Sign our Fabian Women’s Rights Charter

The FWN is greatly concerned that the voices of women were heard so little in the lead up to the EU referendum. This must be urgently turned around – especially now that Prime Minister Theresa May has expressed her willingness to trigger Article 50 in February next year and in doing so will kick start the negotiations to exit the European Union.

Women have already been hardest hit by austerity and we’re concerned that women’s rights might be undermined in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations and thereafter.

We’re therefore asking the British government to protect women’s hard won rights and to commit to step in and support crucial programmes affected by the possible loss of European funding.

The Fabian Women’s Rights Charter, which you can sign here, calls the Government to pledge to meet these 5 commitments:

1.     Safeguard workplace rights including equal pay, annual leave, maternity and pregnancy rights and the rights of part-time workers; and take firm action against gender discrimination and harassment in the workplace;

2.     Meet funding requirements for the work programmes currently reliant on the European Social Fund which support women moving into work;

3.     Safeguard human and reproductive rights of all women, including protecting funding for programmes addressing violence against women and girls the likes of the EU Daphne programme; safeguarding the rights of survivors of VAWG and sexual violence rights in domestic legislation and ensuring women can access the same legal remedies as they do under EU law;

4.     Continue to push for wider representation of women in top positions across all industries within the public and private sector, and step in to support female entrepreneurship and start-ups, particularly in innovation and tech;

5.     Commit to tackle the rise of hate crime and protect the rights of refugee women and ensure that the health and maternity needs of women who are imprisoned or detained are properly attended to.

SIGN THIS CHARTER and thus join us in urging the Government to protect women’s rights in a post-Brexit world.

*Please note that this Charter does not represent the collective view of the Fabian Society, which does not take organisational positions on policy questions.

Signatories

Members of the FWN committee, in a personal capacity

Angela Rayner MP

Angela Smith MP

Anna Turley MP

Anneliese Dodds MEP

Cat Smith MP

Clare Moody MEP

Dame Glenis Willmott MEP

Fiona Twycross AM

Heidi Alexander MP

Holly Lynch MP

Jess Phillips MP, Chair of Women’s PLP

Jo Stevens MP

Joan Ryan MP

Johanna Baxter

Julie Ward MEP

Kate Green MP

Kerry McCarthy MP

Lilian Greenwood MP

Linda Hobson, Unison

Liv Bailey, Chair of Labour Women’s Network

Liz Kendall MP

Luciana Berger MP

Margaret Greenwood MP

Mary Honeyball MEP

Melanie Onn MP

Neena Gill MEP

Nicky Gavron AM

Rushanara Ali MP

Ruth Smeeth MP

Sarah Champion MP

Seema Malhotra MP, FWN President

Sharon Hodgson MP

Vicky Foxcroft MP

What can you do to help? 

Express your support by signing and sharing our Fabian Women’s Rights Charter and by tweeting using #FWNCharter and @fabianwomen. SIGN HERE.

Download a copy of the Charter here together with a Facebook/Twitter infographic and share on your social media.

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