INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, SPRING 2020

Women in the UK have a lot to celebrate, but there is still so much to do to achieve gender equality, both here and internationally. As of December 2019 we have a record number of women Members of Parliament, but the number is still well below the 50 % that the Fawcett Society has campaigned for over so many years. The 2015 film "Suffragette" fired the imaginations of many younger women, but it also highlights some of the still-current gaps, especially in employment, reproductive and voting rights. *

Police and Crime Commissioner candidate Cllr Kate Smith says "In the UK, the gender pay gap of 8.9 % between women and men (which allows for part-time working and other variables) has stayed obstinate over some years and is still unacceptably wide.

"In law and order terms, did you know that in the UK, one in four women will experience domestic abuse and one in five some kind of sexual assault in their lifetime ? This area has to be one of the top priorities for the next Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire. Progress has been made, and the new Sexual Assault Referral Centre at Millfield House is state-of-the-art. But reporting and clear-up rates are still lamentably low, and we can do more to increase women's confidence to come forward. Greater support and more collaborative working would help, and would not take up disproportionate money considering the long-term broader expense of the damage these offences cause."

* A DVD of this film is available on loan from Kate, please call 01773 856090 (before 9 pm)

notes: Kate Smith is the Lib Dems' Derbyshire candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner for the election taking place on Thursday 7 May 2020. She is an experienced Councillor and campaigner and has stood for Parliament numerous times. One of her key casework areas has been law and order and the justice system.