Opposing Violence

 

Reclaim the Night

At Reclaim the Night rally, November 2014

Brighton Feminist Collective Thank you to everyone that came out and Reclaimed the Night with us on Saturday! Around 450 people marched with us to demand safer streets! Our rally had an incredible line-up of speakers and performers that we’re so proud to have shared our space with. Massive thank you to Fabia Bates from Survivors’ Network, Alex Bryce from National Ugly Mugs, Laura Watson from English Collective of Prostitutes, NUS Women’s Officer Susuana Antubam, Maeve Devine from AllSorts Youth Project, Ariane Sacco from WinVisible, Poets Caitlin HT, Alice Denny and Jo Johnson and our sequined compère for the night Jessica Gagnon! Thank you so much to everyone that marched with us, donated, sent messages of support, baked cakes and volunteered their time on the night! We wouldn’t of been able to do it without you all! Much love Brighton Feminist Collective

In 2013, WinVisible asked these questions about disability hate crime in London, as a Greater London Authority disability consultative group member:

 

·         How many disabled people have reported disability hate crime in London? 

Of those, how many or what percentage have been prosecuted?

·         What is the conviction rate?

·         What proportion of disability hate crime is reported by women? 

·         What proportion of disability hate crime against women includes sexual offences such as sexual assault? 

·         How is this recorded and then prosecuted, in other words, is this also recorded under sexual offences, or not?

·         What proportion of disability hate crime also includes racism?

 

The answers we got revealed that prosecutions and convictions had dropped to a low rate, similar to the low conviction rate for rape and racist attack.  We do not believe that in three years, only two disability hate offences against women were sexual in nature.  All women and girls are vulnerable, disabled women and girls even more so.  Hostility to disabled women can often include sexual comments and worse.

 

Reported Disability Hate Crime in London (Met Police figures 2013)

 

	2010	2011	2012
Total number of disability hate crime victims	132	132	119
People proceeded against for disability hate crime	48	38	18
Female victims of disability hate crime	64	53	54
Female victims of disability hate crime where the offence was sexual in nature	0	2	0
Number of disability hate crimes involving racism	31	11	16
CPS data, People prosecuted for disability hate crime	April 2010 – March 2011 94	April 2011 – March 2012 59	April 2012 – January 2013 34
CPS data, People convicted for disability hate crime	April 2010 – March 2011 53	April 2011 – March 2012 37	April 2012 – January 2013 17

 

Disabled Women Slutwalk!

 

Eleanor Lisney and Svetlana Kotova at SlutWalk rally in Trafalgar Square, 11 June

More: speech at rally

http://www.dpac.uk.net/tag/slutwalk-protest/