80 new rape courts

[CassieMaddox]

Labour pledging this as part of their manifesto commitment to reduce VAWG.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/08/labour-pledges-80-new-courts-in-bid-to-tackle-backlog-crisis

So pleased to see an actual tangible action targeted at something that will help women. I'm looking forward to seeing what else is in their manifesto now.

“Halve violence against women and girls”. Has Starmer finally worked out what a woman is? Does he recognise which sex is responsible for the vast majority of violence against women and girls?

Are they going to stop making victimised women call their male rapists “she” and “her”? Are women going to be proactively offered female only staff in these units?

Where in the prison estate are they going to put trans identifying male rapists?

Are they going to stop using gender when sex should be used?

How about making sure single sex spaces and services are single sex?

I would love to be able to vote Labour but until they get their act together on Women’s issues it’s not going to happen.

Do you think "being able to recognise what a woman is" is 1) something Starmer can't do, given he said woman = adult female and 2) relevant to getting the backlog of rapes down, given rape is a crime that can only be committed by someone with a penis?

The effective decriminalisation of rape is my number 1 feminist issue so I'm pleased to see a party taking it seriously

“Halve violence against women and girls”.

It’s a lovely thought but this is just pie in the sky. How on earth does he think he can achieve this?

"in unused rooms and spare capacity within every existing crown court"

I thought the line was that the courts are really stretched. Are they stretched or are they sitting about nothing doing?

Isn't there also pretty much already a specialist unit in all forces from Operation Soteria? www.npcc.police.uk/our-work/violence-against-women-and-girls/operation-soteria/

How can one halve violence against women and girls without

1. clearly defining what is meant be woman & girl ie are we talking biological women & girls or does it include biological women & girls and special men/boys too?
2. ensuring that risks to women and girls of the biological kind are reduced by ensuring single sex spaces are guaranteed?

otherwise It’s all just something that sounds nice but falls at the first basic hurdle

And you need to know who's committing the violence. Women women, or men with bits of paper women?

rape is a crime that can only be committed by someone with a penis

AKA men.

the thing is this an actual, practical proposal which if carried out will actually significantly improve the chance of survivors getting justice

casting around for some way of discrediting it just looks petty

Maybe by taking it seriously rather than acting like it's something women just have to live with?

Do you think it matters how a female identifies as to their risk of being a victim of VAWG?
I don't think its a thing you can identify out of, sadly. Or into.

I just don't believe it. I find it hard to believe any politician these days, he's clearly trying to find a popular policy idea that will get him votes. When actually in power, no doubt this will slide onto the back burner, or it will be announced that because of XYZ issue left behind by the Conservatives, that it's no longer possible. Or similar.

And of course, if prison estate becomes essentially mixed sex/male instead of female/male, then there's one set of vulnerable women who won't be seeing an improvement in their circumstances.

Starmer has questioned the government on court backlogs. Yet Labour says there are free spaces. It is confusing at best. Plus there is Operation Soteria. What actually is being offered here? It is not clear

I completely include TM in the definition of female and woman and thus in the scope of reducing violence against them

unlike many services to support female victims of violence who help those who identify as women

What is the latest Starmer position on what is a woman?

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/26845883/keir-starmer-transgender-women-define-is/

Time will tell but I don’t think a man who says he believes that some women have a penis and has failed to call out the bullying and harassment of a female MP in his own party for saying only women have a cervix is likely to be the person who makes a dent in MVAWG.

Talk is cheap-costs nothing. I tend to go by what people actually do and I dont see any support in any way, shape or form whatsoever for Rosie, and (unless I missed it) Starmer has yet to retract the statement that "saying only a women has a cervix is not something that should be said". In which case Labour can fuck off- i dont trust them any further than I can piss.

Dearie me. Did you read that before you typed it? "Women women" don't have the necessary equipment for rape.

Time will tell but I don’t think a man who says he believes that some women have a penis and has failed to call out the bullying and harassment of a female MP in his own party for saying only women have a cervix is likely to be the person who makes a dent in MVAWG

@Signalbox nails it.

I don't see how he can do this without making the legal definitions of male and female clear. We cannot have the situation where women are having to refer to their male attackers as 'she' in a court of law.

Well this does just go to show how politicised this board is.
An actual tangible policy that will benefit women (aka adult human females) being pooh-poohed because it came from Labour.

Whenever I hear one of these policy announcements I just think 'sounds great, but how?'
Where are they going to magic up the necessary barristers and judges from?

It's the same with the promises of extra GP appointments, teachers, police officers etc

It's only pooh-poohed because of Labour's shocking lack of concern for 51% of the electorate.

its not our fault that Labour still can’t join the dots between their definition of women and girls including men and boys with special feelings and the knock on real life effect that has on operational policy & practice

you cannot defend what you cannot define

Because only adult males AKA men have penises.

100% of rapists are male. 86% of victims are female.

This is a woman friendly policy regardless of how anyone (victim or offender) "identifies".

Locking up rapists is a good thing for women. Getting rape cases heard is a good thing for women.

I find it strange anyone feminist could write this off tbh.

Oh no. Women are engaged in politics! Worse, the witches can fucking read and dissect policy positions!

Alert the village elders etc