Spring 2012

NEWSLETTER
2011 Another great year for Rights of Women
2011 was another busy, productive and successful year for us at Rights of Women. We launched our new dedicate immigration and asylum law advice line, increasing our capacity to provide free and confidential legal advice to women. We published a 4th edition of From Report to Court: a handbook for adult survivors of sexual violence and distributed over 18,000 copies to police forces, Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Rape Crisis centres and Survivors Trust member organisation throughout England and Wales. We continued to build the capacity of other organisations through the publication of From Rights to Action: Using international rights and mechanisms on violence against women in the UK. But 2011 also saw the start of one of the biggest attacks on women's access to justice in Rights of Women's history. As an organisation that has women's access to justice at the core of our aims, the Government's proposals to remove nearly all areas of law from the scope of legal aid have shocked us. We have therefore been fiercely committed to leading a campaign against the reforms. In January we published research demonstrating the impact that these reforms will have on women and have lobbied Parliamentarians as the LASPO has progressed through the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Keeping women up to date with the law

We are constantly extending and updating our range of free legal guides for women to provide them with clear and accurate information on key legal issues. We have recently published updated editions of our popular guides: A Guide to Child Contact A Guide to Residence A Guide to Parental Responsibility When Parents Separate: some common issues We are also delighted to be working with MOSAC on a new range of legal guides, designed specifically for nonabusive parents of children who have been sexually abused. The legal guides will provide a clear and concise overview of the law relating to children including disputes between parents on contact and residence; social services involvement with children; and sexual offences specific to children. These will be available in the Spring. All our legal guides are available in hard copy and to download from our website www.rightsofwomen.org.uk. For more information or to receive hard copies contact Shirleen on 020 7251 6575 or info@row.org.uk.

Our Director Emma Scott demonstrating against the legal aid cuts.

We know that without legal aid women will be cut off from accessing the legal rights and remedies the law affords them. They will be unable to make safe contact arrangements or resolve financial disputes on relationship breakdown. They will be unable to resolve their insecure immigration status when they are victims of violence or trafficking. Put simply by one woman responding to our survey on the legal aid reforms "(t)hese proposals if implemented will result in the deaths of women and children." See Spotlight on policy and campaigning for more information about our current campaigning work on legal aid.

News and updates

New sexual violence handbooks for women and girls
In July 2011 we launched the 4th edition of our acclaimed handbook on sexual violence and the criminal justice system, From Report to Court. Funded again by the Home Office, the 4th edition reflects changes in case law and legal policy, and over 18,000 copies have been distributed to every police force, Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Rape Crisis centre and Survivors Trust member organisation in England and Wales. The handbook is also available to download from our website. worked as Principal Legal Officer at the Immigration Advisory Service and for nearly 30 years at Hammersmith & Fulham Community Law Centre. She is experienced in giving telephone and face-to-face front-line advice to clients, taking test cases to the higher Courts, and doing policy work on immigration and asylum issues. "I am excited to be continuing Catherine's important work with vulnerable women asylum-seekers and those with an insecure immigration status" says Sheona. In August 2011 our Office Manager, Mina Rai, left to pursue her career as a lawyer. She is now working as a Legal Assistant at Mackintosh Law and we wish her all the best for a bright future in the legal profession. Shirleen Clarke took over the role of Office Manager in late August and is responsible for the organisation's finances and administration. "I am the first point of contact for my colleagues and callers. I can be found hiding behind my keyboard". We were also pleased to be joined in September by Natasha Nkonde as our part time Fundraising Officer. Natasha has worked as a fundraiser with national charities such as Marie Curie Cancer Care and Asthma UK, as well as spending two years on an international development project in Zambia with the Voluntary Services Overseas. "I am delighted to be able to focus my skills working to further women's rights".
Catherine Briddick (Rights of Women), Debora Singer (Asylum Aid), Adam Weiss (AIRE Centre), Pragna Patel (Southall Black Sisters) and Emma Scott (Rights of Women) prepare to launch our new research report Silenced voices speak on 7 December 2011

We are also delighted to have been commissioned by The Havens Paddington to write a sister handbook for young people. Your life, your body, your rights. Sexual violence and the law: a young person's guide will be an exciting and essential new publication covering sexual offences and the criminal justice system for this vulnerable group and is due to be published in March 2012. For more information contact Hannah on 020 7251 6575 or hannah@row.org.uk.

