A teenage boy in Ireland rape case claims gender bias in law

24 April 2008 in Eire, Gender Mainstreaming, Government, Legal Police, Rape and Sexual Assault

A teenage boy charged with statutory rape is to challenge the controversial law in the High Court on the grounds it discriminates against him because he is male. The 17-year-old from Donegal has been charged with the statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl on August 5, 2006, when he was aged 15. A case will [...]

Pressure is building on MPs over whether or not to cut the legal time limit for abortion

24 April 2008 in Abortion Contraception, England, Government, Wales

It is expected MPs will get a vote on cutting the 24-week limit – possibly to 20 weeks – in an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. It would be the first time politicians have had a chance to vote on the issue since 1990. And the prospect has prompted campaigners on both [...]

Lap dancing link to prostitution and crime

24 April 2008 in England, Legal Police, Pornography, Prostitution, Violence Against Women

A ‘rapid expansion’ of lap-dancing clubs across the UK has been allowed by the government despite concerns about links with prostitution and human trafficking, according to an influential report to be issued this week. A coalition of MPs, peers, government advisers and think-tanks says that lap dancing has exploited the 2005 Licensing Act – a [...]

Are clients really blind to trafficked women’s fate?

24 April 2008 in England, HIV/AIDS, Prostitution, Trafficking, Violence Against Women

The man who destroyed “Alicia’s” life couldn’t have done it without the hundreds of others who were willing to pay him to have sex with her. She grew up in Uganda, where she was harassed by police and jailed because of her Rwandan ethnic background. Desperate to get out of the country, she met a [...]

Glasgow has been warned that hosting the Commonwealth Games could make it a “magnet” for prostitution

24 April 2008 in Prostitution, Scotland, Trafficking

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) said other large events had transformed host cities into hotspots for the sex industry. The issues of exploitation and trafficking at the 2014 Games will be debated in a motion at the STUC’s annual congress next week. Glasgow beat the Nigerian city, Abuja, to host the games. Speaking ahead [...]

The smoking ban is to blame for high levels of domestic violence in some parts of Preston, according to the city’s top policeman

24 April 2008 in Domestic Violence, Women's Group

Figures for the last quarter show domestic violence accounts for as much as 40% of violent crime in some suburban areas in the east of Preston including places such as Ribbleton and St Matthews. The overall average in Preston is 23%. And one theory is it could be down to a change in people’s social [...]

Domestic violence on the increase in Redbridge

24 April 2008 in Domestic Violence, Women's Group

Domestic violence is on the rise in the Redbridge – but police claim this is down to greater confidence in the justice system. Overall, crime levels have actually fallen in Redbridge. There were 2,000 fewer incidents of rape, violent crime, robbery and burglary between March 2007 and March 2008, which equates to a drop of [...]

Mansfield and Ashfield Safety Centre’s survival secured

24 April 2008 in Domestic Violence, Funding, Women's Group

A centre which helps victims of domestic violence in Mansfield and Ashfield has been given a funding boost to help it survive for the next year. It was reported earlier this year how the Mansfield and Ashfield Safety Centre (MASC) was facing a serious funding shortfall of around £80,000 and could have been forced to [...]