WAR IS RAPE

Voices: The universal – and horrible – truth: War disproportionately affects women and girls

Bel Trew
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Ukraine’s border crossings are still lined with posters warning female refugees of the dangers they could face (AP)

War disproportionately affects women and girls. It is a universal, horrible truth.

Even when the guns go silent the devastating impact of conflict will always continue to unfairly rage through the lives of women and girls more so than men.

This is such a recognised fact that in 2000 the United Nations Security Council adopted a landmark resolution acknowledging this and warning of the inevitability of gender-based violence like rape. The resolution also pointed out that while war is almost exclusively started by men, women are rarely at the negotiating table.

The sad truth is that after a year of President Putin’s bloody invasion, Ukraine is no exception to this grim global truth. And this is not just being felt by Ukrainian women and girls but also by women and girls throughout the world because of the devastating impact Moscow’s war has had on the global economy and supply chains.

In Ukraine, the UN has repeatedly warned that the war and the subsequent mass displacement it caused has significantly increased the risk of domestic violence, trafficking and exploitation.

Almost immediately after we saw Europe’s largest refugee crisis in generations unfurl, sex rings began picking off vulnerable women as they escaped to what they thought was safety.

Ukraine’s border crossings are still lined with posters warning female refugees of the dangers they could face.

The economic impact of the war is also devastating. Ninety per cent of the 7.9 million people who are internally displaced within Ukraine are women. That means they are losing their income in disproportionately high numbers and so living in destitute conditions.

All through that they are also at risk of rape at the hands of Russian soldiers and their proxies. The European Union has even sanctioned particular Russian commanders over “systematic sexual violence”.

The Ukrainians have said Russia has used the rape of its women as a “weapon of war”. The testimonies I have gathered over the last year have been chilling.

In October I spoke to Olga, a 50-year-old call centre operator at the fire department in Balakiya, a small town in northeast Ukraine that had been under Russian occupation for months.

She was arrested alongside several other women for being pro-Ukrainian. Held in a police station the Russians had commandeered, she spent her nights hearing the screams of women being gang-raped by Chechen soldiers in the interrogation room one floor above her tiny cell.

“I could hear them shouting ‘come on, you have a go next’,” she told me quietly. “They threatened all of us with rape during the day but the torture and violence always took place at night.”

This echoed other stories in other areas that were also occupied for several weeks.

Last summer, one Ukrainian woman called Maria I met in Trostyanets, about 200km northwest of Balakiya, told me the soldiers abducted her husband, who is still missing today, and then tried to rape her. The only reason they gave up was because of a disability she had, she explained.

The devastation of the war has rippled well past the borders of Ukraine. A September UN policy paper found that this war had induced such high global price hikes and supply shortages that it has widened the gender gap for food security throughout the planet.

That means women in vulnerable areas like the Middle East (that relies on grain and food exports from Ukraine) have had to reduce their food intake more so than men.

This has subsequently seen “alarming increases” in women being forced to exchange sex for food and survival. It has seen a surge in early marriage and forced marriages.

And so, even if the war stops tomorrow – the aftershocks of this will continue to ripple.

That’s not to say that in Ukraine women are passive victims. According to Ukraine’s deputy minister of defence Hanna Maliar, there are 50,000 servicewomen in the armed forces, and 5,000 of them are on the front lines.

She believes that Ukraine today has one of the higher percentages of women in its army, compared to Nato member states.

It seems obvious to me that this would be the case, but people are often surprised to learn that I have met several female soldiers, frontline medics and activists who have been disappeared and tortured by Russians, and women leading some of the most dangerous evacuation missions to rescue civilians from the worst of the fighting.

It makes sense – women are fighting for their survival. It is not an exaggeration to say the war in Ukraine is a war on women and girls globally.

And the damage has been done. Even if Russia withdraws today, even if its missile launchers are silenced, the impact of this devastation will continue to be felt for a generation of women to come.

PATRIARCHY RULES
Two in five Britons think championing women’s equality discriminates against men

Maya Oppenheim

THE INDEPENDENT
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Mandu Reid, leader of Women’s Equality Party, says people like Andrew Tate become a magnet for people who are unsettled by the progress women

 (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Two in five Britons think efforts to champion women’s equality are so robust that men are being discriminated against, a major new study has suggested.

