The first Lady of Uganda with spouses of other heads of government from the commonwealth during CHOGM in UgandaFormer Sierra Leone President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah to lead Commonwealth Observers for Kenya Elections
The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) to the forthcoming General Elections in Kenya will be led by H.E. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, former President of Sierra Leone, Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon announced today.
The COG for the elections, which are scheduled to take place on 27 December 2007, will be composed of 13 eminent persons drawn from 11 Commonwealth countries.
The Observers will be in Kenya from 18 December to 1 January 2008.
Announcing the composition of the COG, Mr. McKinnon said that mandate of the Group is to “determine in its own judgment whether the elections have been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which Kenya has committed itself, with reference to national election related legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth and other international commitments.”
The COG has been constituted at the invitation of the Government of Kenya. It also follows an Assessment Mission which was in Kenya in October 2007.
The Assessment Mission established that there exists broad support from political parties and civil society for the presence of Commonwealth Observers. The Mission also concluded that there is full freedom of movement for Observers and they will enjoy access to all stages of the process - which is vital if they are to make judgements on its credibility.
The COG will be supported by a staff team from the Commonwealth Secretariat led by Mr Ayodele Oke, who will shortly take up position as the Head of Africa Section in the Political Affairs Division.
The full composition of the COG is:
H E Dr Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (Chair)
Former President
Sierra Leone
Mrs Mabel Adinya Ade-Torsoo National Co-ordinator
Transitional Monitoring Group
Nigeria
Mr Calvin Benn
Deputy Chief Election Officer
Guyana
Mr. Max Caller
Electoral Commissioner
United Kingdom
Rt Hon Paul East
Barrister
New Zealand
Mr Ewan Nigel Hare
Former Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat
Canada
Mr Feroz Hassan
Chair, Coalition for Good Governance, Bangladesh
Justice Irene Chirwa Mambilima, Chairperson, Electoral Commission
Zambia
Mr. Pierre Paul Martin
Election Expert
Canada
Ms Marie Neilson
Electoral Officer
Australia
Hon Dr Ana Rita Geremias Sithole
Member of Parliament
Mozambique
Ms. Barbara Morunrayo Soetan Commonwealth Youth Representative United Kingdom
Mrs Margaret Rita Vagi
Director
Electoral Commission
Papua New Guinea
The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) to the forthcoming General Elections in Kenya will be led by H.E. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, former President of Sierra Leone, Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon announced today.
The COG for the elections, which are scheduled to take place on 27 December 2007, will be composed of 13 eminent persons drawn from 11 Commonwealth countries.
The Observers will be in Kenya from 18 December to 1 January 2008.
Announcing the composition of the COG, Mr. McKinnon said that mandate of the Group is to “determine in its own judgment whether the elections have been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which Kenya has committed itself, with reference to national election related legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth and other international commitments.”
The COG has been constituted at the invitation of the Government of Kenya. It also follows an Assessment Mission which was in Kenya in October 2007.
The Assessment Mission established that there exists broad support from political parties and civil society for the presence of Commonwealth Observers. The Mission also concluded that there is full freedom of movement for Observers and they will enjoy access to all stages of the process - which is vital if they are to make judgements on its credibility.
The COG will be supported by a staff team from the Commonwealth Secretariat led by Mr Ayodele Oke, who will shortly take up position as the Head of Africa Section in the Political Affairs Division.
The full composition of the COG is:
H E Dr Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (Chair)
Former President
Sierra Leone
Mrs Mabel Adinya Ade-Torsoo National Co-ordinator
Transitional Monitoring Group
Nigeria
Mr Calvin Benn
Deputy Chief Election Officer
Guyana
Mr. Max Caller
Electoral Commissioner
United Kingdom
Rt Hon Paul East
Barrister
New Zealand
Mr Ewan Nigel Hare
Former Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat
Canada
Mr Feroz Hassan
Chair, Coalition for Good Governance, Bangladesh
Justice Irene Chirwa Mambilima, Chairperson, Electoral Commission
Zambia
Mr. Pierre Paul Martin
Election Expert
Canada
Ms Marie Neilson
Electoral Officer
Australia
Hon Dr Ana Rita Geremias Sithole
Member of Parliament
Mozambique
Ms. Barbara Morunrayo Soetan Commonwealth Youth Representative United Kingdom
Mrs Margaret Rita Vagi
Director
Electoral Commission
Papua New Guinea
December: First anniversary of the Ipswich tragedy
& International Day of Action Against Violence Against Sex Workers
Press statement
IPSWICH – A YEAR AFTER WOMEN ARE NO SAFER
END CRIMINALISATION OF SEX WORKERS
We send our deepest felt condolences to the families and friends of Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Annette Nicholls, Anneli Alderton and Paula Clennell. Sadly, a year after the tragic murders which took away five precious lives, and despite the unprecedented public outcry which demanded that ‘never again’ should women in Ipswich or anywhere face such violence, women are no safer. The crackdowns which force sex workers further underground making women more vulnerable to violence and exploitation and deterring them from reporting attacks, have returned.
Increasing numbers of people have been pressing for an end to the criminalisation of prostitution. Together with the Royal College of Nursing, Women Against Rape, National Association of Probation Officers, church people, residents from red light areas, anti-poverty campaigners, drug reformers and others, we have formed the Safety First Coalition. But the government continues to target sex workers and increase criminalisation.
Clause 72 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill (CJIB ) now in parliament, introduces compulsory rehabilitation under threat of imprisonment . Clause 72 requires anyone arrested for loitering or soliciting to attend a series of three meetings with a supervisor approved by the court “to promote rehabilitation, by assisting the offender to address the causes of their involvement in prostitution and to find ways of ending that involvement.”
