Gavin Newlands attends anti-Trident rally in Westminster
July 14, 2016Bike & Hike update
July 14, 2016Yesterday Gavin Newlands from Paisley and Renfrewshire North hosted a cross-party lobby event in Westminster showing support for TheCouncil of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (known as the Istanbul Convention). This legislation requires the UK to take measures to prevent violence against women, protect women experiencing violence, and prosecute perpetrators.
With Rebecca Bunce, Jess Phillips MP Lab, Peter Aldous MP Con, Robyn Boosey, Rachel Nye
The Istanbul Convention Parliamentary lobby was an event run by the IC Change campaign, a campaign for ratification of the Istanbul Convention, which raised awareness about the Convention’s importance and where MPs heard from survivors. The campaign aims to secure the ratification of the Istanbul Convention (IC) in the UK.
Research states that on average, two women in England and Wales are killed every week by a current or former male partner.[1] In Scotland in 2014/15, 1,797 rapes and 104 attempted rapes and 59,882 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded by the police.[2] In Northern Ireland in 2014-15 there were 2,734 sexual offences recorded, including 737 offences of rape, and 13,426 domestic abuse crimes were reported (approximately 13% of the overall crime in Northern Ireland).[3]
Rebecca Bunce, co-director of the IC change campaign, said “This law is about women’s lives. It is easy to forget when talking about legal technicalities, but ratification is really about women being able to live free from violence and free from the fear of violence.”
She continued “With the promise of the Istanbul Convention, we have already seen progress from the UK government with legislation on forced marriage, psychological violence and female genital mutilation (FGM). We can’t stop now. With uncertain times ahead it is all the more vital that there is a clear legal framework to help end violence against women. We urge the UK government to finish what they started and ratify the Istanbul Convention.”
Jenn Selby, a journalist, campaigner and survivor who attended the lobby, reflected:
“When I think of all the brave women I’ve met on my way through the system, how many years we’d all been waiting for court cases that didn’t happen, all the while deprived of our human right to adequate mental support, I wonder how many of them made it.”
“The legal framework did more to see our perpetrators walk free than to keep us alive. This is not justice. Ratifying the Istanbul Convention would end this.
“Not only would the Istanbul Convention mean a government commitment to the adequate funding of women’s services and a stronger survivor-led prosecution service, but also commitment to prevention programmes – so the violence doesn’t happen in the first place.
“This is a life or death situation. The Istanbul Convention is the best legislation currently in existence and it will increase our chances of survival significantly. ”
Gavin Newlands, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North said:
“I was delighted to host this cross-party event, raise awareness amongst colleagues in Parliament, and bring together these organisations doing such vital work to stop violence against women.
“While the UK government has taken steps to end violence against women, I am calling on them to ensure there is cooperation between Government, local authorities and charities.”
For more information on the IC Change campaign go to : http://icchange.co.uk and @ICChangeUK on Twitter.