The research, carried out by King’s College London and Ipsos, found that 53 per cent of men back that view while a third of women take the viewpoint.

The study, shared exclusively with The Independent to mark International Women’s Day, discovered 38 per cent of respondents think there has been enough progress in giving women equal rights to their male counterparts. This marks a substantial jump of 13 percentage points since 2018 - with a quarter of people holding this view then.

Researchers who polled over 22,000 adults in 32 countries, also found that 38 per cent think men are being asked to do too much to champion equality, a substantial rise from the 29 per cent who held this view in 2019.

Julia Gillard, chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, said: “Despite the progress, we’ve made in recent decades, high-profile examples of misogyny are still rife, particularly online, and there are worrying signs from this research that such views are not only gaining ground among the public, but also deterring people from advocating for women’s rights.”

The study discovered the proportion of Britons who say they are frightened to champion the equal rights of women in case they face reprisals has doubled since 2017 - up from 14 per cent to 29 per cent.

Similar trends were identified around the world - with a global average of 37 per cent saying they are scared to speak out.

Ms Gillard, who was Australia’s prime minister between 2010 and 2013, noted the researchers discovered that younger generations in the UK were the most likely to believe a man who “stays home” to do childcare is “less of a man”. This is a “disturbing reminder there is still much more to do, and that future progress is not guaranteed”, she warned.

She added: “We can’t be sure if these trends are the direct result of certain individuals gaining greater attention for their extreme and misogynistic views, but with reports of teachers and parents fearing that young people – and particularly young boys – are buying into a sexist ideology because of what they hear and read online, it’s a question that urgently requires more research.”

“And it’s something that tallies with our findings, with the youngest surveyed sometimes the most likely to hold sexist views. Also worthy of more investigation is whether we’re seeing a broader backlash to gender equality post-#MeToo, which could be contributing to these shifts in attitudes.”

Ms Gillard, Australia’s only female PM, warned there were indications this is occurring given the extent of “vitriol” directed at women in the spotlight such as Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon and former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who both cited abuse and intimidation as factors behind their resignations.

It’s up to all of us to protect the rights we have won and to keep the fire of progress burning.
Mandu Reid

“It’s this feature of our life online that risks jeopardising progress on gender equality, and one we must guard against,” she said.

Mandu Reid, leader of the Women's Equality Party, said the research findings were “alarming” and demonstrated the battle to achieve gender equality is “far from over”.

She added: “The rise of the far right has made misogynistic views more mainstream. You see the likes of Andrew Tate. They become a magnet for people who are unsettled by the progress women and marginalised groups have made.

“Our opposition have spokespeople like Jair Bolsonaro who are charismatic who can inspire those who feel afraid and undermined. These statistics show they are having an impact on people.”

Mr Tate is a former kickboxing world champion-turned-influencer now famed for his misogynistic views. The Independent previously reported on research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) which unearthed 47 videos of Mr Tate pushing what it describes as “extreme misogyny”.

While Mr Bolsonaro is Brazil’s former far-right, populist president who publicly abused a female lawmaker, shoving her and telling her she was “too ugly to deserve rape”.

However, Ms Reid said that the “movement for equality is powerful” and was paving the way for change “slowly but surely”.

“This resistance proves it. It’s up to all of us to protect the rights we have won and to keep the fire of progress burning,” she added.

Women’s rights have gone ‘too far’, say majority of Gen Z and millennials, study shows

Blathnaid Corless

THE TELEGRAPH
Wed, March 8, 2023 

43 per cent of people in Britain believe men are now discriminated against because of the promotion of women’s rights - PA

Women’s rights have gone too far, the majority of Generation Z and millennials believe, according to a new research.

Some 52 per cent of Gen Z and 53 per cent of millennials say society has gone so far in promoting women’s rights that it is discriminating against men, a survey by Ipsos UK and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London found.

In contrast, four in 10 baby boomers (40 per cent) and Gen X (46 per cent) said the same.

More than half of all men (55 per cent) held this opinion, compared to 41 per cent of women.

Meanwhile, 43 per cent of people in Britain believe men are now discriminated against because of the promotion of women’s rights.

The survey conducted for International Women’s Day also found that people in Britain are increasingly afraid of promoting women’s rights for fear of reprisals.

