2019 marks the centenary of women’s formal admission into the legal profession. This was a key legal landmark for women but, of course, it was not first.
Feminists have a long history of engaging with law and law reform with the result that women’s legal history is full of landmarks – key events, cases and statutes – shaping and responding to women’s lives and (diverse) experiences.
The Women’s Legal Landmarks project is a collaborative and innovative reflection on, and celebration of, women’s progress in and engagement with law and law reform.
It seeks to identify the key legal landmarks for women (which we define as turning points in the law’s response to women’s lives and experiences) that have been – and continue to be – significant in women’s fight for justice and equality. It also reflects on how far women have come – and still have to go.
This week the project held a Criminal Law Landmarks Workshop. The workshop saw members of the project discussing key landmarks including:
- Gaol Act 1823, Ruth Lamont, University of Manchester
- Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, Lois Bibbings, University of Bristol
- Opening of first Rape Crisis Centre (1973), Alison Diduck, UCL
- Gender-based Violence, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015, Olga Jurasz, Open University
- Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, Nikki Godden-Rasul, Newcastle University
- Section 53A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, Fiona Vera-Grey, Durham University
- Section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, Sonia Kalsi, University of Law
- Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act 1985, Phyllis Livaha, Erasmus University Rotterdam
- Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, Susan Leahy, University of Limerick
The following cases were also discussed
- R v Ahluwalia [1992], Siobhan Weare, Lancaster University
- R v Nimmo & Sorley [2014], Kim Barker, University of Wolverhampton
- R v R [1990]; Stallard v HMA [1989], Susan Leahy, University of Limerick