News & Campaigns

All the latest from HER-itage and our affiliates

BPAS welcomes this week’s vote for wide-ranging abortion law reform in Guernsey

  • In Guernsey, the States of Deliberation voted to reform the Bailiwick’s 24-year old abortion law
  • The law change removes women from the criminal law throughout pregnancy and increases the gestational limit to 24 weeks for routine care
  • The changes are a vindication of the rights of women in Guernsey – treating abortion as a healthcare decision that should be made between a woman and her medical team
  • Guernsey is the latest British Overseas Territory to update their abortion laws – joining Gibraltar which last month voted to legalise abortion for the first time, and the Isle of Man which decriminalised abortion in 2019

BPAS has welcomed a vote by the States of Deliberation in Guernsey to reform abortion law in the Bailiwick. Deputies voted 27-11 on Thursday 15 July 2021 in favour of the proposals brought forward by the Health and Social Care Committee in Guernsey. These reforms recognise the right of women to end a pregnancy and ensure that the best possible medical care can be provided. BPAS has supported these changes from the beginning.

The change in law removes women from the criminal law throughout pregnancy, increases the gestational limit to 24 weeks for routine care, and removes the time limit for terminations on the grounds of serious foetal anomaly. It also removes the requirement for abortions to take place in the local hospital, abolishes the requirement for two doctors’ signatures before an abortion is permitted, and enables nurses and midwives to provide abortion services.

The current law in Guernsey is underpinned by criminalisation of women and healthcare professionals that was first passed in Westminster in 1861, as well as a The Abortion (Guernsey) Law, 1997 which was based on the provisions of the British Abortion Act 1967. These provisions have been recognised by Deputies as being out of date and harming the ability of doctors, nurses, and midwives to provide the best quality of care for women.

This change has come soon after Gibraltar – another British Overseas Territory – voted decisively in a referendum this June to legalise abortion for the first time. There have also been recent similar reforms of abortion law in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland – both of which now allow abortion up to 24 weeks and have removed women from the criminal law.

Part of a longer press release at https://www.bpas.org/about-our-charity/press-office/press-releases/bpas-welcomes-this-week-s-vote-for-wide-ranging-abortion-law-reform-in-guernsey/

July 20, 2021

20 August 2021 ~ Survey for Services who Support Rape Victims & Survey for rape victims/survivors – HMICFRS – Online – Closing date

Survey for services who support rape victims

We would like to hear from services who support rape victims/survivors through the Criminal Justice System. We would like to hear from Independent Sexual Violence Advisors, individuals who work in Sexual Assault Referral Centres and those who work in specialist support services on their work supporting victims/survivors.

https://www.homeofficesurveys.homeoffice.gov.uk/s/0D7XUD/
Survey for rape victims/survivors

We would like to hear from all rape victims/survivors who reported the incident to the police – whatever your age, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality – if you have had contact with the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales, if you were 18 or over when the incident took place and if the case is now finished. Please also feel free to share this survey with anyone else who meets this criteria.

https://www.homeofficesurveys.homeoffice.gov.uk/s/RC2021/

Closing Date: 20 August 2021

 

July 16, 2021

Fundamental culture shift required for police and prosecutors to work together for victims of rape – HMICFRS & HMCPSI

The police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) need to fundamentally change their approach to working together on rape cases to build trust and secure justice, a new report has found.

A joint inspection between HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) found some evidence of ineffective joint working between the police and prosecutors, contributing to lengthy delays in decision-making, poor outcomes and unacceptably poor communication with victims.

The report described a cycle, where concern about low conviction rates results in a more cautious approach to rape investigations and prosecutions than with other offences. This contributes to delays and what can feel like a disproportionate focus on victim credibility; which in turn can result in victims withdrawing support; and lead to worsening conviction rates. The inspectorates said this cycle must be broken.

The inspectorates said there are two essential catalysts to improve rape prosecution rates: a step-change in joint working between the police and the CPS at every level, with adequate capability and capacity in all parts of the system, and a willingness to work together to overcome the challenges faced by each agency; and the provision of high-quality and consistent wrap-around care for those who report rape.

The inspectorates also spoke directly to survivors of rape and have today published a separate report, providing survivors’ experiences of the police and prosecutor response, and the wider criminal justice system.

HMICFRS and HMCPSI have jointly made 13 recommendations, including that:

  • police forces and the CPS should work together to build a seamless approach;
  • police forces should record information on the protected characteristics of victims; and
  • police forces should work with local support services to provide bespoke, wrap-around support for victims at every stage.

Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams and HMCPSI Deputy Chief Inspector Anthony Rogers said:  

“It is sadly not news to anyone that rape victims are too often denied justice. Many initiatives and reviews are in place to improve this, but their success will depend on joint ownership of the problems and the solutions by police and the CPS at national and local levels.

“We found some excellent examples of this – but also evidence of police and prosecutors blaming each other for low prosecution rates, and pointing to different data sets to support their positions. Successful cases rely on police and prosecutors working as a team. They must stop this finger pointing and start working together to ensure victims receive better support and justice is served.

“While we are seriously concerned about the current situation, we also found evidence of dedicated professionals across the system who were unwavering in their efforts to do the right thing for victims.

“The cycle that leads to low conviction rates must be broken once and for all. We know work is already underway at a national level. The police and the CPS are jointly making improvements, and the Government has published its end-to-end rape review. This work needs to be coordinated, funded and pursued with the utmost urgency.