Women will be asked to demean themselves by revealing their most intimate circumstances while no resources are being made available “to address the causes”. Yet lack of benefits, debt, homelessness, low wages, loss of child custody, domestic violence, drug or other addiction and a record for prostitution offences which prevents women from getting other jobs, are known factors in driving women into prostitution. Failure to attend the meetings results in a summons back to court and a possible 72-hours imprisonment. If the CJIB is passed, magistrates will have powers to make subsequent orders so that women may end up on a treadmill of broken supervision meetings, court orders and imprisonment. Magistrates will still have the power to impose fines and send women to prison for non-payment of fines. Even the Magistrates Association has expressed concern.
The government and particularly women ministers claim to be concerned with women’s safety. But since 1997 they have:
· Deterred women from reporting attacks with increased criminalisation.
· Increased maximum fines for loitering & soliciting to £500 for a first offence and £1000 for subsequent offences.
· Promoted the use of ASBOs which have reintroduced prison sentences for street offences by the back door.
· Doubled the number of women in jail. Mo st are there for ‘crimes of poverty’ including offences related to prostitution.
· Dropped the proposal that women should be able to work together from premises – which is 10 times safer than working on the street.
· Increased the penalty for running a brothel – two women working together often with a maid who provides security – from six months to seven years!
· Used anti-trafficking legislation to increase deportations of immigrant sex workers. Women ‘rescued’ in police and immigration raids are not given resources and helped to apply to stay, but deported.
· Widened the gap between rich and poor. Mo st sex workers are mothers, mainly single mothers are supporting families. While benefits for children have gone up the benefits for mothers and single people have not: a single mother with one child is expected to live on over £16 a week less than the government poverty threshold; a single woman is on half; debts and sanctions are imposed for truancy and proposed for lone mothers who cannot take up work, make their poverty even worse. The Home Office has reported that survival is the overriding motivation for prostitution.
· Introduced asylum legislation which deliberately makes women, including mothers, destitute.
Safety? What safety?
The English Collective of Prostitutes and the Safety First Coalition can be contacted at:
PO Box 287, London NW6 5QU
Tel: 020 7482 2496, 07811 964 171
http://uk.f274.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=ecp@allwomencount.net http://www.prostitutescollective.net/
For figures on poverty contact: PaulNicolson@z2k.org
& International Day of Action Against Violence Against Sex Workers
Press statement
IPSWICH – A YEAR AFTER WOMEN ARE NO SAFER
END CRIMINALISATION OF SEX WORKERS
We send our deepest felt condolences to the families and friends of Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Annette Nicholls, Anneli Alderton and Paula Clennell. Sadly, a year after the tragic murders which took away five precious lives, and despite the unprecedented public outcry which demanded that ‘never again’ should women in Ipswich or anywhere face such violence, women are no safer. The crackdowns which force sex workers further underground making women more vulnerable to violence and exploitation and deterring them from reporting attacks, have returned.
Increasing numbers of people have been pressing for an end to the criminalisation of prostitution. Together with the Royal College of Nursing, Women Against Rape, National Association of Probation Officers, church people, residents from red light areas, anti-poverty campaigners, drug reformers and others, we have formed the Safety First Coalition. But the government continues to target sex workers and increase criminalisation.
Clause 72 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill (CJIB ) now in parliament, introduces compulsory rehabilitation under threat of imprisonment . Clause 72 requires anyone arrested for loitering or soliciting to attend a series of three meetings with a supervisor approved by the court “to promote rehabilitation, by assisting the offender to address the causes of their involvement in prostitution and to find ways of ending that involvement.”
Women will be asked to demean themselves by revealing their most intimate circumstances while no resources are being made available “to address the causes”. Yet lack of benefits, debt, homelessness, low wages, loss of child custody, domestic violence, drug or other addiction and a record for prostitution offences which prevents women from getting other jobs, are known factors in driving women into prostitution. Failure to attend the meetings results in a summons back to court and a possible 72-hours imprisonment. If the CJIB is passed, magistrates will have powers to make subsequent orders so that women may end up on a treadmill of broken supervision meetings, court orders and imprisonment. Magistrates will still have the power to impose fines and send women to prison for non-payment of fines. Even the Magistrates Association has expressed concern.
The government and particularly women ministers claim to be concerned with women’s safety. But since 1997 they have:
· Deterred women from reporting attacks with increased criminalisation.
· Increased maximum fines for loitering & soliciting to £500 for a first offence and £1000 for subsequent offences.
· Promoted the use of ASBOs which have reintroduced prison sentences for street offences by the back door.
· Doubled the number of women in jail. Mo st are there for ‘crimes of poverty’ including offences related to prostitution.
· Dropped the proposal that women should be able to work together from premises – which is 10 times safer than working on the street.
· Increased the penalty for running a brothel – two women working together often with a maid who provides security – from six months to seven years!
· Used anti-trafficking legislation to increase deportations of immigrant sex workers. Women ‘rescued’ in police and immigration raids are not given resources and helped to apply to stay, but deported.
· Widened the gap between rich and poor. Mo st sex workers are mothers, mainly single mothers are supporting families. While benefits for children have gone up the benefits for mothers and single people have not: a single mother with one child is expected to live on over £16 a week less than the government poverty threshold; a single woman is on half; debts and sanctions are imposed for truancy and proposed for lone mothers who cannot take up work, make their poverty even worse. The Home Office has reported that survival is the overriding motivation for prostitution.
· Introduced asylum legislation which deliberately makes women, including mothers, destitute.
Safety? What safety?
The English Collective of Prostitutes and the Safety First Coalition can be contacted at:
PO Box 287, London NW6 5QU
Tel: 020 7482 2496, 07811 964 171
http://uk.f274.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=ecp@allwomencount.net http://www.prostitutescollective.net/
For figures on poverty contact: PaulNicolson@z2k.org
