A Woman’s Right to Choose

Conferences notes with concern the current interest in reviewing the law to reduce the time limits for abortions. The decision to have an abortion is a complex one, involving a range of personal, emotional, social and economical considerations. Conference does not believe that any review on the time limits for abortion should be purely based […]

Recognition of Unknown Carers

It is estimated that one in ten children is a young carer in the UK today, saving the country an estimated £3 million per year. The majority of these children will be caring for their mother or enabling their mother to work by caring for another family member. The majority of young carers are girls. […]

Women and Asylum

Conference notes the horrific experiences that many women have of the immigration process in the UK and the role that the Dungavel detention centre in South Lanarkshire has played. Conference recognises that since the detention centre opened, over 100 children have been detained at the centre along with their families. This includes the Ay family […]

Homelessness

Conference is concerned that throughout their lives issues related to homelessness disproportionately affect women. Conference recognises that homelessness is not merely a question of a roof over a woman’s head but reflects a woman’s right to control where and how she chooses to live. For young women this can be due to family circumstances including […]

Lone Working

Increasingly we read about public service workers being attacked, not only within the workplace but travelling to and from work. Women members who work within the community are particularly vulnerable when accessing the community, answering on-call and going to and from work at unsociable hours. Conference calls upon the National Women’s Committee to: 1)promote lone […]

Minister’s Statement to Increase Family Size

Conference notes the recent ministerial statement encouraging women to produce more children at a time when the cycle of deprivation has yet to be fully addressed. Conference believes that it is irresponsible for the minister to send out this message when there is currently insufficient affordable housing or childcare provision. Conference calls upon the National […]

Women’s Health

Conference applauds National Women’s Committee for involving the Women’s Environmental Network at last year’s National Women’s Conference through workshops and stalls. Grampian Health Branch delegates were greatly impressed and gravely concerned by much of the information obtained at last year’s workshop and have used it in our own branch. Conference considers that a national campaign […]

Compensation of Child Victims of Sexual Abuse

Conference notes that child victims of sexual abuse are entitled to compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Such compensation is particularly relevant to women who are the main victims of child sexual abuse. However this compensation is subject to certain conditions, primarily: 1) that offences must be reported to the police; and 2)that […]

Imprisonment of Teenage Girls

Conference will recall motion 33 from National Women’s Conference 1998 which highlighted the problem of teenage girls being inappropriately placed in adult women’s prisons, in contravention of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that juvenile offenders should be separated from adults within the prison system, but that the British government […]

Proportionality

In 2003, National Women’s Conference resolved not to allow UNISON to forget its policy on proportionality. We called for National Women’s Committee to: 1)collate and publish statistics annually which monitor progress towards achieving proportionality throughout UNISON, and to present these annually to Women’s Conference; and 2)ask the National Executive Council to present these findings annually […]

Ill Treatment of Women Asylum Seekers

Conference is concerned at the apparent increase in the ill treatment of women asylum seekers as reported by solicitors/barristers working in this field. With a hostile public attitude that has been developed and is fed by the rightwing press, there seems to be less interest in the fate of asylum seekers and there may be […]

Self Harm Amongst Women Prisoners

Conference notes that women comprise less than 10 per cent (4,500) of the prison population and yet they account for nearly 50 per cent of the incidents of self harm amongst prisoners. In a recent report it was revealed that many have drug and/or mental health problems – at HMP Brockhill in the West Midlands […]

Labour Behind the Label

Thousands of women around the world work in an industry where exploitation is the order of the day. Workers cannot complain or they could lose their jobs. If they try to form a union or join a union to fight for better pay and conditions, they get ill-treated and intimidated. That is the garment trade. […]

Drink Spiking

During the last few decades, there has been a rise in the number of drug rapes and drug-related attacks, mainly taking place in pubs and clubs where the opportunity to spike drinks is readily available. Women are particularly vulnerable, so it is therefore necessary to be aware and informed of the problem and to raise […]

Breast Cancer and Examination

One in every nine women in the United Kingdom continues to develop breast cancer at some point in her lifetime. That is why being aware of self-examination and diagnostic procedures in hospitals are vital for all women. If you have been referred to hospital with a breast lump or a change in the appearance of […]