The share of the British public who say they are scared to speak out and advocate for the equal rights of women has doubled since 2017, rising from 14 per cent to 29 per cent. The majority (71 per cent), however, continue to say this does not apply to them.

Younger generations tend to be be most fearful, with Gen Z (38 per cent) around twice as likely as baby boomers (19 per cent) to feel this way.

Almost two in five people (38 per cent) in Britain believe men are expected to do too much to support equality, an increase on 29 per cent who felt this way in 2019.

On a more positive note, the research found that almost half of Britons (47 per cent) now think equality between men and women will be achieved within their lifetime, compared with 40 per cent in 2018.

Kelly Beaver MBE, the chief executive of Ipsos, UK and Ireland, said: “Our ongoing research into gender equality shows that we have made significant progress with nearly half of people now agreeing equality will be achieved within their lifetime.

“However, there are signs that the public are starting to push back on this progress to date, which is potentially worrying, but it may also be a sign that real change is happening in society and change can often make people uncomfortable and resistant.

“Over the coming years we will continue to measure this shift and I hope that we will see this discomfort shift to acceptance, acceptance that achieving gender equality is an essential evolution for British society.”

AUSTRALIA

David Pocock under pressure to block Labor’s safeguard mechanism bill after fossil fuel poll

Paul Karp
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Photograph: Martin Ollman/Getty Images

A majority of Canberrans support a ban on new coal and gas projects in federal law, adding pressure to independent senator David Pocock to withhold support from Labor’s safeguard mechanism bill.

The uComms poll of 1,112 residents of the Australian Capital Territory, commissioned by the Australia Institute, found 63% oppose new coal and gas, and 82% oppose the unlimited use of carbon credits to offset pollution.

The release of the poll comes as the Albanese government prepares to stare down a 4pm Thursday deadline to respond to a Senate order for forecasts of how big industrial emitters would use carbon credits to meet obligations created by the proposed safeguard mechanism.

The shadow climate and energy minister, Ted O’Brien, said the Coalition would “do everything in its power to shine a light on Labor’s secret modelling that it refuses to share with the Australian public” after it teamed up with the Greens to force disclosure on Tuesday.

The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, objected on the basis that releasing the modelling would reveal “delib­erations of cabinet” and would be against the public interest “due to market sensitivities relating to the government’s role as a purchaser of [carbon credits]”.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Despite the Senate rejecting the government’s public interest immunity claim, Labor is expected to refuse to comply, risking the Greens and Coalition refusing to allow the bill to be debated.

O’Brien told Guardian Australia that Labor “has refused to tell Australians how its reforms to the safeguard mechanism will impact families, businesses and jobs”.

“[Labor is] already suffering a trust deficit and this secret modelling doesn’t help,” he said. “Labor likes to talk a big game on transparency and so it’s time they stump up and deliver.”

The Greens senator, Sarah Hanson-Young, said the modelling was an “important piece of the puzzle” for the Greens to determine their position.

“If the government doesn’t want to show that their scheme will reduce pollution … I don’t know how they expect the Australian people to believe them,” she told Radio National.

Related: Labor’s reform of safeguard mechanism will fail unless changed, say Greens

The Albanese government and the Greens remain deadlocked on the legislation to require big emitters to reduce emissions intensity by 4.9% a year, with the Greens calling for a ban on new coal and gas projects, while Labor insists it has a mandate to reject a condition it says would reduce supply of gas as a transition fuel.

Asked about the future of fossil fuels, the automated telephone poll found that 40% of ACT residents wanted to “stop new gas and coal projects and start to phase down production from existing fossil fuel projects” and a further 23% wanted to stop new projects but allow existing ones to operate “as is”.

More than a quarter (28.3%) opted to “allow new gas and coal projects to go ahead” and 8.4% were unsure.

Asked if “new climate laws should include a ban on new gas, coal and oil projects” 37.6% strongly agreed, 23% agreed, 15.4% disagreed and 15.8% strongly disagreed.

More than half (56%) of respondents said polluting projects should have to directly reduce their emissions, not use carbon offsets, with a further 26.3% saying they should be allowed to use carbon offsets for some of their emissions, but not all.

