Equality and Diversity in the news
300 Parents have protested equality lessons at a Community School in Birmingham. The “No Outsiders” lessons cover areas such as disability, gender, religion/belief and sexual orientation. It aims to teach children about the Equality Act and British Values.
The program was set up in 2014 by Assistant Head Andrew Moffat and has since been adopted by other schools in the Country. Mr Moffat, who is in a civil partnership, was made an MBE for his services to equality and diversity in education in 2017.
Some of the protestors have accused the teacher of promoting his personal beliefs in these lessons. One protestor said “What they are teaching is not right, they are too young. There are nine parts of the Act and they only seem to be focusing on one, homosexuality, and that is wrong. They need to have an ethos which reflects the area.”
The protestors could be seen holding signs with phrases like “Education not Indoctrination”, “Stop exploiting children’s innocence” and “Say no to undermining parental rights and authority”
The Prevent Strategy and Channel
The campaign See it. Say it. Sorted., run by the British Transport Police not only encourages passengers to report anything that feels out of place, but also is said to send a clear message to anyone that threatens the security of the rail system that all other passengers are watching.
The campaign allows members of the public to report anything they feel is out of place by either calling 0800 40 50 40 or texting 61016. The text service is for non-emergencies and incidence can be reported discretely 24hours a day.
The British Transport Police (BTP) state that members of the public should not be afraid to report anything that looks or feels wrong, it is then up to the BTP to decide if that information is important and they will check it thoroughly. Some examples of things that could be reported are:
- Someone avoiding rail staff
- Leaving a bag unattended on a platform
- Trying to access staff only areas
http://www.btp.police.uk/latest_news/see_it_say_it_sorted_new_natio.aspx
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The Prevent Duty is to be reviewed independently after there has been pressure to address concerns over the impact it has on communities. The security minister, Ben Wallace, has said that the annual statistics released clearly show that Prevent is not singling out any particular group or ideology. Since 2012 the statistics show that more than 1,200 people have been supported by an aspect of The Prevent Strategy, Channel. 394 people received Channel Support in 2017/18, of this number 45% were referred for Islamist Extremism and 44% for right-wing Extremism.
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Remember those all-important contact numbers:
Anti-Terrorism Hotline: 0800 789 321
Crime Stoppers: 0800 555 111
See it. Say it. Sorted.: Text 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40
And above all, be vigilant! If in doubt report anything suspicious to 101 or 999.
Safeguarding
The app Bright Sky enables users to gain advice and information about domestic abuse and where to get help not only for themselves but for other people as well. The app was created by Hestia, in collaboration with Vodafone Foundation and Thames Valley Police, and features a questionnaire to discover if you are at risk, a UK wide directory of help centres and a journal tool to record incidents.
The app is available on the Google play store and the Apple App store and is free to download.
https://www.hestia.org/brightsky
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Officers in Hampshire have been working with schools to raise awareness of the method of drug supply known as County Lines. County lines is the name given to the practise of organised urban gangs expanding their activity into more rural areas.
On the week beginning January 21st, 5 people were arrested in Southampton, 1 in Gosport and 1 in the New Forrest. More than £12,000 was recovered.
County Lines is a relatively new method of selling drugs and involves exploitation, vulnerable people may be groomed for County Lines or given gifts in return for selling drugs.
Supt Matthew Reeves, who has led the operation stated “This type of criminality needs a partnership approach, including our communities. I would urge anyone who is concerned about someone who may be involved in this activity to contact us or one of our partners,”
Health and Safety
Residents of a block of flats in Kent are facing a fine due to their doormats. The housing association in charge of the 13-storey tower block, warned residents that they would have to remove their doormats or face a charge of £90 if staff had to remove and store them. If the residents then failed to collect their doormat within 28 days, they would be charged a further £15 for the cost of disposing of the doormat.
The housing association says that the doormats are a fire risk and can produce smoke which could hinder the emergency services.
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Pintrest has taken a step against anti-vaxxers by no longer bringing back any search results for searches related to vaccinations. This ban has been put in place temporarily as Pintrest have said it’s been hard to remove the anti-vaccine content completely, and it will be lifted when a more permanent solution is found.
This move comes after measles outbreaks have been reported across America. The World Health Organisation has reported that the UK is one of 33 countries in Europe to Eliminate the measles. Elimination is the official term used once a country has reduced the number of cases of a disease to a low enough level to stop it spreading through the general population for at least three years.
Measles is entirely avoidable and had been eliminated in the US however, policy failure is leading to the outbreak as 1 in 4 young children are not vaccinated.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/pinterest-cracks-down-anti-vaxxers-210811543.html?guccounter=1
https://www.nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/has-measles-really-been-eradicated-in-the-uk/
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/2/16/18223764/measles-outbreak-2019-vaccines-anti-vax
Featured Topic – Vegan Activists Release Dairy Farmer Information
Project Calf have released an interactive map that shows the location of dairy farmers across England and Wales. The map contains the Trading Name, Address and Producer ID of the dairy farms.
Project calf encourages people to visit the dairy farms, document what they see and “expose” them. A quote from their website says, “Let the farmers know their dirty business is everyone’s business!”
Facts about Dairy Farming:
- Sexed Semen
- This is often used for heifers that are having their first calf
- Ensures that more females are born
- Conception rate is slightly lower
- Breeding
- Health and welfare traits are prioritised in the breeding strategy
- Britain is the world leader in this area
- Male calves
- Reared for beef
- If suitable sold for veal
- Specialist calf rearing units are being developed
- British Rosé Veal is produced to the highest welfare standards
- Separation
- Calves spend the first day feeding to ensure they receive colostrum
- Weaning calves at an early age minimises stress to the cows
- Weaned calves are placed together
http://www.thisisdairyfarming.com/discover/dairy-farming-facts/?page=1