Sexual harassment victims ‘less likely to be believed if they are seen as less feminine’ – The Independent

Posted January 15th, 2021 in harassment, news, sex discrimination, sexual offences, victims, women by tracey

‘Women that suffer sexual harassment who are deemed to be less stereotypically feminine are less likely to have their allegations believed, a new study has found.’

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The Independent, 14th January 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Work Rights in the Nursery: Au pairs entitled to the NMW (but in respect of which hours?) – Littleton Chambers

Posted January 12th, 2021 in EC law, employment tribunals, equal pay, minimum wage, news, women, working time by sally

‘The employment tribunal has disapplied the “family worker” exemption, in effect holding that au pairs and other domestic workers who live in the home are entitled to the protections of the National Minimum Wage (“NMW”) regime. If this tribunal decision stands, it gives rise to another significant question: which hours should count towards the NMW for domestic workers?’

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Littleton Chambers, 4th January 2021

Source: littletonchambers.com

UK ministers face legal action over lack of abortion services in Northern Ireland – The Guardian

‘Northern Ireland’s human rights commission (NIHRC) has launched a landmark legal action against the UK government for its failure to commission safe and accessible abortion services more than a year after abortion was made legal in the country, the Guardian can reveal.’

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The Guardian, 10th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Pinto: Gender parity a long way off in fraud work – Legal Futures

‘The immediate past chair of the Bar Council has welcomed work by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ensure greater gender parity in its instructions but said female fraud barristers are “a long way from parity” with their male colleagues.’

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Legal Futures, 8th January 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Research lays bare gender disparities in publicly funded advocacy – Legal Futures

Posted January 5th, 2021 in barristers, equality, legal aid, news, queen's counsel, remuneration, reports, women by sally

‘There are “significant gender disparities” in barristers’ access to work and pay across both criminal and civil publicly funded work, research by a circuit judge has found.’

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Legal Futures, 5th January 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Tough new domestic abuse tsar prepares to shape laws to protect threatened women – The Guardian

‘As violence soars in locked-down homes, Nicole Jacobs explains how, as commissioner, she can make a difference.’

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The Guardian, 3rd January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Significant leap in number of women applying for silk – Legal Futures

‘Some 116 new QCs were named yesterday, with the appointment body revealing that more women applied for silk this year and the majority were successful – unlike men.’

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Legal Futures, 17th December 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Why The Sexual Exploitation Bill Will Make Vulnerable Women Less Safe – Each Other

‘Paying for sex could become a criminal offence in England and Wales if Parliament approves a new Bill which claims to protect women from sexual exploitation. But criminalisation will only further harm people who are already marginalised, argues Rachel Trafford.’

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Each Other, 17th December 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Female advocates “will lose work” if court hours are extended – Legal Futures

Posted December 17th, 2020 in barristers, carers, coronavirus, courts, news, women, working time by tracey

‘Advocates unable to cover extended operating hours in the courts will likely lose work and could be driven out of the profession as a result, a high-profile group of women barristers has told the government.’

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Legal Futures, 17th December 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Role of grooming of women involved in violent crime examined as part of new gangs guidance – Crown Prosecution Service

‘Prosecutors working on gang-related cases which involve women and girls should consider if there is evidence they have been forced or groomed into committing crime, according to new legal guidance published today. The guidance, Decision-making in “gang” related offences, has been drawn up by the Crown Prosecution Service to give lawyers practical advice on building the strongest possible cases and gathering robust evidence to present to the court.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 16th December 2020

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Virginity testing ban proposed by Richard Holden MP – BBC News

Posted December 16th, 2020 in bills, doctors, human rights, news, women by tracey

‘Proposals to outlaw virginity testing have passed their first parliamentary stage. North West Durham Conservative MP Richard Holden told parliament the practice was “medieval”. His Virginity Testing (Prohibition) Bill has been passed by MPs for further consideration by the Commons in January.’

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BBC News, 15th December 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Fifth femicide census shows “a serious failing and indicates a lack of will to tackle root causes” of killings of women by men in the UK – Family Law

Posted December 10th, 2020 in homicide, news, reports, statistics, victims, women by tracey

‘The Femicide Census has produced its fifth, and most comprehensive, report to date of women killed by men in the UK.’

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Family Law, 9th December 2020

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Government urged to fix ‘disastrous state’ of rape prosecutions – The Guardian

‘An alliance of women’s organisations is calling for radical reforms to address the “disastrous state” of rape investigations and prosecutions, including a ministerial lead, a commission on juries and a ban on the use of sexual history evidence.’

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The Guardian, 30th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Domestic abuse victims with ‘trapped capital’ should not be denied legal aid, court rules – The Guardian

‘Victims of domestic abuse should not be denied legal aid because they have assets trapped in a home, the high court has ruled.’

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The Guardian, 25th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Report questions equality initiatives that “set women apart” – Legal Futures

Posted November 24th, 2020 in diversity, equality, law firms, news, reports, women by sally

‘Some of the measures used by law firms to tackle a lack of gender diversity in senior roles could be “ineffective or even counter-productive”, a report has found.’

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Legal Futures, 24th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Criminalise public sexual harassment in UK, charities say – The Guardian

Posted November 23rd, 2020 in charities, children, criminal justice, harassment, news, sexual offences, statistics, women by sally

‘Girls’ rights groups are calling for public sexual harassment to be criminalised in the UK after research suggested more than half of young women and girls were harassed on the street during the summer.’

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The Guardian, 22nd November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Essure: Women in England take legal action against sterilising-device maker – BBC News

Posted November 16th, 2020 in class actions, compensation, damages, health, medical treatment, news, women by sally

‘Lawyers have begun legal action on behalf of 200 UK women against the makers of a sterilisation device, after claims of illness and pain.’

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BBC News, 15th November 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

“Shocking discrepancies” in Bar gender pay gap analysis – Legal Futures

Posted November 12th, 2020 in barristers, fees, news, remuneration, statistics, women by tracey

‘The gender pay gap at the Bar is “alive and well”, the chair of the Bar Council said yesterday, after new figures looking at individual practice areas revealed “shocking discrepancies”.’

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Legal Futures, 12th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Equality watchdog clears BBC of pay discrimination against women – BBC News

Posted November 12th, 2020 in BBC, equal pay, equality, news, sex discrimination, women by tracey

‘An investigation by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission has found no unlawful acts of pay discrimination against women by the BBC. But it has recommended “improvements to increase transparency and rebuild trust with women at the organisation”.’

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BBC News, 12th November 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Rough sex excuse in women’s deaths is variation of ‘crime of passion’ – study – The Guardian

‘Men who kill women are increasingly using the “sex game gone wrong” excuse as a contemporary variation on the traditional crime of passion defence, research has found.’

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The Guardian, 10th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com