SUPPORTING THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN

SUPPORTING THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN

As mentioned before, this year the CLSC ran a successful fundraiser to support Rights of Women and pledged to match every penny raised, capped at £2,000. Great initiatives and social media posts as well as a QR code on the Company’s annual Banquet meant £6,642.40 was the total that was presented to the organisation.

Tanja Velling from the organisation had this to say’

“It was a great honour to lead on the International Women’s Day fundraiser by the City of London Solicitors’ Company in favour of Rights of Women whose work is so, so important. Working alongside experienced Digital Marketing Executive, Sean Cullen, and two past Masters of the Company, Alexandra Marks CBE and Sarah de Gay, it was an immensely rewarding experience. I learned a lot and was blown away by the support for this initiative at every level of the Company and beyond.”

Rights of Women is a legal rights and advice organisation aimed exclusively at women. It is turning 50 this year. It was originally set up as a loose collective of women who felt that the law was made by men for men and did not really cater to the needs of women. It was a campaigning organisation to begin with - an aspect which continues today - with behind the scenes influencing work, with engaging in legal challenges against the Government and with intervening in cases to try and shape the law. Rights of Women was significantly involved in the campaign that resulted in criminalising rape in marriages and in securing rights for lesbian parents. Today, it provides help and information around four main legal areas; Employment Law (specifically sexual harassment in the workplace), Criminal Law, Family Law and Immigration and Asylum Law. The advice is primarily given via telephone by qualified female lawyers and any woman needing help in any of these areas can call as often as they want or

need and be on the phone as long as is required. They get very tailored and specific advice for their situations. Around 3,000 women use this service every year.

A lot of the women calling are victims / survivors of violence, be it domestic violence, at work or an assault elsewhere. Often the various law sectors intersect - it is not unusual to have, say, a migrant woman who is in an abusive relationship and who also needs help with other legal matters; the organisation works towards a holistic approach whereby it can help such a woman in all her areas of concern.

As well as the invaluable telephone advice that is provided, Rights of Women also publishes over 80 simple, tailored, specific legal guides for women who are going through legal processes or wanting to take a particular action. These offer practical advice on what the women need to do and know. In producing these guides, Rights of Women works very closely with a panel of survivors of violence to ensure that the guides really do meet the needs of the women reading them. For example, there have been some very positive practical additions to the guide, ‘From Report to Court’, which is a guide for survivors of sexual harassment going through the criminal process As well as giving all the legal information that is needed, telling the women they may well be, say, at a police station for a few hours so to come prepared with say a jumper in case it is cold is just one of the many practical, helpful tips that have been included. These guides have been downloaded over a million times.

How do the women in need know of the existence of the organisation? Obviously, by googling anything to do with free legal advice for women - but Rights for Women is also well embedded in pathways with other domestic abuse organisations who cross refer. Social media such as Facebook groups for survivors allows the word to be spread too.

The organisation is fully staffed exclusively by women. There are 21 full time employees and around 50 fully qualified solicitor and barrister volunteers who are on the phone lines giving advice.

The number of women that can be helped is obviously limited by the number of women lawyers volunteering to give the telephone advice (most of whom are already working in the legal aid sector) and so Rights of Women is constantly looking for more to come forward and give their time and expertise to help. So, if you are a female lawyer reading this and you are specialised in one of the four core areas of law that the organisation deals with then please if you possibly can, and offer your services. For anyone else, there are many research or written tasks that need your help also. And, obviously, all donations are very much needed and most gratefully accepted. Lastly, simply share the fact that Rights for Women exists in whatever way you can. Spreading the word can only help spread the good. It is, most definitely, the right thing to do.

To volunteer, donate or just to find out more contact Melanie McLaren melanie@row.org.uk.