A Woman’s Place is Resolute

A Woman’s Place is Resolute

Public Briefing in London

Monday 21 January 2019 (Venue to be announced)

Doors open at 6:30pm, for 7.00pm start.

Kiri Tunks – co-founder of Woman’s Place UK
Ruth Serwotka – co-founder of Woman’s Place UK
Karen Ingala Smith – CEO nia
Lucy Masoud – Trade Unionist 
Raquel Rosario Sanchez – Feminist Current

Woman’s Place UK was founded in September 2017 to ensure women’s voices would be heard in the consultation on proposals to change the Gender Recognition Act. We had 5 demands and we didn’t expect the campaign to last more than 3-4 months.

Thanks to the support and actions of thousands of people all over the UK we had a big collective impact on the debate and, while we don’t expect to hear the results of the consultation before February 2019, we know that the government has heard the voices of thousands of women.

At the same time, the debate has exposed the poor state of women’s rights in the UK. We have decided therefore to develop a broader campaign on the foundations we have built.

We will keep up the pressure on the government around the GRA and on councils and organisations to uphold equality law.

But there are other battles we need to fight too.
So we have made some New Year Resolutions to help us broaden the campaign in 2019:

1. Women have a right to self-organise
Women have a right to self-organisation, to speak and to be heard free from fear of abuse, threat or vilification in public and political discourse and in academia. This should be actively facilitated by those with civic or legal responsibility for promoting equality.

2. The law must work for women
The law must be strengthened to ensure that all women who want or need single sex spaces (including toilets, health provision accommodation, prisons, sports, sexual and domestic violence services) are able to access them without resorting to extraordinary measures. Service providers should be supported in offering such services through legal and financial means and clear guidance must be issued on the exercising of such rights.

3. An end to violence against women
Government must make the end to male violence against women and girls a priority. Sustainable funding for independent women-led services for women subjected to VAWG must be fully resourced by central government alongside the implementation of statutory relationships and sex education in all schools.

4. Nothing about us without us.
All organisations, committees and politicians speaking on issues of material concern to women to demonstrate that they have widely consulted the women they represent and serve and that such consultation informs their action and their policies.

5. Sex matters
Rigorous collection and analysis of sex-based data and high-quality research must be central to the development of any services, policies or actions which address women’s needs or which challenge sex discrimination and inequality.

Meeting hosted by Woman’s Place UK https://womansplaceuk.org/

The Woman’s Place UK Five Demands:

1. Respectful and evidence based discussion about the impact of the proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act to be allowed to take place and for women’s voices to be heard;

2. The principle of women only spaces to be upheld – and where necessary extended.

3. A review of how the exemptions in the Equality Act which allow for single sex services or requirements that only a woman can apply for a job (such as in a domestic violence refuge) are being applied in practice;

4. Government to consult with women’s organisations on how self-declaration would impact on women only services and spaces;

5. Government to consult on how self-declaration will impact upon data gathering – such as crime, employment, pay, and health statistics – and monitoring of sex-based discrimination such as the gender pay gap.

FAQs

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?

ID is required for each person attending and must match the name on the ticket. For this reason, only one ticket can be booked at a time – sorry for the inconvenience.

There is no minimum age. Babes in arms are encouraged. Please consider the suitability of the event if bringing children. No unaccompanied children.

What can I bring into the event?

For the security of all attendees, please don’t bring excessive belongings to the event. Bags may be searched.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Please use the Contact button at the bottom of this page, or email AWomansPlaceUK@gmail.com

What’s the refund policy?

Tickets bought may be refunded up to seven days before the event. Organisers reserve the right to cancel and refund any tickets ordered. Venue details are confidential to ticket-holders. A collection will also be made to cover costs of the meeting.

Accessibility?

Venue is wheelchair accessible. Please contact us to discuss your accessibility requirements (use the Contact button at the bottom of the page).