee called: 'Women's equality in the UK – A Health Check'. This report brought together evidence from over 40 women's organisations in the UK that form the CEDAW Working Group, including Scotland's Engender, Northern Ireland's Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) and the National Alliance of Women's Organisations (NAWO). A group of women from the Women's Resource Centre will also highlight the problems that have been impacting on women's equality in the UK since the UK’s last appearance before the Committee in 2008. In its own report, the government emphasises its "overarching approach to advancing gender equality” and its “determination to eliminate discrimination." However, the WRC's Shadow Report illustrates the many ways in which women's rights have 'come to a standstill', and suggests that some rights are even being reversed, many as a result of government policies and austerity measures that disproportionately impact women. The report highlights the impact of the government's austerity measures, pointing out that they in contribute to a rise in violence against women and cut support services essential for the safety of victims. Other criticisms made in the Shadow Report include: that the reduction of legal support and access to justice affects women suffering discrimination and violence; the disproportionate impact of welfare benefit policy changes on vulnerable women; the lack of a gendered approach to health; the high cost and erosion of childcare; media representation of women; the impact of asylum policies on women fleeing violence; the continuing under-representation of women in politics and decision-making; the 25-year high in female unemployment and the continuing gender pay gap. A case study from the North East Women's Network shows how government policy changes have disproportionately impacted on women in the North East. The first ever report on older women's rights in the UK has also been submitted, highlighting low pensions for many older women, decreasing access to affordable health and social care, and the invisibility of older women in the government's strategy to address violence against women and girls. A supplementary report from Aurora New Dawn, a frontline service working with victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, highlighted the impact of government policy on voluntary sector services, particularly those working in the violence against women sector. Claire Wiper, a PhD student from Northumbria University, also highlights the ongoing impacts of government policy on support services working with women and girls in the North East. "The austerity measures are making women more vulnerable to domestic violence and, at the same time, are removing the support services that women rely on in these situations. “Women are consequently slipping through the gaps in the welfare system and becoming more marginalised as a result."  |
| Posted: 16 Jul 2013 02:00 AM PDT
Athletics: At the British Championships at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham over the weekend, Perri Shakes-Drayton took her fifth British title in the 400m hurdles in a time of 54.34 seconds. Her great rival Eilidh Child in second. The most eventful race was the 1500m, which saw two of the favourites drop out for different reasons. Lisa Dobriskey stepped off the track with an injury, while Laura Weightman was tripped from behind going into the final lap, falling heavily. She left the track with her knee heavily strapped. The race was won by Hannah England in four minutes 10.99 seconds, a time which secured England’s place at next month’s World Championships in Moscow. Another athlete on the plane to Moscow will be Anyika Onura, who won the 200m in a time of 22.7 seconds. There were also wins for Eilish McColgan in the 3000m steeplechase and Stephanie Twell in the 5000m on the track, whilst in the field events the javelin was won by Rose Semenytsh, the long jump by favourite Shara Proctor and the hammer by Shaunagh Brown. Football: England look all but dead and buried, and will now struggle to get out of their group in the Euros in Sweden. England made a poor start with a disappointing defeat to Spain. They played badly, but looked to have secured a lucky draw before goalkeeper Karen Bardsley headed into her own net in the fourth minute of injury time to give Spain the win. Spain took the lead after only four minutes with a goal from captain Veronica Boquete. Eniola Aluko equalised five minutes later for England. There was then a long period of stalemate with both sides making too many errors to make for a good game. The deadlock was finally broken in the 85th minute when Spain took the lead through Jenni Hermoso after England failed to clear a corner. However, England hit straight back, with young defender Laura Bassett equalising in the final minute. England looked to have rescued a point, but were totally undone by the Bardsley own goal to go down 3-2. England coach Hope Powell was angry at the performance, saying, “I’m not going to single out one player. It is a disappointing night for everybody. “There are 11 players on the pitch. I can’t single out one when we didn’t perform at all. We were slow to react, we made too many unforced errors and I could sense at half-time that they were nervous.” However, things went from bad to worse on against Russia on July 15. Russia took the lead in the first half and looked to be pulling off a shock win until Toni Duggan equalised during injury time. England must now to win their final game against an excellent French side, but even then may not qualify for the quarter finals if results from other groups do not go their way. So far, the teams that stand out have been France and hosts Sweden. Although held by Denmark in the first match of the championship, Sweden went on to demolish Finland 5-1, while France (in England's group) looked very impressive beating Russia 3-1 