Canberra voters were in no rush to see the safeguards mechanism legislated, with 60.7% saying “it would be better to improve the legislation, even if it takes longer” –about double the 29.9% who said “it would be better to pass the legislation as it is now, so it comes into operation sooner”.

The executive director of the Australia Institute, Richard Denniss, said “Canberrans are overwhelmingly in favour of a ban on new fossil fuel projects” and wanted the legislation to be “right, not rushed”.

Given the Coalition opposes the bill, the government needs the support of the Greens, their former senator turned independent Lidia Thorpe and either David Pocock or the Jacqui Lambie Network.

Related: Safeguard mechanism: what is it, will it cut emissions and what role do carbon offsets play?

In a dissenting report in the Senate inquiry into the safeguards bill, the Greens warned that the safeguard mechanism would fail unless the Albanese government agreed to changes, despite having described the fossil fuel ban as an “offer, not an ultimatum”.

On Monday Pocock told reporters in Canberra he has “huge reservations” about the bill in its current form, citing modelling from RepuTex that new fossil fuel projects “could blow the budget”.

Pocock said it “wasn’t fair or right” that industrial users such as aluminium and steel were “lumped in with potential new fossil fuel projects”.

But Pocock said that discussions with the government “have been good” and it appears prepared to “refine [the] legislation”.

On Tuesday, Bowen urged parliament not to “squander” the opportunity to achieve 205m tonnes of emissions reduction.

Bowen told ABC’s 7.30 the government is “not contemplating” a pause on new fossil fuel projects until it legislates a climate trigger in environmental approval legislation.

Similarly, Labor “will not contemplate any sort of blanket moratoriums on any particular proposals” such as all new coalmines, he said.

“If there are new facilities and this doesn’t pass, there’ll be no constraint on emissions.”

Smoke from Australian bushfires depleted ozone layer by up to 5% in 2020, study finds

Donna Lu
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

Particles in bushfire smoke can activate molecules that destroy the ozone layer, according to new research that suggests future ozone recovery may be delayed by increasingly intense and frequent fires.

A study published in the journal Nature has found that smoke from the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires temporarily depleted the ozone layer by 3% to 5% in 2020.

Smoke from the 2019–2020 bushfires, which circulated around the globe, was ejected into the stratosphere, the second layer in Earth’s atmosphere, by a pyrocumulonimbus cloud.

Related: Smoke from Black Summer bushfires depleted ozone layer, study finds

In the ozone layer – part of the stratosphere – molecules of ozone gas absorb high-energy ultraviolet rays from the sun. This lessens the amount of radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface.

Lead researcher Prof Susan Solomon, an atmospheric scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, said the ozone destruction by smoke particles was similar to the process of the Antarctic ozone hole forming each spring, “but at much warmer temperatures”.

Smoke aerosols, the researchers found, can activate chlorine to form compounds that then destroy ozone molecules.

Solomon said that chlorine in the stratosphere had been decreasing since the 1987 Montreal Protocol phased out the use of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons. “There’s a tremendous science policy success story there,” she said. “The slow recovery of the ozone layer is on the order of 1% per decade in the mid-latitudes.”

But she warned that more frequent fires could delay ozone recovery. “All of a sudden, in one year [2020], we had a 3% to 5% loss. It’ll recover if that’s the only year that it happens, but not if it keeps happening.

“The question in my mind is: is the man-made chlorine going to get … diluted and destroyed out of the atmosphere faster than global climate change is going to increase the frequency and intensity of this kind of fire? I think it’s going to be a race.”

Dr Martin Jucker, a lecturer at the University of New South Wales who was not involved in the research, agreed that the ozone hole might recover more slowly than expected as the result of more bushfires in future.

Related: Australia faces unprecedented grassfires next summer ‘supercharged’ by global heating

“Of particular interest for Australia is the extension of the ozone hole further equatorward, which means that the ozone layer can become thinner much closer to where millions of Australians live,” he said.

Dr Laura Revell, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, said: “Early signs of Antarctic ozone recovery have been visible since approximately the mid-2010s. In the absence of any major changes, we expect that stratospheric chlorine concentrations will gradually decrease this century and that the ozone hole will get smaller year by year.