“The experiences of victims and survivors of rape are at the heart of our report – as they should be in reforming the system. We asked survivors what would make their interactions with the criminal justice system better, and were struck by how modest and achievable most of the responses seem. Empathy, better communication, explanation of what happens next – these are all within the gift of the criminal justice system to get right now. We make a series of practical recommendations that prosecutors and police can act on immediately, while work continues to make parallel improvements at a national level.”

The findings are from phase one of a joint inspection, which focused on the period between the victim first reporting the rape and the police or CPS deciding to take no further action.

The second phase will be published later in the year and will look at the period between a reported rape resulting in a charge and the case going to court, including the outcome.

https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/news/news-feed/fundamental-culture-shift-required-for-police-and-prosecutors-to-work-together-for-victims-of-rape/

 

July 16, 2021

Nearly two-thirds of working mums don’t have enough childcare for school summer holidays – TUC

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of working mums with primary school age children do not have sufficient childcare for the six-week school summer holidays, according to a new survey published by the TUC and campaigner Mother Pukka on 15 July 2021.

  • More than 36,000 mums responded to TUC and Mother Pukka survey on challenges of managing work and childcare for the school summer holiday
  • Mums reported huge difficulty in finding sufficient childcare post-pandemic
  • TUC calls for 10 days’ paid carer’s leave for all parents – and a legal right to flexible work for all workers

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of working mums with primary school age children do not have sufficient childcare for the six-week school summer holidays, according to a new survey published by the TUC and campaigner Mother Pukka.

And the situation is even worse for single mums, with more than three in four (76%) telling the TUC that they don’t have adequate childcare for the upcoming holidays.

‘Huge challenges’ for working mums 

At the end of June, the TUC and campaigner Mother Pukka launched a call for evidence for working mums to share their experiences of how they will manage their work and childcare commitments this school summer holiday.

More than 36,000 mums got in touch. Working mums across the public and private sector reported huge challenges in balancing their work and childcare, with three in five (60%) saying they would find managing childcare in the holidays more difficult this year than previously.

Of those who said they would find summer childcare more difficult this year:

  • Nearly one in five (18%) said they had used all their annual leave allowance already to accommodate home schooling during previous lockdowns.
  • One in five (20%) do not have their usual network of friends or family that they can rely on to help with their childcare this year.
  • Around one in eight (13%) told the TUC they don’t have access to their usual school holiday summer clubs.

Managing work and childcare this summer 

Previous TUC research has shown that working mums have picked up the lion’s share of the increase in caring responsibilities during the Covid-19 lockdowns and school closures. And this survey reveals that these school holidays will be yet another struggle for working mums.

Mums told the TUC they are juggling a variety of means to try and manage their childcare during the school holiday – and many are relying on being able to work more flexibly than before to help them cope:

  • Nearly half (48%) of mums said they were managing caring responsibilities through some form of flexible working.
  • Around two in five (39%) will have to combine working from home with childcare.
  • More than one in four (27%) will work more flexibly than normal.
  • One in eight (13%) will have to reduce their hours at work.
  • One in eight (13%) will have to take unpaid leave.

The TUC is calling on the government to: 

  • Introduce a legal right to flexible work for all workers from their first day in a job and a duty to include available flexibility in job adverts. Flexible working can take lots of different forms, including having predictable or set hours, working from home, job-sharing, compressed hours and term-time working.
  • Introduce 10 days’ carer’s leave paid on full pay, from day one in a job, for all parents. Currently parents have no statutory right to paid leave to look after their children.
  • Invest in childcare. We need more funding for good quality affordable childcare throughout the year to support parents and help the sector recover from the pandemic.

The TUC and Mother Pukka have launched a petition calling on the government to introduce stronger rights to flexible working. It can be found here:  https://www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/stronger-legal-rights-to-flexible-working

Part of a longer press release at https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/tuc-nearly-two-thirds-working-mums-dont-have-enough-childcare-school-summer-holidays

See also:

 

July 16, 2021

Numbers of families affected by two-child limit rises amid concerns about link with abortion numbers – BPAS

  • Report published on 15 July 2021 shows 318,000 families are now affected by the government’s two-child limit policy, increasing by 67,000 over the last year. The policy now impacts over one million children.
  • There has been a disproportionate rise in the number of abortions for women with two or more children following the introduction of the two-child limit in 2016.
  • Information supplied by the Department of Health & Social Care in response to FOI requests shows that since 2016, the number of abortions performed to women with two or more existing children has risen by 24%, compared with an increase of 11% among women with one existing child.
  • BPAS says the two-child limit forces women and their families into a corner between increasing financial hardship or ending an otherwise wanted pregnancy, and calls on the government to revoke the policy as a matter of urgency.

Clare Murphy, Chief Executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, BPAS, said:

“The rapidly increasing number of families affected by this cruel and regressive policy is deeply concerning.

“We have warned the government that the two-child limit is forcing some women to end what would otherwise be wanted pregnancies. Since 2016, the number of abortions performed to women with two or more existing children has risen by 24%, compared with an increase of 11% performed to women with one existing child.

“The policy assumes that couples are always able to neatly plan pregnancies with the use of contraception, and that they can also plan their financial circumstances for the 18 years following the birth of their child. Even prior to the pandemic, this was far from the case.

“Especially within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has deepened already-existing inequality and created huge economic uncertainty, the two-child limit forces women and their families into a corner between increasing financial hardship or ending a wanted pregnancy. We call on the government to revoke the policy as a matter of urgency.”

https://www.bpas.org/about-our-charity/press-office/press-releases/numbers-of-families-affected-by-two-child-limit-rises-amid-concerns-about-link-with-abortion-numbers/

See also:

July 16, 2021