in their first game. Favourites Germany failed to impress in their first group match, and were held to a goalless draw by the Netherlands, but won well against Finland in their second 3-0. Rugby Union: England's women lost the first test to New Zealand at Auckland’s Eden Park 29-10. New Zealand scored the first try but were pegged back with a try from Marlie Packer, making the score 8-7 to the hosts at half-time. However, New Zealand started anew in the second half, taking the game away from England with tries from Rule and Lavea. Kelly Brazier was also in fine kicking form, scoring one conversion and four penalties. England could not go over the line again and only added one penalty from Emily Scarratt in the second half. The second test is on 16 July at Hamilton and the third at Pukekhoe on 20 July. This test was the 1000th women's test match to be played. Rowing: In a disappointing World Cup 3 event in Lucerne over the weekend, Helen Glover and Polly Swann were the only team to claim a gold medal, winning the women's pair. They took the lead with 500m to go and fought off a strong challenge from the New Zealand pair to take gold. This was the last major event before the team goes to the South Korea for the World Championships next month. They will be hoping for better things in Asia. BMX: Shanaze Reade has been forced to pull out of July's World Championships with a knee injury. The event, which begins in Auckland, New Zealand, on July 24 was top of Reade's list of priorities for the year. “Having won every major race this year I was confident and excited to race in New Zealand. This was one of my biggest goals for 2013,” she told the BBC. Reade hopes to be fit for the final World Cup event in California in September. She currently leads the World Cup standings by 27 points.  |
| Stalking to be taken more seriously Posted: 16 Jul 2013 01:09 AM PDT
In 2012, the stalking law reform campaign – led by criminal behavioural analyst Laura Richards and a former officer of the National Association of Probation Officers, Harry Fletcher – succeeded in criminalising stalking in one of the fastest campaigns to change the law in recent years. The new law made it a criminal offence to put a person in fear of violence by stalking or to cause an individual 'serious alarm or stress such that it has an adverse effect on their usual day to day activities.' Last week, Fletcher and Richards joined the financial director of Safer Places, a domestic violence charity, for the launch of a National Stalking Advocacy Service. The launch of the new service – named Paladin, which means 'someone who fights for a cause' – was hosted at the House of Lords by former MP Baroness Brinton. The latest British Crime Survey suggests that at least 120,000 individuals are affected by stalking and harassment each year in England and Wales. In 2011, the National Stalking Helpline found that the majority (80 per cent) of stalking victims were female and the majority of perpetrators (71 per cent) were male. There is also a significant overlap between domestic violence and stalking.The majority of stalkers are known to their victims either as ex-partners or acquaintances. The Metropolitan Police has found that 40 per cent of domestic violence homicides also involved stalking. Most alarming is the finding that 50 per cent of victims have been stalked for longer than 18 months. Paladin will offer advocacy and support to high risk victims of stalking in England and Wales, but its work will not stop there. The co-director of the new service, Laura Richards, said, "65 per cent of victims who did contact the police said they were dissatisfied with their response. In addition, nearly 80 per cent of victims said the Criminal Prosecution Service was not involved in their case; of those that did, over three-quarters were not satisfied with the CPS response." In 2011, the National Association of Probation Officers found that only 2 per cent of stalking perpetrators receive a custodial sentence and 10 per cent received other sanctions, such as fines. "There is an urgent need for training for all criminal justice professionals so that stalking behaviour, which can maim and take lives, is taken more seriously," said Richards. "There is a need for mandatory risk assessments for victims and for similar compulsory psychiatric assessments for perpetrators." Sam Taylor, a survivor of stalking and an ambassador for Paladin, recently told Radio 4 about her experience. "I lived with my ex partner for four and a half years and had two children. “I discovered in 2008 that he was on the sex offender's register for raping, tying up and gagging a 14 year-old girl and obviously this led to the breakdown of our relationship." "He'd been harassing other women during our relationship and the police informed me of this. I asked him to leave and he wouldn't go… Consequently… he attacked me with a hunting knife and tried to break my neck. “He was arrested on many occasions, released on bail or with restraining orders…and served four fairly short custodial sentences." Also speaking on Radio 4, Paladin co-founder Harry Fletcher said, "It's because of the experience of people like Sam we decided to campaign for the stalking law… “Now we think we need to go further. We will risk assess, liaise with the police, with the probation service … with the Crown Prosecution Service. "They need training desperately and we'll assist with that as well." As well as calling for restraining orders to be strengthened, Fletcher explained, Paladin will also be campaigning for a “thorough review of the family courts to prevent perpetrators from making vexatious applications for contact with their children when there is no hope of it being granted.” Paladin will also campaign for statutory rights for victims, including the right of victims to present impact statements to parole boards.  |
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