‘Unwarranted attack’ by judge on indecent assault accuser could discourage women coming forward, she claims – The Independent

Posted March 15th, 2021 in complaints, harassment, judges, news, sexual offences, women by tracey

‘A woman who accused hedge fund boss Crispin Odey of indecent assault has complained about a judge’s “unwarranted attack” on her character, according to a report.’

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The Independent, 15th March 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Johnson to chair crime taskforce on violence against women as he calls Everard vigil footage ‘concerning’ – The Independent

‘Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the government’s crime and justice taskforce on Monday to discuss what more needs to be done to stamp out violence against women and girls.’

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The Independent, 15th March 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Sarah Everard: Court challenge over Clapham vigil ban – BBC News

Posted March 12th, 2021 in coronavirus, demonstrations, human rights, murder, news, women by sally

‘Organisers of a vigil in response to the disappearance of Sarah Everard are going to the High Court after police said gatherings would be “unlawful”.’

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BBC News, 12th March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Partners and Confiscation – Carmelite Chambers

‘Data from 2019 suggests that 26% of prosecutions brought against women, of which only 10% are for indictable offences. The same data indicates that women account for just 5% of the prison population.’

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Carmelite Chambers, March 2021

Source: www.carmelitechambers.co.uk

Partners and Confiscation – Carmelite Chambers

‘Richard Furlong and Alexandra Scott provide a brief guide to defending wives and partners in confiscation proceedings.’

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Carmelite Chambers, 10th March 2021

Source: www.carmelitechambers.co.uk

Quarter of women and girls have been abused by a partner, says WHO – The Guardian

Posted March 10th, 2021 in children, domestic violence, news, sexual offences, statistics, women, young persons by sally

‘Largest such study finds domestic violence experienced by one-in-four teenage girls with worst levels faced by women in their 30s.’

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The Guardian, 9th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Low Pay Commission to review minimum wage exemption for domestic staff – The Guardian

‘The government has asked the Low Pay Commission to review a rule exempting live-in domestic workers from minimum wage regulations. It comes after an employment tribunal in December found that the exemption was discriminatory against women. The tribunal heard extensive evidence that women are far more likely to be employed as family workers than men.’

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The Guardian, 7th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Women in UK armed forces face ‘hostile environment’ if they report bullying – The Guardian

Posted March 5th, 2021 in armed forces, bullying, complaints, equality, harassment, news, statistics, women by tracey

‘Women who serve in the armed forces find that they face “a hostile environment” when they are victims of bullying or harassment and try to complain, according to candid testimony given to a parliamentary committee on Thursday.’

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The Guardian, 4th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

High Court: Covid self-employed support scheme does not unlawfully discriminate against women – UK Human Rights Blog

‘R (The Motherhood Plan and Anor) v HM Treasury [2021] EWHC 309 (Admin). In a judgment handed down on 17 February 2021, the High Court has ruled that the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (“the Scheme”) introduced during the coronavirus pandemic does not indirectly discriminate against self-employed women who have taken a period of leave relating to maternity or pregnancy in the last three tax years.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 26th February 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Women earn two-thirds less than men in top finance roles – report – The Guardian

Posted March 1st, 2021 in banking, equality, news, remuneration, sex discrimination, statistics, women by tracey

‘Female directors at the UK’s largest financial services firms earn on average two-thirds less than their male counterparts, new research shows, underlining the pay gap that still exists between men and women at the highest levels in the financial sector.’

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The Guardian, 1st March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Government agrees to call pregnant ministers ‘mothers’ – The Independent

‘The government has agreed to change the wording in its new maternity leave legislation from referring to “pregnant people” to “mothers” after the phrasing was rejected by the House of Lords – despite gender-neutral language being government convention.’

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The Independent, 26th February 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Covid: Court rejects self-employed mothers’ sexual discrimination case – BBC News

‘The charity Pregnant Then Screwed has lost its legal challenge against the government for indirect sexual discrimination over the amount of support self-employed mothers received.’

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BBC News, 17th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

R (Salvato) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions – Equality Law Blog

Posted February 17th, 2021 in benefits, children, equality, human rights, news, sex discrimination, women by sally

‘The High Court ruled that the requirement that the childcare element (CCE) of Universal Credit (UC) could be paid to applicants only after they had actually paid for childcare, rather than becoming liable so to do (“the proof of payment rule”), was unlawful because it discriminated indirectly against women contrary to Article 14 ECHR read with Article 8 and/or A1P1 Further, having scrutinised the justification for the Secretary of State’s approach through the prism of Article 14, he went on to find that it was also irrational as a matter of common law. The decision engages intelligently with the sometimes tricky question of appropriate comparator pools, and shines useful light on the potential for common law rationality to accommodate discrimination-based claims even were direct reliance on Article 14 to become unavailable.’

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Equality Law Blog, 16th February 2021

Source: equalitylawblog.com

Covid: Equalities watchdog urged to investigate UK’s pandemic response – BBC News

Posted February 16th, 2021 in coronavirus, equality, ministers' powers and duties, news, women by sally

‘Unions, women’s groups and charities have asked the UK’s equalities watchdog to investigate whether the government broke the law in its pandemic response.’

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BBC News, 15th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Universal Credit childcare payment system indirectly discriminates against women – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 9th, 2021 in benefits, human rights, judicial review, news, sex discrimination, women by tracey

‘R (Salvato) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2021] EWHC 102 (Admin). Ms Salvato is one such lone mother, who brought judicial review proceedings claiming that the differential method for reimbursing childcare costs constituted indirect discrimination against women contrary to Article 14 (read with Article 8 and/or Article 1 Protocol 1) ECHR and was irrational at common law. The Administrative Court agreed on both grounds.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 8th February 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Domestic Abuse Bill: calls for data ‘firewall’ to protect migrant women – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The government has been urged to remove ‘blind spots’ in the Domestic Abuse Bill that could deter migrant women from reporting domestic abuse to the police for fear of being deported or enable perpetrators to control their victims.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 3rd February 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal aid win means domestic abuse victims will no longer be asked to sell their homes to access justice – The Independent

Posted January 29th, 2021 in domestic violence, legal aid, legal representation, mortgages, news, women by tracey

‘Domestic abuse victims blocked from getting legal aid will no longer be pushed into selling their homes in a bid to obtain justice and secure safety from their violent partners.’

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The Independent, 28th January 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Barrister suspended for “sexual” touching without consent – Legal Futures

Posted January 27th, 2021 in barristers, consent, disciplinary procedures, harassment, news, sexual offences, women by sally

‘A barrister who touched two individuals sexually has been suspended from practice for three months by a Bar disciplinary tribunal.’

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Legal Futures, 26th January 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

CPS accused of ‘systemic illegality’ in charging rape cases – The Guardian

Posted January 27th, 2021 in codes of practice, Crown Prosecution Service, equality, news, prosecutions, rape, women by sally

‘The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has been accused of “systemic illegality” in its approach to charging rape cases in a landmark judicial review into how the crime is prosecuted.’

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The Guardian, 26th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

The impact of Covid-19 on women’s sport – how the virus compounds funding disparities – Littleton Chambers

Posted January 26th, 2021 in coronavirus, news, remuneration, sport, women by sally

‘The impact of Covid-19 on sport has been significant but not all sports, or athletes, have been affected equally. In particular women’s sport and women’s teams have experienced the pandemic very differently from their male counterparts.’

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Littleton Chambers, 18th January 2021

Source: littletonchambers.com