“Of concern is that while the ozone hole usually forms over Antarctica because of the cold temperatures there, wildfire aerosols appear to be capable of promoting ozone losses at the relatively warmer temperatures present at mid-latitudes which are heavily populated.”

Solomon and her colleagues identified that the ozone-destruction process is triggered by hydrochloric acid in the stratosphere dissolving in the smoke aerosols.

Hydrochloric acid dissolved about a thousand times more readily in the smoke aerosols than in the “the normal sulphuric acid and water stratospheric particles”, Solomon said.

“From a scientific point of view, it’s very exciting to see this brand new effect,” she said. “From a planetary point of view … it would be just tragic to have mankind screw up solving the ozone hole by deciding that we’re going to [allow] a lot more of these fires if we don’t mitigate climate change.”

Solomon added it was important to determine whether the smoke from fires in Australia – where native forests are dominated by eucalypts – differed in composition from fires in other areas. “I don’t really see a chemical reason why that would be so, but it needs to be looked at.

Feds looking into Norfolk Southern's handling of additional reported hazmat concern weeks after East Palestine


LUCIEN BRUGGEMAN
Thu, March 9, 2023

Federal regulators are looking into a previously unreported incident involving Norfolk Southern potentially mishandling a conductor's concern on a train carrying hazardous material just weeks after a similar defect precipitated the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

According to a complaint obtained by ABC News, on the morning of Feb. 27, a Norfolk Southern train was lurching through Stoneville, North Carolina, when a safety official manning a hot-box detector desk in Atlanta radioed the crew to alert them that car number 32 was "trending hot," but not hot enough to trigger an alarm, and that the nearly two-mile train should proceed.

The conductor of the train checked his manifest and made a startling discovery: Car 32 was carrying ethanol, and five cars away, another was carrying propane. Both were labeled as "dangerous" on the train's manifest, according to the complaint, which was filed with the Federal Railroad Administration.

MORE: NTSB to open special investigation into Norfolk Southern following recent derailments

The complaint alleges that the conductor, now concerned that the "trending hot" warning could lead to an overheated wheel, radioed the desk back and suggested that they stop the train and inspect it. But the dispatcher overruled the crew and urged them onward.

Meanwhile, a maintenance worker in the train's vicinity allegedly overheard the radio chatter and offered to observe the train as it passed by. The complaint states that when the worker reported that he hadn't witnessed any smoke, the crew was told to keep going some 40 miles south to Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Crew members were "shocked," according to the complaint. To continue into a heavily populated area after being notified that a car carrying hazardous materials was "trending hot" could potentially pose a profound threat not only to the crew, but to adjacent communities, crew members feared.

Ultimately, the train was able to complete its trip without further incident. But the Federal Railroad Administration is now looking into the previously unreported Feb. 27 incident as part of a broader "safety assessment" of Norfolk Southern, a spokesperson confirmed. The agency said in a press release this week that its assessment would scrutinize "operational control center procedures and dispatcher training," among other things.

A spokesperson for Norfolk Southern did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the record.

PHOTO: Workers continue to clean up remaining tank cars, Feb. 21, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio, following the Feb. 3, Norfolk Southern freight train derailment. (Matt Freed/AP, FILE)

The reported incident on Feb. 27 raises fresh safety and accountability concerns regarding Norfolk Southern and the rail industry at large, three weeks after a wheel bearing overheated on a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials through East Palestine, derailing the train and causing an environmental crisis for nearby residents.

Over the past two decades, major rail carriers and trade groups have spent more than $650 million lobbying in Washington, often advocating against stricter government oversight of its safety procedures, according to the federal watchdog OpenSecrets.

In the wake of the East Palestine derailment, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and J.D. Vance, a Republican, introduced legislation that would tighten government-backed safety requirements for trains carrying hazardous materials.

But some Senate Republicans have balked at the bill, leaving its fate in question. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., has said that "an immediate quick response heavy on regulation needs to be thoughtful and targeted."

Norfolk Southern, for its part, has already taken steps to self-regulate. Earlier this week, CEO Alan Shaw laid out a six-point plan to "immediately enhance the safety of its operations," the company said. The initiative will improve its defect detector network, pilot next-generation hot bearing detectors, and generally support a more stringent safety culture, according to officials.

