Women's Views on News |
| Forced child adoptions meeting Posted: 13 Jan 2017 02:19 PM PST
New research shows that local authorities with the highest adoption rates also have the highest increase in children in care. Prioritising adoption over support for families has led to a 65 per cent increase in the number of children separated from their parents. Children of mothers on low incomes, single mothers, of colour, immigrant, with learning difficulties, and teenage mums are particularly vulnerable. And women who suffer rape and/or domestic violence are most likely to have their children removed. Following recent public outcry, the government said it will be looking into stopping violent men questioning mothers in family courts. This will be a welcome change, but much more is needed to stop the horrendous sexism mothers increasingly face. The Children & Social Work (CSW) Bill is now going through the House of Commons. The government is determined to re-impose measures – overwhelmingly rejected by the House of Lords – which would allow local authorities to "opt out" of statutory child protection, opening the way for privatisation. This coincides with the lowering of the benefit cap, with its devastating impact on as many as 500,000 children whose families are being further impoverished. No-one knows how many more children will then be taken into care as parents are accused of "neglect" for no longer being able to keep a roof over their heads, especially if private companies can profit from such separations. Given the abuse of children in care that continue to be exposed in Lambeth, Rochdale, Rotherham and in juvenile detention centres run by G4S and others, this is a frightening prospect. And a child protection social worker, speaking up about the government's latest plans, has warned: "The 'undeserving poor' have lost their council homes; lost their benefits and lost their community services; why not make it easier to lose their children too?" The cost of looking after a child in care is estimated at £35,000 a year. Yet children who have been in care are four times more likely to attempt suicide and experience mental health difficulties. If that money was made available to impoverished mothers and families, many fewer children would be taken into care. And the Bill should include provisions to support loving mothers and families who are struggling so children can be spared the tragedy and trauma of separation. The number of 'looked after' children in England is the highest it has been since 1985. There were applications to take 21,666 children into care in the year ending March 2016. 1 in 5 children under five are referred to children's services; 1 in 19 investigated; the figures are even higher if over-5s are taken into account. The rates of children in care in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland are even higher than in England. Adoptions are higher than in any other European country, and at their highest since the start of data collection: 5,050 children were adopted in 2014, a 58 per cent increase from 2010. And 96 per cent of adoptions are without parental consent. Research for 'Suffer the Little Children' documented the experiences of 39 mothers with 67 children. Its key findings were: In 78 per cent of cases the mother suffered domestic violence. This was not taken seriously and often used against the mother; In 22 per cent of the cases the children were placed with their father, including fathers accused of violence; In another 20 per cent of cases the mother was disputing the father's contact, usually because of violence; And 40 per cent of the mothers are women of colour and/or immigrant women. Mothers, grandmothers and other carers working with Legal Action for Women and other self-help groups are fighting back. And Together for Children, a consortium of over 40 children's charities, women's groups, social work organisations and others, is among those opposing the opt-out clauses. You can see evidence from five women's organisations to the Public Bill Committee on the Children and Social Work Bill with their objections. Women Against Rape also submitted evidence about victims of domestic violence and their children. The Public Bill Committee on the Children & Social Work Bill discussed the opt-out during its public sessions on 10 January and 12 January, and will be discussing it on 17 January. To find updated information about the Bill, click here. We must act together to oppose this social cleansing precipitated by austerity policies and insist that MPs vote against the "opt out" measures. On 18 January 2017, from 6-8pm, Emma Lewell-Buck, MP for South Shields and Shadow Minister for Education and for Children and Families, will be sponsoring a meeting in Committee Room 11 in the House of Commons, where the speakers will be: Cristel Amiss, from the Black Women's Rape Action Project; Dr Andy Bilson, Emeritus Professor of Social Work, University of Central Lancashire; Donna Clarke, who fought not to have her grandchild adopted; Dr Anna Gupta, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Royal Holloway University of London; Nicola Mann, from Women Against Rape; Anne Neale, from Legal Action for Women; and Kim Sparrow, from Single Mothers' Self Defence. And 'Suffer the Little Children' – a dossier by Legal Action for Women, documenting mothers' struggle in the family courts in England – will be launched at the meeting. Please join us if you can.  |
| Stopping harassment: new guide Posted: 13 Jan 2017 01:27 PM PST
The Scottish Women's Rights Centre (SWRC) has developed a legal guide for survivors of gender based violence who are experiencing harassment. The 'Stopping Harassment' legal guide explains how to obtain protective orders to improve women's safety and will be a helpful resource for any woman living with stalking or harassment or for professionals who may have a role in supporting survivors. Women who have been affected by violence such as rape, sexual assault or domestic abuse often continue to receive unwanted and distressing contact even after the violence itself has stopped. That contact might come from the person who perpetrated the violence or from their family or friends. If you fear for your safety, we would always recommend that you contact the police. But there are situations where the police might not be able to do what you think is needed to protect you. What is happening might not be enough to amount to a criminal act or there might not be enough evidence to arrest the person who is harassing you. In that situation, you might be able to get a non harassment order from the court to help protect you. This guide explains: what a non harassment order is, and what you need to show the court to get one; what you need to do / show to get an interim interdict (a temporary "emergency" order that can be put in place while the court is deciding whether to grant the non harassment order); what the court process is for you to get a non harassment order; and whether you can get compensation for harassment. Remember that this is just a guide and not a replacement for legal advice specific to your situation. We would always suggest that you seek legal advice to help you decide what your options are. You can call our Helplines to speak to one of our solicitors or contact a local surgery to make a face-to-face appointment with a solicitor. What is harassment? If someone is acting in a way which causes you "distress and alarm", then this can be harassment if they either intend to harass you or what they are doing "occurs in circumstances where it would appear to a reasonable person to be harassment". That means that the Sheriff (judge) will consider the background and context of what has happened to you in deciding whether you have been harassed. "Conduct" which amounts to harassment can include the perpetrator saying certain things to you or sending you messages (emails, texts, facebook messages etc). It can also include the perpetrator being present in a particular place / area. Most women who are victims of harassment will, understandably, be very reluctant to come and give evidence at court. Your harassers and their family and friends could be there and being a witness in court is a difficult thing to do. However, unless you come to tell the court what has happened to you, the court will not have enough information to give you the non harassment order. To try and make coming to court easier for you, your solicitor can ask the court to have you treated as a vulnerable witness. The court would agree to you being classed as a vulnerable witness if the Sheriff agrees that the "quality of the evidence" would be adversely affected by your distress at having to give evidence i.e. that you would be so nervous / distressed by giving evidence that you would not be able to properly tell the court what has happened. As a vulnerable witness, your solicitor could ask the court to let you give evidence by video link, by commission (i.e. you give evidence outside the court to a person who takes it down and then gives it to the court) or behind a screen. Almost always, the Sheriff will want you to actually be in court and therefore normally you would need to come to court and give evidence behind a screen. For further information about the Scottish Women's Rights Centre (SWRC) and its services please visit the SWRC website. The SWRC's helpline number is 08088 010 789 and it is open Tuesdays from 6pm – 9pm and Wednesdays from 1.30pm – 4.30pm. Rape Crisis Scotland's helpline number is 08088 01 03 02 and open any day between 6pm and midnight. In an emergency, call the police on 999.  |
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