This International Women’s Day, the CrowdJustice team is celebrating the women taking legal action to ensure that all women’s rights are better protected.
From securing equal access to reproductive healthcare, to giving victims of violent crime a voice, we are pleased to pay tribute to the women fighting for our rights.
Abortion rights in Northern Ireland
Sarah Ewart was denied an abortion in Northern Ireland, despite being told that her baby would not be able to survive outside the womb.
Northern Ireland’s abortion laws are much stricter than the rest of the UK. Rape, incest and diagnoses of fatal foetal abnormality - where doctors believe a baby will die before or shortly after birth - are not legal grounds for an abortion in Northern Ireland.
Sarah is bringing a claim in the High Court in Belfast, with the aim of getting a formal declaration of incompatibility with human rights. She’s raised over £10,000 on CrowdJustice.
Free periods: fighting for girls’ education
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Amika George wants to make sure that no girl misses out on education because of period poverty.
Period poverty affects 1 in 10 young women in the UK. Many girls are missing school, or using toilet paper or old clothes in place of proper sanitary wear, because they cannot afford period products.
In 2018, the Scottish Government agreed to make free sanitary products available to all students, but there is no such provision for girls in England and Wales. Amika and her team are determined to change that. They have raised over £20,000 on CrowdJustice.
Keeping the Black Cab Rapist in prison
Victims of the ‘Black Cab Rapist’ John Worboys, supported by the Centre for Women's Justice and solicitor Harriet Wistrich, challenged the Parole Board’s decision to release Worboys from prison.
Worboys was imprisoned following his conviction for serious sexual offences, including rape and sexual assault. He drugged his victims, primarily young women, and assaulted them in his cab.
In 2018, the women successfully overturned the decision which ordered Worboys’ release. Their case prompted Justice Secretary David Gauke to give victims new rights in the parole process. They raised over £66,000 on CrowdJustice.
Solidarity not silence
A group of women is defending a libel claim brought by a male musician.
He says that they have created a false narrative about him. The women argue that the libel action is an attempt to silence them and prevent them from speaking up to protect women in the music industry.
The women, who are ineligible for legal aid, are raising funds to cover the legal costs of defending the claim. They have raised over £21,000 on CrowdJustice.
Justice for Jourdain
The Centre for Women’s Justice is working with the mother of Jourdain John-Baptiste, who died following a fall from her balcony after an argument with her boyfriend.
Jourdain’s boyfriend was considered to be a primary suspect in her death. The Crown Prosecution Service initially indicated that they would prosecute him, but to her family’s horror, they then reversed that decision.
Jourdain's family have secured permission to have a judge review the decision not to prosecute anyone. They have raised over £6,000 on CrowdJustice.
Those are just a few examples…
Other people who have raised (or are still raising) funds to fight for women’s rights include women who were deceived into long-term relationships by undercover police officers, women fighting for employers to support victims of sexual harassment and a mother fighting to clear her daughter’s murder conviction by presenting evidence that she was a victim of abuse.
Celebrate International Women’s Day 2019 with us by sharing their stories on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Read more about people raising funds on CrowdJustice to bring legal actions securing equality and human rights.
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