MORE: NTSB on East Palestine toxic train derailment: '100% preventable'

On Wednesday, the Association of American Railroads, a trade group representing major freight railroad companies, announced its own list of new measures, including a commitment "to stopping trains and inspecting bearings whenever the temperature reading from a [hot bearing detector] exceeds 170° above ambient temperature" -- a lower threshold than previously required.

But federal regulators aren't waiting around. In addition to the Federal Railroad Administration safety assessment, the National Transportation and Security Board has taken the extraordinary step of opening a special investigation into Norfolk Southern.

The agency said Tuesday it would scrutinize the company's "organization and safety culture" after a series of incidents, including the derailment in East Palestine and another derailment in Springfield, Ohio, earlier this month. A press release did not list the reported Feb. 27 incident in North Carolina.

"The NTSB will conduct an in-depth investigation into the safety practices and culture of the company," the agency said in a statement. "At the same time, the company should not wait to improve safety and the NTSB urges it to do so immediately."

Rail unions are also pressing for more government oversight. After the death of a Norfolk Southern conductor earlier this week near Cleveland, Eddie Hall, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, called for "significant improvements in rail safety for both workers and the public."

MORE: East Palestine derailment: Timeline of key events in toxic train disaster

"All railroad accidents are avoidable," Hall said.

Shaw, the Norfolk Southern CEO, said in a statement Tuesday that Norfolk Southern would "cooperate fully" with the NTSB and continue to find new solutions to improve the company's safety practices.

"We are going to invest more in safety," Shaw said. "This is not who we are, it is not acceptable, and it will not continue."

Shaw is scheduled to testify Thursday on Capitol Hill before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Prominent US civil rights lawyer Jasmine Rand on being an ally and fighting against racism


Nadine White
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Jasmine Rand (Supplied)

Renowned US lawyer Jasmine Rand has spent much of her career fighting to get justice for the families of Black people who have died as a result of state violence.

As a female lawyer trying to break through in a male-dominated world, Ms Rand, who runs her own law firm in Miami, Florida, has faced myriad obstacles.

But she’s also experienced inequality from the other, more privileged side. As a white woman working on civil rights cases, Ms Rand acknowledges that she will never fully understand the racial injustice that she works so hard to fight.

“Early on in my career, I acknowledged the limitations I have based on my race because I will never understand what it is to be Black and I will never understand what it’s like to be discriminated against (in that way),” Ms Rand, who’s from Vermont in Washington, told The Independent.

“It’s a unique position to be in, where I’m working in this area as a lawyer and an academic but can never fully understand because I’m not a racial minority.”

She adds: “My goal is to serve my brothers and sisters. I think when you’re serving with really a pure heart, people see that.”

She is arguably best known for her work with the families of Trayvon Martin - a Black teenager who was shot dead by a neighbourhood watch coordinator in Florida in 2012 while walking home from a trip to a convenience store - and George Floyd - whose death at the hands of a white police officer in 2020 sparked global protests - but has won multimillion-dollar cases in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death cases and state violence cases.

After receiving her law doctorate, Ms Rand began working with Benjamin Crump, a leading civil rights attorney, in 2012, who she regards as a mentor to this day. He walked her down the aisle at her wedding, three years ago.

She is currently part of the team representing the relatives of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black father who died after being beaten by Memphis Police officers during a traffic stop, along with Mr Crump and Antonio Romanucci – Mr Nichols’ family attorneys.

Last month, The Independent revealed that an urgent United Nations appeal, co-authored by Ms Rand, has been filed by Mr Nichols’ family members and their legal team.

Ben Crump and Jasmine Rand (Supplied)

Activism

Ms Rand, 41, says that a “love” for others drives her career path, with the aim of helping others through a legal career, having been an aspiration of hers since the age of 10.

She studied African American studies at undergraduate level prior to her doctorate, and made it her business to study how the mechanisms of power oppress marginalised communities.

However, Ms Rand’s path has not been without risk. She is used to dealing with regular threats, made to both her and her loved ones.

”There have been occasions when I feel real fear because of what I do,” she says. “I receive threats on a regular basis; I once came off an interview on Fox News and a stranger called me, making threats, having just found out my home address.”

Mr Crump faces even more devastating intimidation tactics and threats to his life as a Black, male attorney, Ms Rand added.

