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NEWS
The government’s Policy Statement on Women in the Criminal Justice System, published on 17 July, gives no commitment to implement the Women’s Justice Board’s (WJB) recommendations for reducing women’s imprisonment, published in March.
An investigation into MI5’s use of false evidence, in court proceedings concerning an agent with a history of violence against women, has published its findings today.
We welcome the decision to grant a posthumous conditional pardon to Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed by the British state just over 70 years ago.
The Government has publicly acknowledged, for the first time, that the woman at the heart of a high-profile case against MI5 was a victim of 'abhorrent’ domestic abuse by a serving MI5 agent, following BBC reporting this week on a secret inspection report disclosed to CWJ and the BBC in legal proceedings.
‘Amber’, a survivor who was raped and sexually exploited by Shabir Ahmed and later brought a successful claim against Greater Manchester Police, has condemned the failure to tell her he was due to be released from prison.
Individuals who kill their partner or ex-partner in the home may become subject to a higher baseline starting point for sentencing, under new plans announced on 29 June by the Ministry of Justice.
Stacey Hyde’s case will be featured in the new Channel 4 series The Accused: Beyond Reasonable Doubt, airing at 10pm on Thursday 25 June. The episode tells the story of Stacey, who was just 17 when, in 2009, she stabbed and killed Vince Francis during a violent incident in which she said she was acting in defence of herself and her friend. She was convicted of murder in March 2010.
In a new research report, ‘They don’t understand abuse’, CWJ presents insights from survivors of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and women’s specialist services about police and prosecution practice when survivors are accused of offending, and recommends reforms.
Lisa Ellwood is serving a life sentence for murder – after a life marked by abuse, severe mental ill-health, and a trial in which the jury were denied the benefit of psychological opinion evidence. Her appeal will be heard on 26 June 2026.
ITV’s four‑part drama Believe Me, which airs from 10 May, is the true crime story of the legal battle fought by two survivors of serial rapist taxi driver, John Worboys to hold the police accountable for the failures in their investigation which led to well over 100 women being attacked before he was brought to justice.
The Director General of MI5 has apologised to a woman who was victimised by a neo-Nazi informant while he was working for the Security Service.
We welcome the government’s announcement of new funding for women’s specialist services, and the Women’s Justice Board’s report and recommendations for reducing women’s imprisonment.
On 12 March at Lewes Crown Court Gerald Peck was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment for sexual offences and has been ordered to pay the survivor £10,000 to cover the cost of the therapy she has since needed.
The Ministry of Justice has announced their long-awaited plans to fund an independent legal advice service for victim-survivors of rape.
As we remember the horrendous events and revelations that followed the disappearance of Sarah Everard, five years ago today, Centre for Women’s Justice reflects on the changes that have been made to policing and the government response to violence against women and girls.
In anticipation of ITV’s new drama series ‘The Lady’ said to portray the ‘true crime story’ of a ‘rags to riches’ Royal aide of Sarah Ferguson, former Duchess of York, Harriet Wistrich, CEO of Centre for Women’s Justice, who represented Jane Andrews at her appeal in 2003, comments.
On 27 January, The Court of Appeal will consider legal submissions and fresh evidence in support of an appeal by Amanda O’Shaughnessy, who stabbed her violent partner, David Butterworth, in December 2014.
We welcome key commitments in the government’s long-awaited Freedom from Violence and Abuse strategy published yesterday. However, the strategy fails to introduce urgently needed protections for victim-survivors accused of offending.
Soaring police delays have left over 37,000 survivors of sexual offences waiting for more than three years for their cases to be investigated over the last decade, according to survivor organisations launching a rare type of action against policing today.
The terms and conditions for the social media giveaway to win a copy of ‘The Escape from Kabul’.
Our new film ‘Fightback’, highlights the plight of women convicted of the murder of male partners who were violent and abusive towards them.
The terms and conditions for the social media giveaway to win a copy of ‘The Unthinkable’.
The Government has announced a series of reforms to allow rape victims a fairer hearing at trial.
Government commits to law change that will restrict victims’ previous experiences of rape and sexual violence being used against them in court.
Rape Crisis England and Wales have released new research showing the devastating impact of the Crown Court backlog on victims and survivors of rape and sexual abuse. The new report, Living in Limbo, updates the data from their 2023 report, Breaking Point, which showed the extent of the damage already being done by a desperately under-resourced court system. This new report reveals the ongoing, and compounding harm since then.
Centre for Women’s Justice is delighted to see measures introduced by the government in the Crime and Policing Bill to disregard and pardon historic “child prostitution” convictions.
CWJ welcomes statements made by the Prime Minister and the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office, announcing that the Deputy Investigatory Powers Commissioner Sir John Goldring will lead an independent investigation into MI5 – following revelations of improper conduct in proceedings about a secret agent ‘X’.
The second series in Channel 4’s BAFTA winning series, The Jury, to be screened from 26 August reconstructs the murder trial of a young woman who killed her violent boyfriend.
