Jeremy Corbyn's plans are a step in the right direction

It's right that Jeremy has asked women for their opinions - and we can't shy away from the difficult questions, says Shelly Asquith.

We have all been there. With our keys through our knuckles late at night. Purposefully sitting next to the family on the train, or getting off before the journey is over to escape an unwelcome advance. Taking a longer route home because the short-cut is a hotspot for assault.

Nearly 90 per cent of women have experienced sexual harassment by the age of 19, and 1 in 3 have experienced it in their place of work or study - yet 85per cent of victims never report it to the police. Leered at in the street or touched up on the train; these instances are considered such a ‘normal’ daily occurrence that they aren’t being spoken of, let alone reported. Women have a choice: suck it up, take risks and be anxious, or constrain ourselves – take expensive cabs or wear different clothes.

Street harassment goes hand in hand with gendered violence and discrimination, to keep women locked out of the advantages that men don't even realise they have. Bringing everyday sexism and harassment into the open is vital, and grassroots groups of women are already trying to tackle it head­ on. But politicians have been slow to follow in implementing and enforcing policy. That is why I am pleased that Jeremy Corbyn has released  ideas for consultation based on what women have said - seeking to tackle this oft-unspoken issue.

Imagine if you could send in a photo of a car numberplate and a repeat offender will be fined. Or if you report an assault, you are guaranteed the voice on the end of the phone will be a woman trained specifically in dealing with this issue. Imagine a UK-wide awareness campaign on billboards and television that doesn’t blame the the victim for how small our dress, or large our drink - but instead educates people on the effects and consequences of harassment. These are all initiatives which Jeremy has today outlined.

Only one local authority in the country has a dedicated Cabinet member for Women’s Safety: Jeremy will encourage more to create this role, whilst assigning a ministerial position to Government. Rarely do decision makers meet with institutions and campaigns seeking to tackle harassment: Jeremy will call regional summits to discuss practical steps that can be taken according to community infrastructure.

His plan to toughen licensing laws for venues will ensure sufficient training on dealing with harassment is received by staff; and the proposal to make more train stations Incident Reporting Centres for hate crime and assault is especially welcome. These plans place responsibility on those in control of public spaces, rather than leaving women bearing the burden alone.

Women-only spaces are the topic of much debate. There have been so many women engaging in this campaign who want a solution to the growing problem on public transport, and they have asked Jeremy to get women's views. It is right to start asking the difficult questions - and it is about time someone put this squarely on the agenda.
Sexism is deep-rooted in society. Jeremy’s policies - like properly funding women’s services, providing free childcare and ending austerity - take this challenge seriously. Sexual harassment is constraining women's freedom, threatening our safety and undermining our sense of security. Today’s proposals signal that women don't have to put up with this in silence and our perpetrators cannot get away with impunity.

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/08/jeremy-corbyns-plans-are-step-right-direction


Fancy that, a prospective leader who listens and wants to discuss and consult and give people their say.  No wonder the RW press are going potty.

It is a very poor article, because you will have the same of those saying not enough is being done for countless groups and all you end up doing is segregating society which is going backwards not forwards and dealing with the problems.
Once you go down that path then its
Gay only
Transgender only
Black only
Asian only
Elderly only
Disabled only

I could go on the list is endless but this is not tackling the problem of sexism and harrasment, where much of this is sadly taught at an early age, where if truth be told it comes sadly from backward religions that hold discrminating views. That certainly plays a part in why societies have problems with sexism and a history of where many men have been on top[ and fear to relinquish control. The problems will always stem from an early age, and that is where you tackle the problems
Make schools secular were children are taight to respect each other no matter, they race, religion, sex etc.

Amazing isn't it how people have said they don't vote Labour anymorebecause they have lost their core values but when someone comes along that tries to adopt those core values it gets worse and out come the Tory attack dogs.

They're running scared.  His meetings have been absolutely packed and he even had to stop one the other night that he had moved to a larger venue but was so over subscribed they thought it might be dangerous.

Irn Bru wrote:Amazing isn't it how people have said they don't vote Labour anymorebecause they have lost their core values but when someone comes along that tries to adopt those core values it gets worse and out come the Tory attack dogs.

These are not core values, but values that will place Britain backward.
Like I said segregation is something that should never happen.
You tackle the problems at their root core, when children are growing up where they should be taught to respect others.

Did JC say he WANTED separate carriages?

He is certainly promoting the idea and it is even being talked about in the article.
He clearly wants to approach the idea.
Are you denying otherwise?
Again it is a poor way to tackle a problem at its root cause which starts very young

He was not promoting the idea, he specifically said that he would rather they didn't happen because he wanted everyone to feel safe.  He was however will to put it up for discussion because the women's groups had specifically asked him to.

sassy wrote:He was not promoting the idea, he specifically said that he would rather they didn't happen because he wanted everyone to feel safe.  He was however will to put it up for discussion because the women's groups had specifically asked him to.

Yeah right, as seen he has backtracked.
It should never come up for discussion segregation, its means going backwards, and it fails to recgnise the route problem and looks to make a small fix to one small area of the problem.

In work last week, I was very happy to hear 2 vols aged around 20 talking about Corbyn and watching some of his speeches.

When did a politician last have this impact? He shows the lot of them up.

Farage had this same media time its all hype when a person gains some popularity.
Its nothing new Nems or anything to get excited about.
The Labour MP's against him are their own worst enemies making him stand out more.
Like I said I hope he becomes Labour leader as the more he gets into the spotlight people they will see he is not that great. Its all bluster at the end of the day

Nems wrote:In work last week, I was very happy to hear 2 vols aged around 20 talking about Corbyn and watching some of his speeches.

When did a politician last have this impact?  He shows the lot of them up.

I'd said to you Nems that I thought he had something about him but he is as far left as Nigel Farage is far right.  I think he'll get voted in as Labour Leader, it seems many of the opposition have joined the Labour Party to ensure he does!

I think that says it all really.  The opposition feel that his leadership will be destructive, time will tell

feelthelove wrote:

Nems wrote:In work last week, I was very happy to hear 2 vols aged around 20 talking about Corbyn and watching some of his speeches.

When did a politician last have this impact?  He shows the lot of them up.

I'd said to you Nems that I thought he had something about him but he is as far left as Nigel Farage is far right.  I think he'll get voted in as Labour Leader, it seems many of the opposition have joined the Labour Party to ensure he does!

I think that says it all really.  The opposition feel that his leadership will be destructive, time will tell

It will and in the meanwhile he can continue to keep things interesting

Nems wrote:

feelthelove wrote:

I'd said to you Nems that I thought he had something about him but he is as far left as Nigel Farage is far right.  I think he'll get voted in as Labour Leader, it seems many of the opposition have joined the Labour Party to ensure he does!

I think that says it all really.  The opposition feel that his leadership will be destructive, time will tell

It will and in the meanwhile he can continue to keep things interesting

In a kind of way!

Increasing attacks on women by immigrants is still being ignored I see...