“Ben gets many more threats than I do - and more credible ones. I can’t even comment on the nature and type he gets, because that’s how real and serious they are.”

With that said, it is an understanding and appreciation of purpose that propels lawyers like Ms Rand to continue carrying out their vital advocacy work.

“You have to have courage to do this job,” Ms Rand explained. “ We acknowledge the fear and make a conscious choice to work beyond it. Our work is not a choice but a calling."

(© 2020 Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News)

Reflecting on International Women’s Day, the lawyer revealed that this year’s annual observation holds immense personal significance as she embarks on a new and exciting journey: motherhood.

“Women have always been leaders, we have just not always been recognised,” she said. “International Women’s Day is an active effort to level the playing field of a history that has overlooked the contributions of powerful women throughout the world like Nur Jahan, Queen Nzinga, Benazir Bhutto - those should be household names.

“This year is a special International Women’s Day for me because I am becoming a first-time mother. Motherhood is my power; it has always been my source. A woman expressing her desire to be a professional, leader, activist, and mother has become nearly taboo. Some view motherhood as a weakness.

“My future children have fueled my drive to leave the world a better place. I know my son will inspire me to accept heightened roles in leadership and service.”

The theme for Women’s Day, ‘embracing equity’, is an important call to action that resonates with many around the globe, as they navigate their respective paths and carve out legacies, often against the odds.

“I want my legacy to help redefine the future of justice and to continue developing international human rights law,” Ms Rand said.

“My legacy is not in the accomplishments I leave the world, it is in my decision to continue standing up for what is right no matter how many times we get knocked back down.

“That’s the lesson I want my son to learn: to always stand back up.”
International appeals

From cases in Jamaica – a country that she describes as her “first love” – to Morroco, the lawyer has been called to work on social justice issues outside of the US.

Along with a team of international lawyers, Ms Rand lobbied the United Nations to take action on racism at borders in Ukraine, a travesty which was first reported on by The Independent.

The struggle for equality is undoubtedly an international one that knows no border.

“As the world evolves, we are becoming more and more interconnected and it feels increasingly globalised,” Ms Rand said.

A UN group recently denounced the UK as an institutionally racist country where Black people are living in fear for their lives (AFP via Getty Images)

“With the advent of social media, citizens of various countries can share the plight in real time of what’s happening in their nation.”

Recently, a UN group denounced the UK as an institutionally racist country where Black people are living in fear for their lives.

Prior to this, Ms Rand appeared as a special guest at the Law Centres Network’s annual conference in the UK in November, where she addressed the importance of tackling systemic racism around the world.

As ever, the eyes of US civil rights champions are on the UK and its track record on race equality. Earlier this year, the eminent Reverend Al Sharpton visited London and offered British activists guidance on the future of UK activism.

“We, in the US, are starting to get calls by advocates to assist in the social justice movement of issues pertaining to racial justice happening in the UK,” Ms Rand added.

“We make every effort to support not just what’s happening in terms of racial justice in the US, but in the UK and other parts of the world as well.”

Norfolk MP calls for UK to negotiate Caribbean slavery reparations

Dan Grimmer
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Norwich South MP Clive Lewis (Image: ©mark tillie)

Norwich South MP Clive Lewis has called on the UK government to enter into discussions with Caribbean states over paying reparations for Britain's role in slavery.

The Labour MP made the call during a debate in Westminster Hall in which he said there was "an urgent need for some form of reparatory justice" after 400 years of what he branded "400 years of exploitative colonial history".

Mr Lewis's remarks came after members of the British aristocratic Trevelyan family went to Grenada - where Mr Lewis's father was born and raised.

The Trevelyan family apologised and promised to pay reparations for their ancestors' ownership of more than 1,000 enslaved Africans.

Mr Lewis said the issue should not be dismissed as "the obsession of a group of so-called woke extremists" and that it continued to have an impact on the lives of millions of people.

He said: "This is a live issue that evokes great passion and sometimes anger."

Mr Lewis called on prime minister Rishi Sunak to enter negotiations with leaders in the Caribbean.

UK
Police federation demands minimum 17% pay increase for officers

Nina Lloyd, PA
Wed, 8 March 2023 


The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has demanded a 17% pay increase for officers, suggesting salaries are negatively affected by restrictions on their right to strike.

