News

The Government has withdrawn plans for judge-only trials but is retaining proposals that would limit access to jury trials.

Rights of Women intervened to highlight concerns about how the new model is being implemented.

Rights of Women and JUSTICE write to Lord Chancellor Alex Norris MP ahead of the Courts and Tribunals Bill’s return to Parliament, raising concerns about proposed reforms to jury trials and their potential impact on access to justice and confidence in the criminal justice system.

Today’s changes to the Immigration Rules expand settlement protections for migrant victim-survivors of domestic abuse. For the first time, the policy will go beyond intimate partner relationships to include some adult children whose immigration status depends on a parent or their parent’s partner.

Rights of Women’s submits response to A Fairer End to Relationships consultation, calling for family law reform that prioritises fairness, safety and access to justice, including stronger recognition of domestic abuse in financial remedies and cohabitation law.

Rights of Women discusses the Government's consultation on cohabitation law reform following an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

Our response to the Government’s new immigration bill explains why the proposed reforms risk undermining Article 8 rights, increasing insecurity for vulnerable women and creating further barriers to rebuilding lives in safety.

We welcome changes to the law under the Employment Rights Act 2025 in relation to whistleblowing protections and discuss their implications for women’s rights in the workplace.

President agrees that Family Justice Council should investigate routes back to court in parental alienation cases

The President of the Family Division overturns a finding that a mother 'alienated' her children based on flawed evidence from an unregulated psychologist.

A new strategy to halve violence against women and girls has been launched today. We urge Government to ensure meaningful protections and support for all survivors, including migrant women.

We’ve helped draft new training principles for judges. Our latest news piece makes clear why survivor-led, specialist training in family courts can’t wait.

Maintaining jury trials safeguards justice, accountability and equality. These are essential protections for survivors and minoritised women.

Proposed migration reforms could put migrant women at greater risk of exploitation and abuse, deepening existing inequalities. Rights of Women calls for protections that keep women safe, not make them more vulnerable.

Rights of Women has appointed experienced charity leader Jayne Butler as the new Chair of its Board of Trustees. Her feminist vision and extensive work supporting women’s rights will guide the organisation as it builds on its 50-year legacy and looks to the future.

The High Court overturns a finding that a mother ‘alienated’ her children in a case supported by Rights of Women, ruling that the decision was based on flawed evidence from an unregulated psychologist.

Rights of Women welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s announcement as progress for survivors and urges bold reform to put child safety first and end parental involvement where abuse is established

Rights of Women advised on "Breaking the Silence: Kate’s Story", which exposes the Family Court’s failure to protect survivors. We are calling for a series of legislative reforms.

Rights of Women is proud to announce that our joint campaign "Keep Counselling Confidential” has been awarded Campaign of the Year at the Sheila McKechnie Foundation’s 2025 National Campaigner Awards.

Rights of Women and Project Resist brought together VAWG organisations to examine how UKVI’s handling of counter-allegations is impacting migrant women victim-survivors of domestic abuse applying for settlement. A briefing was produced outlining concerns and recommendations for change.

Our EU Settlement Scheme advice line is still operational and able to provide free and confidential legal advice to vulnerable migrant women.

It is a scandal that vulnerable parents and children are being exposed to dangerous practices by court 'experts' whose views lack a proper evidence-base.

The NHS England’s new Sexual Misconduct Policy and Framework emphasises a trauma-informed and survivor-centred approach based on input from NHS workers. We support the involvement of regulatory bodies to prevent misconduct and stress the need for effective training and accountability.

With recent media attention about allegations of appalling and escalating cycles of abuse at Harrods, McDonald's, BBC and the CBI, the Worker Protection Act means employers can no longer ‘turn a blind eye’ to survivors who raise the alarm in the workplace.

We will not let violence against women and girls be weaponised in efforts to spread hate and division.

We have called on the new Government to start the work of improving protections for victim-survivors of domestic abuse in the family justice system now and have set out 11 recommendations for meaningful change.

We have called on the new Government to start the work of improving protections for victim-survivors of sexual harassment at work now and have set out our top 10 recommendations for meaningful change.

We have called on the new Government to start the work of improving protections for migrant victims now and have set out our top 10 recommendations for meaningful change. This includes a demand to immediately reverse a policy change harming the children of migrant victims of domestic abuse in the next set of changes to the Immigration Rules.

The Family Court has ruled journalists can name a serial rapist who a judge ruled could have unsupervised contact with his child. The mother appealed that decision and won. She also supported the application to name her rapist. The father and Cafcass opposed it.

Most women experiencing domestic abuse do not report it to the police but seek protection from the family courts or are taken to court by abusers seeking contact with their children.

The government has today (23rd April 2024) accepted an amendment in the House of Lords that will raise the legal threshold for when rape survivors’ counselling notes can be requested by the police. 

Rights of Women is worried that the Government may fail in its commitment to bring about urgently needed legislation requiring employers to take responsibility for preventing sexual harassment at work.

Following the shocking events just over two weeks ago at a Buckingham Palace reception on the 29th of November 2022, Rights of Women are expressing our solidarity with Ngozi Fulani and Sistah Space.

We are saddened to learn that Ranjit Kaur passed away on 25th November 2022. Ranjit Kaur was Rights of Women’s first Director from 2000 to 2007.

Over 40 experts in family justice and violence against women and girls (VAWG) are signatories to a letter to the Ministry of Justice calling for immediate action and accountability.

A group of leading women’s rights organisations, including Rights of Women, intervened in the ground-breaking Court of Appeal case.

Rights of Women is deeply concerned to read the proposals of the Government’s Crime and Justice Taskforce to deploy both uniformed and plain clothes officers being in pubs, bars and clubs, ostensibly to protect women from violence.

When it comes to addressing the needs of survivors, this proposed legislation offers "ineffective technological and punitive measures dressed up as cure-all solutions”.

We are appalled by the scenes of police brutality at last night’s Clapham Vigil to remember Sarah Everard.

We, at Rights of Women, extend our deepest condolences to the family of Sarah Everard following the devastating news today that her death has been confirmed.

Important review case comes in the wake of controversy over successful appeal case that highlighted outdated and sexist views of a judge on rape in an intimate relationship.

Women’s justice and protection needs must not be collateral damage in this Covid crisis.

With the release of its inaugural data, Rights of Women can now reveal the scale of institutional sexism, patterns of abuse, and imbalance of power which impede women’s safety in the workplace and undermine their access to justice.

This general election offers an opportunity for all political parties to explicitly support equality for women.

Rights of Women will today launch the only specialist free legal advice line for women in England and Wales experiencing sexual harassment at work.