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It has been a catastrophic case for both ‘Sarah’ the victim and the public. Here are the key questions that need answering. There are big questions for the justice professionals in the saga of “Sarah”, whose conviction for perverting the course of justice by wrongly retracting a rape allegation was upheld on Tuesday by Lord Judge, the lord chief justice. Read the rest of Vera’s piece in ‘Comment is free’ in the Guardian on March 14th, 2012 This piece appeared in Next Left on Friday, 10th February 2012: This is a guest post by Vera Baird. Vera is a member of the Fabian Society Executive Committee and Chair of the new Labour Commission on Women’s Safety, commissioned by shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper. Yvette Cooper described this Government, whose first budget took 70% of its cuts from women and 30% from men, as having “a blind spot” about women. She seems to be right when one considers, not only economics, but also plans such as the deletion of continue reading Checking the blind spot – Examining violence against women A local report of Vera’s role in the Women’s Safety Commission seems to be spooking Lib Dem Minister for Women Lynne Featherstone! Read the article in the Tottenham Journal here. Vera and Kate Green MP replied to an article in last week’s Observer alleging that some women Tory MPs might be concerned about the Coalition’s impact on women. Here is the text of the letter, which appeared in the publication on 15th January 2012: Tory ‘sisterhood’? What a joke Conservative women’s proclaimed support for equality (“The new blue sisterhood“, Review) fails to convince when their own government’s track record is examined. Female unemployment is at a 23-year high as a result of government policies, while cuts to continue reading Tory ‘sisterhood’? What a joke Vera spoke at the AAFDA Annual Conference in January 2012. View some local press coverage. The Labour Commission on Women’s Safety began gathering evidence just before Christmas. My colleagues, MPs Kate Green, Stella Creasy and I, met in London with twelve leading national women’s organisations to scope out what our inquiry needs to cover. The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has asked us to produce a provisional report by International Women’s Day in March about whether, and if so how, coalition decisions, policies and legislation are impacting on women’s safety. Read the rest of Vera’s piece in Left Foot Forward. From changing the definition of domestic abuse to turning off street lights, recent policies are contradictory and harmful… Read Vera’s piece in the Guardian’s Comment is Free section If the Coalition wants to win back women voters, they must ditch the disastrous domestic violence provisions in their Legal Aid Bill… continue reading Decimating women’s rights Vera’s article written for progess online about the proposed destruction of DNA by the coalition. Also available on the Progress Online website.
Here we are again The Coalition’s proposals to destroy DNA currently held on the national database will be disastrous for the future of rape convictions. They must reverse the policy as they did on their equally misconceived plans to give anonymity to defendants and to halve sentences for guilty pleas, in rape. They show overall a pitiful understanding of justice for women. That is not surprising from a government of millionaire men who have deliberately continue reading DNA and Rape an article for Progress Online |
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Vera Baird - click for bio.
Vera was MP for Redcar from 2001-2010. She is now the Women's Officer of Hornsey&Wood Green Labour, Chair of Crouch End Branch and of Haringey Borough Campaign Cttee
Vera has been unanimously elected Chair of the Eaves/Poppy Project.
Vera is on the Fabian Society Executive
Vera is a Member of the Justice Council
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