International Women's Day 2018 - Fighting Back: Women's Bodies, Women's Voices

The way that women's bodies are treated is inextricably bound-up with the law.

Our fourth in our full series of International Women's Day events for 2018 will gather a panel of experts from academia, the legal sector and the campaigning world to talk about women's reproductive and sexual health with a focus on abortion and FGM. They will outline the current situation and show us in very practical ways how they are, and why we should, #PressForProgress in relation to women's bodies and women's choices.

Speakers

Claire McGowran, campaigner for London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign

Claire McGowran is a volunteer with the London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign - a grassroots campaign for free, safe, legal abortion access across the island of Ireland. What started with a solidarity event and an open meeting in late 2016, has grown into a strong community of volunteers and activists. A London-based branch of Abortion Rights Campaign and a member of the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment, the London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign works on fundraising, policy and advocacy, direct action, partnerships, and media and communications. Our aim is to bring people in London together to campaign repeal of the Eighth Amendment from the Irish Constitution and for the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland.

Mairead Enright, Birmingham Law School

Mairead Enright is Senior Lecturer in law at Birmingham Law School. Her research is in feminist legal studies and law and religion. She is especially interested in how patriarchal legal and religious structures can be resisted and changed. Her research in this respect looks beyond traditional methods of law reform to consider illegality, protest, private litigation, and experimental legal drafting. She is Co-Director of the Northern/Irish Feminist Judgments Project, and often consults with and advises groups campaigning around reproductive rights and historical gender-based violence in Ireland. She is author, with Fiona de Londras, of Repealing the 8th (Policy Press, 2018).

Dr Pam Lowe, Coventry Feminists and member of 'Back Off' Campaign

Dr Pam Lowe is an academic activist with a particular focus on women’s reproductive and sexual health. She co-convenes Coventry Feminists, is an active member of Birmingham Abortion Rights and has 10 years of volunteering experience supporting street-based sex workers.

Alimatu Dimonekene, FGM Survivor and Campaigner

Alimatu Dimonekene is an award winning anti-FGM campaigner. She is an African Achiever Award Honouree (2017) and founded Project ACEi (Act, Commit, Empower & Inspire) to change and eliminate violence, harmful practices and support women and girls affected. As a Leading advocate for women she has advised the government and many other agencies on various issues in tackling domestic violence especially its links the mental wellbeing of women and girls. Creating platforms for discussions through her project and diaspora engagement work.

Bethel Tadesse, Women's Health Campaigner, Integrate UK

Bethel Tadesse is a 21 year old student that campaigns against violence against women and girls including female genital mutilation and period poverty. She is a lead outreach worker for Integate UK and founder of Hidden Scars.

Gráinne Mellon, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)

Gráinne Mellon is a specialist in human rights and equality law. Her practice includes immigration, unlawful detention, trafficking, community care and Court of Protection, education, women and children’s rights, and discrimination law. In addition to her domestic practice, Gráinne acts and advises in cases with an international dimension. She is a lecturer in International Human Rights Law at the London School of Economics and is frequently instructed on behalf of the BHRC where her work this year has focused on access to justice in Calais and on fair trial rights of journalists in Turkey. Gráinne acts as an advisor to the Children’s Rights Alliance of England and Wales on strategic public law litigation and was named by RightsInfo as a leading human rights commentator in 2016.

Bookings

Please note that this event is now fully booked. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please contact seminars@gclaw.co.uk