UN Special Rapporteur raises concerns about Scottish Gender reforms

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=27681

So many of the issues we have all been raising for example:

"While I commend the Government for listening to the voices of transwomen,
including organizations that represent them, I am concerned that the consultations for this proposal do not appear to have been sufficiently inclusive of other groups of women, most notably female victims of violence. It has been reported that five survivors of male violence approached the Scottish Parliament EHRCJ to speak in a private session about their concerns in relation to the Bill and their own experiences of self-exclusion. The convenor reportedly informed the group that the Committee did not have time to see them and to put their objections in writing.
I would like to recall the UK’s obligation to make sure that all processes that
affect the lives of all women and girls put them at the center of their deliberations, as well as its responsibility to take and enforce all measures to end violence against women. Second-guessing and questioning the needs of survivors of violence born female for single sex assistance and protection services is not victim-centered and ignores and undermines the survivor’s involuntary trauma, agency, and dignity.'"

Also gets a mention in the main comment piece:

The Times view on the SNP’s failed bid for Scottish independence: Without Exits

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e9a416b8-6b66-11ed-b361-431d7dcc7c0e?shareToken=e5662da30f2b7d3d1cfc67f8f2a20f9e

"That much, of course, Ms Sturgeon knew already. She now proposes to take her litigation to the country. Denied a de jure referendum, she has vowed to turn the next general election into a de facto vote on independence. In doing so she merely draws attention to a second truth that the SNP would rather its electorate ignored: nationalist government has been a disaster for the people of Scotland. Its health service is in crisis. Its schools, once the envy of these islands, have declined to the extent that literacy and numeracy rates are among the worst in Europe. Its nationalised ferry service has been crippled by a four-year, £250 million delay to the delivery of two ships built at a publicly-owned Clyde shipyard.

On and on the litany of avoidable failure goes. Yesterday the United Nations condemned Ms Sturgeon’s rushed and contentious reforms to gender-recognition legislation as a danger to women. The number of sex offences recorded by police has more than doubled in the past decade. Scotland’s government is failing its people. For Ms Sturgeon to suggest that independence is the solution to this catalogue of self-inflicted crises is an insult, as is her entreaty to voters to cast their ballots in 2024 on the constitutional question alone. The Scottish electorate has every right to judge the SNP on its threadbare record of delivery, rather than its confected grievances."

Thank you for the share tokens.

I had a bully boss for years too. He used to stand behind me as I typed up reports or input data for calculations and if I put a keystroke wrong he would shout 'NO'. Half the time he had creeped up on me and I wasn't aware he was there. This was over a quarter of a century ago.

I still cannot stand people standing behind me, especially when on a laptop or keyboard. It sends me into a spiral of fear with shaking and feeling sick. And that was just shouting.

This bill is deeply unpopular in Scotland, and once the full implications become clear to more people (e.g. men in women's spaces) it will only become more so. It has coasted along so far because little attention has been paid, but that is changing. Law suits are inevitable. The UK govt only needs to explain that they are protecting women as per obligations under CEDAW and following the intervention of the UN Special Rapporteur and they're not the oppressors - they're the saviours of women and indeed common sense itself. I seriously can't see such an intervention being beneficial for Sturgeon.

Telegraph coverage:

archive.ph/1kXLs

"Reem Alsalem, the UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, said the proposals could “open the door for violent males who identify as men to abuse the process”.
In a letter to James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, she said the Scottish government’s plans lacked “clarity” on how people applying to change gender would be checked.
And she added: “Simplifying and fast-tracking the procedure does not necessarily make it fairer or more efficient.”"

Another article today in the Times, it mentions a Times interview with Reem Alsalem but I can't see a separate article with a transcript of the interview.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/4eb795f6-6ea6-11ed-a188-d2cb771901d6?shareToken=8e7670c28c1a5465e1ab1cea6ef3448a

Thank you for share token.

Interesting that she says she got a lot of women from many countries contacting her about this topic.

Thank you for the share.

thanks for the share, OP. I'm grateful to Reem Alsalem for her thoughtful interventions. Be nice if the Scotgov would listen to her, but I think they are actually incapable of listening to anyone with differing views.

I hope that some people pay attention to what she is saying. For too long there has been a narrative that if you oppose any aspect of TRA demands then you are a hateful bigot. It is good to see someone of her calibre raise concerns.

So grateful to Reem
(& I notice her Twitter bio says A.K.A. “the person from the UN” so now I really want to buy her a pint 😆)

😮oh, wow, that is perfect!

Brilliant!
Reason and a good sense of humour do seem to go hand in hand

That sent me to her Twitter account.

Which was actually sobering. God, the world is a hard place sometimes. And seems especially so for women and girls.

twitter.com/unsrvaw

Quality bio update from Reem Alsalem!

We hear what you are saying.

How can the SNP and Greens ignore this?

If some of these women are on here, which I suspect they are, THANK YOU 💚🤍💜It’s so very appreciated by Scottish women to know that we have support & solidarity from all over the 🌎

New article in the Times "Sturgeon urged to pause gender reform bill -
Call for UN official to speak to ministers and Holyrood on controversial legislation"

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/36865de4-6f39-11ed-8a5b-f385de7508fe?shareToken=2de762caf701023373995dd23dda953e

Hmmm. I foresee Nicola suddenly losing her respect for the opinions of UN rapporteurs, somehow...!

Well, most women in Scotland have lost whatever respect they had for her a long time ago.

Can confirm

Reem speaking (SR telling lies - the reverse of what they argued in court )

mobile.twitter.com/BBCScotNine/status/1597698511071739904

Yep.

Robison lied her way through that interview.

The difference in these interviews!

The depressing thing is that Robison will no doubt feel she has brilliantly answered all questions...