Women’s equality in the UK – A health check

16.7
16.8
16.9
in part-time educational and learning settings such as private tutoring, leisure facilities, and
in evening and weekend faith schools, can rely on the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’
if charged with common assault against a child. UN treaty bodies the CRC, CEDAW and the
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights have repeatedly recommended that the
Government should comply with its human rights obligations by removing the defence. This was
also recommended in the first and second UPR cycles in relation to the UK. 13
Recommendation:
The Government should legislate to prohibit all forms of physical punishment against
children in the family and in all other institutions and alternative care settings
Sex-selective abortions
Women’s NGO Jeena International 14 is concerned about gendercide and sex-selective
abortions for the Indian diaspora in the UK 15 as there is quantitative evidence for this 16 which
mirrors findings in India. There is an ongoing project 17 to analyse the most recent trends and the
Government must take note of this for future action.
Pregnancy and Maternity Grants
Both pregnancy and the early years of childhood are crucial stages for the development
of children, during which socio-economic deprivation can have lasting effects. It is also a
time when many families are under considerable financial pressure. Key grants and welfare
entitlements are crucial in helping women cope with the costs of pregnancy and a new child.
However, two key grants to support the costs of pregnancy and maternity have been cut:
The Health in Pregnancy Grant was abolished in January 2011, and eligibility for the Sure Start
Maternity Grant was restricted to the first child only from April 2011, thus penalising families who
have any subsequent children. (See Article 13 for further information)
Recommendation:
Reinstate the Health in Pregnancy Grant and the Sure Start Maternity Grant or
introduce an alternative payment
Closure of Sure Start Centres
Sure Start Children’s Centres, of which there are currently over 3,600 in England, 18 are open to all
children and parents and offer a range of free and low-cost services including early education,
health and family support services, workshops on breastfeeding and child nutrition, debt
counseling, and advice on training and job opportunities. The centres also offer affordable
childcare. This provision has been crucial in enabling women to combine work and childcare
responsibilities. 19 One survey showed that 68% of parents with a child under one used a
13. Ministry of Justice, Universal Periodic Review http://www.justice.gov.uk/human-rights/universal-periodic-review Accessed: 21/04/13
14. Jeena International http://www.jeenainternational.org/ Accessed: 26/03/13
15. Tebbit, N. (2012) ‘How the Government evaded my questions about British ‘gendercide’’, The Telegraph, 27th February 2012 http://blogs.
telegraph.co.uk/news/normantebbit/100139604/how-the-government-evaded-my-questions-about-british-gendercide/
16. Dubuc, S. and Coleman, D. (2007) An increase in the sex ratio of births to India-born mothers in England and Wales: evidence for sexselective
abortion, in Population and Development Review, 3, 3 (2): 389-400
17. University of Oxford, Department of Social Policy and Intervention http://www.spsw.ox.ac.uk/staff/research/profile/dubuc.html Accessed:
26/03/13
18. Fawcett Society (2011) The Impact of Austerity on Women. Fawcett: London http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/wp-content/
uploads/2013/02/The-Impact-of-Austerity-on-Women-19th-March-2012.pdf (p.14)
19. Fawcett Society (2011) The Impact of Austerity on Women. Fawcett: London http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/wp-content/
uploads/2013/02/The-Impact-of-Austerity-on-Women-19th-March-2012.pdf (p.14)
164 Women’s equality in the UK: CEDAW shadow report 2013