Women's Views on News |
| Looking at anti-EU bias and myths Posted: 11 Apr 2016 02:34 PM PDT
By Molly Scott Cato, Green Party MEP. Those campaigning for us to leave [the European Union (EU)] are presenting a lot of information that is either biased or just plain wrong. So a lot of what we need to do is to subject their claims to scrutiny. It is untrue that 'Brussels' is made up of unelected bureaucrats who impose laws on us. Otherwise how could I be there as an elected politician? And it isn't true that most of our laws come from Brussels. The independent House of Commons library found that the real proportion is just 13.2 per cent of our laws. And in terms of the size of the bureaucracy, the European Commission has fewer employees than Leeds City Council. There is a persistent myth (reliably recycled every year by UK newspapers) that the European Court of Auditors has refused to sign off the EU's accounts, but this is entirely false. In the most recent audit year (2013), the Court gave a clean bill of health to the accounts for the seventh time in a row. This means every euro spent from the EU budget was duly recorded in the books and accounted for. And what about the cost of the EU? The budget for the whole EU is just 1 per cent of GDP, compared to about 49 per cent spent by national governments. That's just 2 per cent of our public spending each year. Each country pays a contribution to the budget proportional to its wealth, so wealthier countries pay more. The exact amount varies each year, but over the seven-year cycle 2007-2013 our net annual contribution was £3.8 billion, or about £63 per person. The UK's contribution is actually much lower than other similar sized economies such as Germany and France, partly because we get a special rebate. This contribution must be weighed against the financial benefits of our access to the single market. In 2011, the UK government estimated this to be between £30 billion and £90 billion per year — so a return on investment of between 800 per cent and 2370 per cent. There is not enough space to challenge all the Euro-myths that are out there, but there is a website called IN Facts that is doing just this, so please visit it and make sure you know what really is going on. A version of this article appeared on the South West Greener In website. Don't forget to register to vote. You need to be registered by 18 April to vote in the 5 May elections, or by 7 June to vote in the EU referendum on 23 June.  |
| Posted: 11 Apr 2016 02:28 PM PDT
It is a multi-agency guidance on female genital mutilation (FGM) and should be read and followed by all persons and bodies in England and Wales who are under statutory duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. It replaces female genital mutilation: guidelines to protect children and women (2014). This guidance should be considered together with other relevant safeguarding guidance, including (but not limited to): Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015) in England and Safeguarding Children: Working Together under the Children Act 2004 (2007) in Wales It is not intended to replace wider safeguarding guidance, but to provide additional advice on FGM. The information in this guidance, the government points out, may also be relevant to bodies working with women and girls at risk of FGM or dealing with its consequences. The guidance has three key functions: To provide information on FGM, including on the law on FGM in England and Wales. This is set out in the main body of this document; To provide strategic guidance on FGM for chief executives, directors and senior managers of persons and bodies mentioned above, or of third parties exercising public protection functions on behalf of those persons or bodies. This guidance is set out in the main body of this document; and To provide advice and support to front-line professionals who have responsibilities to safeguard and support women and girls affected by FGM, in particular to assist them in: identifying when a girl or young woman may be at risk of FGM and responding appropriately; identifying when a girl or woman has had FGM and responding appropriately; and implementing measures that can prevent and ultimately help end the practice of FGM. FGM is illegal in the UK. For the purpose of the criminal law in England and Wales, FGM is mutilation of the labia majora, labia minor or clitoris. FGM is an unacceptable practice for which there is no justification. It is child abuse and a form of violence against women and girls. This new guidance encourages agencies to cooperate and work together to protect and support those at risk of, or who have undergone, FGM. As amended by the Serious Crime Act 2015, the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 now includes: An offence of failing to protect a girl from the risk of FGM; Extra-territorial jurisdiction over offences of FGM committed abroad by UK nationals and those habitually (as well as permanently) resident in the UK; Lifelong anonymity for victims of FGM; FGM Protection Orders which can be used to protect girls at risk; and A mandatory reporting duty which requires specified professionals to report known cases of FGM in under 18s to the police. The prevalence of FGM in England and Wales is difficult to estimate because of the hidden nature of the crime. However, a 2015 study estimated that approximately 60,000 girls aged 0-14 were born in England and Wales to mothers who had undergone FGM(see Annex B for risk factors); and approximately 103,000 women aged 15-49 and approximately 24,000 women aged 50 and over who have migrated to England and Wales are living with the consequences of FGM. In addition, approximately 10,000 girls aged under 15 who have migrated to England and Wales are likely to have undergone FGM. Further information about FGM, including the motives for and consequences of it, can be found in Annex A. To read the whole text, click here.  |
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