The President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal has handed down a judgment on the implications of MI5 relying on false information in proceedings about its abusive agent, ‘X’.
BLOG
The government’s sweeping proposals on ‘earned settlement’, set out in a consultation paper in November 2025, aim to make it harder for migrant people to settle permanently in the UK.
The ITV documentary The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed reveals how undercover officers infiltrated political protest movements and formed intimate relationships with women under false identities. Told through the voices of five women who were victims of this deception, the series follows their journey to expose the scandal and seek justice. In this blog Harriet Wistrich reflects on the legal battle they fought.
Learn more about the report Voices From The Inside , which contains accounts from current and former prisoners and friends and relatives of prisoners on what life is like inside UK prisons.
Many people fairly assume that the diligent investigation of serious crime, especially when presented with multiple independent allegations against the same suspect, is a police officer’s central duty. But as the data clearly shows, when it comes to abuse allegations this duty is neglected more often than not…
Find out more about a research project working with prisoners’ friends and families in order to build a picture of the conditions that prevail in UK prisons and how they affect both those detained and those who care about them.
On 9 February 2024 we will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize (EHMP). Each year since the untimely death of Emma in 1998 prizes of £1,000 are awarded to an individual and/or group who has raised awareness of male violence against women through writing and campaigning.
Sarah Colley writes about her research on multi-perpetrator child sexual exploitation (CSE) and some of the issues in the criminal justice system, which retraumatises children.
Leading international research has shown that domestic abuse is the primary cause of brain injury in women around the globe. The intersection between the two is one that must be understood so that survivors are provided with support and fatalities are prevented.
Back in 2021 as part of our anti-racism strategy, we created The Azra Kemal Legal Internship Programme, which is a paid part-time internship for women from Black, Asian and/or minoritised backgrounds. Sannam and Sado have kindly written about their internship experience so we can share it with you.
On Wednesday, 5 July 2023, MPs in Westminster Hall debated action needed to address the criminalisation of Black, Asian, minoritised and migrant survivors of violence against women and girls (VAWG).
Respondent Mother expresses how private law proceedings in the family court as a survivor of domestic abuse left her feeling trapped and isolated.
Sarah Marie writes about her experience of The Hague Convention and the death of her friend Narkis Golan, a fellow victim of both male violence and the Convention itself.
In October 2022 a landmark High Court judgment was given that makes clear that the Home Office’s failure to make provision for abandoned spouses amounts to unlawful discrimination within the meaning of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”). Pragna Patel explains what this means for abused women who are left stranded abroad by their perpetrators.
This week another perpetrator of child rape and sexual abuse was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to 12 charges. He would still be free if it hadn’t been for CWJ’s intervention.
On 19 June 2015, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 19th June of each year the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, in order to raise awareness of the need to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence. Rita Kahsay, a young British Tigrayan activist, describes the current appalling genocide and use of rape as a war crime in Tigray
Harriet Wistrich reflects on how perpetrators often misuse legal proceeding to seek revenge and silence their victims.
Is the new law going to make a difference to women’s lives or will it sit relatively unused on the statute books, like some of the other measures intended to tackle domestic abuse? CWJ’s Nogah Ofer discusses thel ong-awaited new law which comes into force force creating a stand-alone offence of ‘non-fatal strangulation and suffocation’
..the idea that the state would invest hundreds of thousands of pounds into creating and maintaining a sophisticated operation that would place police officers deep undercover to gather intelligence on mainly left wing, environmental and social justice campaigns, was surely the stuff of fiction…
Fri Martin’s ‘story’ was last week featured on the BBC Three documentary entitled ‘Bad Love: Why did Fri kill Kyle?”. If the film had instead been entitled, “Bad Justice: Why was Fri convicted of murder?”, it could have shown how the criminal justice system is heavily stacked against women, and particularly black working class women
Some crimes are far easier to investigate and prosecute than others. This week, Harriet looks at what happens when the criminal justice system fails to prioritise risk of repeat offending.
Back in Spring 2021, as part of our anti-racism strategy, we launched a mentorship scheme for aspiring female lawyers from Black, Asian and minoritised backgrounds. Vithyah and Jumaimah are two of the women we matched with a mentor and they’ve kindly written about their experience so we can share it with you.
Nowhere is a woman’s experience of the criminal justice system brought into greater relief than when she reaches the court room, whether as a witness or as a defendant. Harriet Wistrich explores what needs to change to ensure proper equality before the law and end victim blaming.
“I’ve been re-traumatised time and time again, and have been treated like a criminal rather than a victim. My movements are restricted, my privacy is gone, and I’ve lost nearly all stability in my life.”
In our last manifesto point of 2021, Harriet looks at research and the publication of meaningful data.
One of the key problems with the ability of our criminal justice system to tackle violence against women is not the absence of good laws but the failure to implement them…
Women sharing their stories and supporting each other from lived experience helped develop an understanding of the nature of male violence and what was needed to combat it both on a personal and societal level.