Equality and Diversity in the news
The latest Women in Work index shows that the UK is improving gender equality in the workplace and it is now ranked 13th out of 33 countries. This is a 4-place improvement since 2000. If the UK were able to match Sweden’s level of female employment the benefit to the economy would be around £178bn.
The research shows that one area of weakness for the UK is the number of women in full-time employment, and that both the Government and businesses have a major role to play in improving gender equality in the UK.
https://economia.icaew.com/news/march-2019/uk-crawls-up-the-gender-equality-rankings
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Research found that 40% of women working in Sport Leadership Position felt undervalued. A leading sport and equality charity has launched an initiative to tackle the representation of women in this industry.
The Prevent Strategy and Channel
Far-Right extremism is becoming more prevalent in the UK and is now as serious as Islamic extremism. Security expert Will Geddes stated that there was a vicious cycle between far-right extremism and Islamic extremism.
Counter-terrorism officers have investigated a hammer attack outside a Mosque in London and a stabbing in Surrey. 5 Mosques in Birmingham suffered criminal damage and it is believed that all were carried out with a sledgehammer.
The Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, tweeted “Deeply concerning & distressing to see number of mosques have been vandalised in Birmingham overnight.”
https://talkradio.co.uk/news/far-right-extremism-serious-problem-uk-19032130359
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A Surrey man has been charged with attempted murder and possession of a knife after he lunged through a car window and attacked a 19-year-old. The victim is believed to be from Bulgaria and prosecutors are treating the attack as an act of terrorism as the attacker was allegedly heard shouting “white supremacy” and “I’m going to kill Muslims”. The attacker, Vincent Fuller, is also believed to have expressed agreement with the Christchurch Terror Attack in New Zealand that left 50 dead.
The case has been sent to Old Bailey and Fuller will appear as part of the court’s next terrorism list.
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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 Government and the National Lottery Community Fund are investing £1.2 million to improve charities’ knowledge of safeguarding requirements.
The Minister for Civil Society Mims Davies stated:
- The funding will support employees, volunteers and members of the public to have confidence in handling and reporting concerns
- Training will make a huge difference ensuring charities:
- Know their responsibilities
- How to report concerns
- Have easily accessible advice
In addition 5 organisations across England will receive a share of £250,000 of Government funding to help tackle barriers to volunteering in later life, and a further £144,000 is being invested to increase the number of places available to young people from disadvantaged areas in uniformed youth groups.
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A report has found that more than 15,000 crimes are not reported by police each year. Watchdog inspectors analysing how Hampshire police record crimes found 540 sex offences were unrecorded.
Out of 249 cases of rape looked at, almost 40 were not recorded – some officers and staff did not understand the circumstances in which victims cannot give true consent. Hampshire police insisted 31 of the 38 not recorded crimes were investigated. Some of the reasons for the not investigating the 7 were: the complainant was drunk, had mental health problems and the victim would not cooperate with police. Police had not recorded why they had decided not to investigate one of the incidents.
The force has been branded as “requires improvement”.
Health and Safety
Owners of beach huts in Milford-on-Sea have been ordered by the council to tear the structures down due to Health and Safety fears.
The huts have been left inaccessible after storms have washed away the shingle on the beach. The council have refused to replace the shingle and the owners received a town hall edict ordering them to demolish the huts that are now at risk of falling over.
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Following the death of Mieczyslaw ‘Mitch’ Siwak at Flathouse Quay in Portsmouth in 2017, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stated that there was a complete lack of supervision and control on night shifts and practices were routinely ignored. The inquest showed that Me Siwak, who had just started a night shift when he was killed, was walking outside of a safe walking zone and was not carrying a radio to communicate with his colleagues.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-46992190
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The managing director of Baldwin Skip Hire, based near Attleborough, has been found not guilty of manslaughter following the death of an employee, James Criddle, in 2017. Mr Criddle’s clothes had become trapped in a screening machine used to separate waste material leading to his suffocation.
The court heard that the machine had been purchased second hand and came with no operating manual or documentation.
The company had previously pleaded guilty to a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The managing director will appear at Norwich Crown Court at a later date for sentencing.
Featured Topic – University Suicide Rates
University of Nottingham have lined the stairs with 95 pairs of shoes to highlight the number of student suicides in England and Wales in 2017/18.
The display was part of the unions Suicide Awareness Week. A petition has also been started asking the University for more mental health support. It calls for more funding for counselling and better systems for picking up issues.
Nottingham University Student Union said that its dedicated support line, Nightline, has taken 592 suicide related calls in the past 3 years; this shows there is a significant problem. The union’s equal opportunities and welfare officer stated “the university does not publicise any student deaths we have, meaning any student suicides we do have tend to fly under the radar”
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) that the 95 suicides of Higher Education Students is significantly lower than the suicide rate in the general population of a similar age, and that male suicide rate in Higher Education is higher than female suicide rates.
Between 2001 and 2017, 1,330 Student suicides were identified. 66% were male, 34% were female and the median age was 26 years old and made up of 83% undergraduates and 17% postgraduates.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-47616236