The UK section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) asks all political parties and prospective Members of Parliament to commit to integrating women’s full human rights into every aspect of political policy.
In particular, there should be a particular focus on three areas of change:
- Genuine gender equality
- Commitment to work towards disarmament
- Humane contributions to resolving the international refugee crisis
Equality
We are committed to the recommendations made by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW): to eliminate violence against women through ratifying the Istanbul Convention; to remove the gender pay gap; to ensure equal representation in Parliament, within the legal system and on the Boards of government organisations.
We wish to retain the rights won through membership of the European Union to equal rights in the workplace, to access to legal aid and support for maternity conditions. We seek equal pay and accessible working hours for all, particularly single parents / carers / women.
We wish to see greater clarification of working status of women as employed or self-employed, so that zero hours contracts are not used to exploit migrants or indigenous workers and drive down the rates of pay below the Living Wage.
Work towards disarmament
We are committed to nuclear disarmament and wish to see the UK in positive dialogue at the table for the United Nations Nuclear Ban Treaty talks in June 2017.
We wish to see a reduction in government military expenditure and a redistribution of those funds towards organisations that educate, heal and care for people
We want to see regulation which stops companies from selling arms to countries e.g. Saudi Arabia and Israel that fuel conflict in the Middle East and to countries which have a history of human rights abuses.
We expect to see a marked increase in the proportion of peace negotiators who are women and support the continued development of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
Find a humane solution to the international refugee crisis
We consider that, as an economically advanced industrial democracy, the UK has a moral obligation to take more refugees, encourage and provide financial support to all local authorities to provide effective support services for refugees and to make the most of their skills and creativity.
We want the new government to prevent racial and xenophobic attacks on both migrants and refugees and do not want Brexit negotiations to fuel antagonism towards those seeking asylum here and refugees fleeing from conflict and the adverse effects of climate change
We wish to ensure that foreign policy includes ensuring the safety of women and children against sexual violence within refugee camps and against those profiteering from trafficking by ensuring legitimate routes of travel.
We wish to see overseas development aid given directly to grass-roots groups, particularly led by women, in parts of Africa from where “economic migrants” travel to Libya and then to Europe in order to find a living.
Download the Manifesto as a PDF
⇒ For more information on the work of UK WILPF, visit: www.wilpf.org.uk
Facebook/Twitter:@ukwilpf