'Silenced Voices Speak' analyses six months of calls to our immigration and asylum law line which was launched in April 2011 and identifies and analyses the key barriers and issues for women seeking safety and protection in the UK. The report makes clear and concrete recommendations which will ensure that this vulnerable group of women are able to access protection and live lives free from violence. We are now working together with other organisations including Asylum Aid to take forward its recommendations. The report can be downloaded from our website ww.rightsofwomen.org.uk . For more information contact Sheona on 020 7251 6575 or Sheona@row.org.uk.

Closer to becoming a charity

Following important resolutions made by our members in July 2011 Rights of Women is making progress towards registration as a charity. We have recently submitted our application to Companies House to incorporate as a company limited by guarantee. We will be in touch with our member about further progress and the impact that registration will have on membership. We would like to thank our legal team at Decherts LLP, particularly Thomas Mieszkowski and Nathalie Sadler, for their support through this important process. For more information contact Emma on 020 7251 6575 or emma@row.org.uk.

Farewells and welcomes

Our Senior Legal Officer, Catherine Briddick, is currently on maternity leave having given birth to a healthy baby boy, Raphael in January. During her leave her management responsibilities have been divided between our Legal Officers, Hannah Camplin and Ruth Tweedale. In December we welcomed Sheona York to the team to cover our immigration and asylum law projects. Sheona is an experienced immigration and asylum solicitor who has

Silenced Voices Speak

On 7 December 2011 we launched our new research report 'Silenced voices speak: strategies for protecting migrant women from violence and abuse' at Amnesty International's Action Centre where we were joined by over 80 delegates, including students, lawyers and activists from women's and migrant rights organisations.

Spotlight on policy and campaigning

Whether it was leading a coalition of violence against women organisations to campaign against the Government's proposals to reform legal aid, publishing a new handbook, From Rights to Action, to support women's organisations to use international mechanisms to address violence against women or working with Women's Aid on a response to the family justice review, 2011 was one of our busiest years yet for our policy and campaigning work. The past year saw a very significant number of law and policy developments with serious implications for women including the reform of child maintenance, changes to the rules on family migration and the development of a long term solution to the issue of no recourse to public funds for women applying for indefinite leave to remain under the domestic violence rule. Women responding to our survey published in January 2011 told us that legal aid was a vital and life-saving resource and that without legal aid they would not be able to take legal action to protect themselves and their children. "By cutting legal aid the government is silencing women." Respondent to our survey on the proposals to reform legal aid. We have been busy speaking to the media and members of Parliament to make sure the voices of the women we speak to on our advice lines are heard. Our Director, Emma Scott, spoke on Radio 4's Women's Hour, gave formal evidence to the House of Commons Committee and has spoken at numerous briefings for MPs and Peers in both houses of Parliament. As an organisation committed to women's access to justice we believe that legal aid is vital and will continue to prioritise our work on these potentially devastating reforms.

2012 has seen no slow down in Government consultations on key issues for women and we have already worked with other violence against women The campaign to abolish organisations on responses to consultations on new No Recourse to Public Funds stalking legislation, the definition of domestic violence and the criminalisation of forced marriage. It is clear that this In another key area of our policy work, together with the year will be as busy as the last and we are as committed Campaign to Abolish No Recourse to Public Funds we as ever to ensuring that women's voices are heard at have been engaged in detailed discussions with the UK every level of law and policy development. Border Agency on proposals for a long term solution to provide support to victims of domestic violence who are The campaign to save legal aid in the UK on spousal visas whilst they apply for settlement under the domestic violence rule. We have We are currently campaigning hard to ensure that the also been leading a campaign against the introduction of Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders a new requirement which requires women applying under (LASPO) Bill which will withdraw legal aid from many the domestic violence rule to be free from unspent areas of law is amended to protect legal aid for women who have experienced gender-based violence and abuse. criminal convictions. We are very concerned that this new We are very concerned that unless it is amended, the Bill requirement undermines the purpose of the protection offered by the domestic violence rule and that women will have a very serious and dangerous impact on should not remain trapped in an abusive relationship women's safety and ability to exit violent relationships or rebuild their lives after experiencing violence and abuse. because they have a prior criminal conviction.