It warned the Government could “no longer sit by and ignore our members’ basic needs” as it called for the rise on Wednesday.

The PFEW, which is a statutory staff association representing more than 139,000 officers, cited independent research by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) which it described as a “wake-up call to policy-makers”.

The SMF report shows police pay has lagged almost 20% behind inflation since 2000, according to the federation.

It also shows police constable starting salaries have lagged behind earnings as a whole across the economy, it said.

The research also shows MPs salaries saw a 4% rise in total over the same period, the federation said.

In a press release, it suggested that an inability to take industrial action puts the profession at a “distinct disadvantage” compared with all other emergency workers.

The PFEW has argued the unique obligations police have, and their risk of exposure to physical and psychological harm, should be reflected in their remuneration.

Chair of the federation Steve Hartshorn labelled the research a “wake-up call for policymakers in the UK,” adding: “For a long time now, the Police Federation of England and Wales has been working to achieve better pay and working conditions for our members.

“Police officers put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect their communities.

“That is why today our National Council has taken the decision to call for a minimum of 17% increase in pay for our officers.

“The Government can no longer sit by and ignore our members’ basic needs and must recognise the impact of this independent research.

“In the context of ongoing inflation, indications of a police retention crisis, and reports of officers being forced to turn to food banks, the issue of police pay must be addressed now after more than a decade of being ignored.

“Police officers deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, and that begins with better pay – pay that not only reflects the cost-of-living crisis that many of us face but puts right the 17% decline since 2000 and compensates officers for the dangers they’re exposed to as part of the job.

“They must be compensated fairly for doing a job that is so important and unique that they do not have access to industrial rights.”

UK
RMT strikes on 14 train operators will still go ahead - but union open to talks

Wed, 8 March 2023 



The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers' union (RMT) has said planned strike dates on 14 train operators will go ahead, but they insist they are open to discussions with bosses.

The union said the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), representing 14 train operators, invited them to discussions to settle its ongoing dispute, but on the condition that planned strike action on 16 and 18 March is suspended.

But the union's executive council said the schedule will remain in place. They added the union will be "available for discussions and will attend any meetings on creating a resolution to the dispute through an improved offer".

The union said it will contact the RDG seeking such a meeting, a RMT statement read.

Members of the union are also due to strike on 30 March and 1 April in the dispute against the train operators.

Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) union had voted to accept an offer by train companies last month in their long-running dispute over pay, job security and conditions.

A RDG spokesperson said the RMT leadership have been invited to meet on Thursday for talks. "We are always open to dialogue", they said.

"However we have also made clear to the RMT leadership that meaningful progress can only be made if they remove the threat of strikes hanging over our passengers before it is too late to avoid disruption.

"We urge the RMT leadership to engage with us in good faith and resolve this dispute."

The RMT announcement was just the latest in a series of updates on its campaign of industrial action.

Read more:
It will be interesting to know whether the latest offer from Network Rail to RMT members is in any way different from the last one

Its members are to vote on a new offer presented by Network Rail, who are responsible for track, signals and some stations.

Strike dates against Network Rail - due to take place from 2am on 16 March until 1.59am on 17 March - were suspended on Tuesday evening.

Police fire pepper spray after Women's Day protest in Istanbul


Wed, 8 March 2023 





ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish riot police fired pepper spray to disperse a group of protesters pushing back against a line of police on Wednesday as a rally to mark International Women's Day was winding down in central Istanbul.

Women whistled and chanted "We do not keep quiet, we are not scared, we do not bow down", as they pushed riot police shields, triggering the tussles with police, while the rest of the crowd of around 2,000 dispersed.

Police had prevented the crowd from staging a march through the city centre after local authorities issued a statement saying it would not allow marches, protests or press statements. Local metro stations were closed from early in the afternoon.

"Government resign," the crowd chanted during the protest. "We are angry, we are in mourning, we are in feminist rebellion" said a large banner held up at the front of the crowd.

The event was being staged a little over two months before elections which are expected to represent President Tayyip Erdogan's biggest ever electoral challenge. It was also just over a month after devastating earthquakes in southern Turkey that killed more than 52,000 people.

(Reporting by Dilara Senkaya, Kemal Aslan, Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Bulent Usta and Yesim Dikmen; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Alison Williams)