A review of the family justice and child maintenance systems

At the same time as the Government has been pushing through the LASPO Bill, the final report of the Family Justice Review has been published. We are very concerned that the review echoes the Government's legal aid proposals and focuses heavily on encouraging out of court settlement and the use of mediation for family disputes with no clear line on the unsuitability of mediation where domestic violence is an issue. Despite our concerns about the overall emphasis of the review. Many of our concerns about the safety of women who have experienced violence were acknowledged in the final report. The Review Panel quoted from our submission and recommended that the Government and the judiciary should actively consider how children and vulnerable witnesses may be protected when giving evidence in family proceedings. We will be taking this recommendation forward in our upcoming policy work. The Government has also put forward a number of proposals on child maintenance, including proposals for charging applicants to the statutory child maintenance scheme. These proposals will have an unfair and disproportionate impact on women who in the overwhelming majority of cases will, as the resident parent, be the applicant. Some of these proposals have made their way into the Welfare Reform Bill, but are being fiercely opposed in the House of Lords. For more information about our policy and public affairs work visit www.rightsofwomen.org.uk or contact Katherine on 020 7251 6575 or katherine@row.org.uk.

Fundraising
These are very challenging times for fundraising for the continuation of our vital work with women. London Councils is again consulting on the future of its grants scheme and the future of our London Councils funded work is under threat. We are currently working to identify alternative sources of funding for this work but in the meantime would encourage you to let London Councils know how important the work of Rights of Women and other women's organisations are to women in the capital. More information about the consultation can be found here www.londoncouncils.gov.uk.

We are looking for a Treasurer

Our Management Committee is looking to recruit a Treasurer for co-option to the Committee. We are looking for a woman with a background in financial management to support us in our strategic management. For more information Now, more than ever the support and donations of our members and supporters please visit our website or contact Emma on 020 7251 6575 or is vital in ensuring the future of our life saving services for women. For more information on how you can support our fundraising contact Emma on 020 7251 emma@row.org.uk. 6575 or emma@row.org.uk.

Training & Events

This year we are continuing to run For advice on family law issues including domestic violence, divorce and issues essential women only training related to children, contact 020 7251 6577 or 020 7490 2562 (textphone). Lines courses for professionals, aimed at improving their ability to advise and are open Mon 11am-1pm, Tues & Wed 2-4pm & 7-9pm, Thurs 7-9pm and support vulnerable women. In 2012 Fri 12(noon) to 2pm. we are delighted to be delivering For advice on criminal law issues including rape and sexual assault, reporting some of our courses again in partoffences to the police and the rights of victims, witnesses and defendants nership with other expert organisacontact 020 7251 8887 or 020 7490 2562 (textphone). Lines are open tions such as Asylum Aid, the Poppy Tues 11am-1pm and Thurs 2-4pm. Project and the Asylum Support Appeals Project. Our courses have For advice on immigration and asylum law issues including the rights of EEA filled quickly - with many already fully nationals, claiming asylum, trafficking and no recourse to public funds contact booked - highlighting the continuing 020 7490 7689 or 020 7490 2562 (textphone). Lines are open Mon 2-4pm and need for our training courses across Wed 11am-1pm. the statutory and voluntary sectors.

Advice line times

How can I help?

I would like to help Rights of Women to help more women through the law. Please send me more information about (please tick): Becoming a member of Rights of Women. Rights of Womens training courses. Rights of Womens publications. I would like to donate to Rights of Women 50 30 10 5 Other (please specify)_______

We are also delivering our popular workshops and courses in-house to organisations such as Solace Women's Aid, Nottinghamshire Domestic Violence Forum and the Survivor's Trust. Our Legal Officers have also been in demand, speaking at numerous events for organisations including, Citizen's Advice Bureau, Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre and BME Community Services. We are looking forward to another busy and rewarding year for our training services. If you would like further information or to be added to the mailing list for regular updates on our training and events on our open and in-house training contact Malinda on 020 7251 6575 or malinda@row.org.uk.

I would like to set up a Standing Order to make a regular donation to Rights of Women. Please send me details. Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Other_______ First name__________________________Surname____________________ Address_______________________________________________________ _________________________________________Postcode_____________ Tel______________________________________Email_________________

If you would like to receive future copies of this newsletter by email to save us printing and postage costs please contact Shirleen on 020 7251 6575 or info@row.org.uk. This newsletter is published by Rights of Women 52-54 Featherstone Street London EC1Y 8RT Tel: 020 7251 6575 Fax: 020 7490 5377 Textphone: 020 7490 2562 Email: info@row.org.uk www.rightsofwomen.org.uk Industrial and Provident Society: 23221R