1/10. HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD IN 10 EASY STEPS

This week, the Danish Justice Minister called for new legislation in Denmark that recognises the simple fact that sex without consent is rape.

But this didn't happen by chance.

It resulted of some brilliant campaigning & advocacy
2/10. On Tuesday, rape survivors & activists took the stage in front of an invited audience of 200 journalists, politicians, judges & police officials for the launch of a "bombshell report" revealing Denmark’s “rape culture” & endemic impunity for
rapists. amnesty.org/en/latest/news…
3/10 The report - the culmination of months of research - identifies key barriers to justice for rape survivors as flawed laws as well as widespread harmful myths & gender stereotypes. Cultural change is needed but "legislation carries culture" so changing the law was the target.
4/10. The report launch was the peak of a campaign that had involved hundreds of activists & survivors. Behind the scenes, @amnestydk’s @Helle_Jac had numerous meetings with govt representatives & the #LetsTalkAboutYes
campaign brought thousands together.
5/10. What made this campaign so powerful was that it was led by survivors: women who'd been raped & were telling their stories & appealing to Denmark's government, in the hope that other women will not have to experience the same trauma they went through.
6/10. The issue of Denmark’s outdated & dangerous rape laws, pervasive rape culture & endemic impunity for rapists, not only dominated the headlines in Denmark. It was also picked up across international media from @AJENews to @nytimes @bbcnews & @FRANCE24
7/10 But this isn’t just about Denmark.

Shockingly, only 8 out of 31 countries in Europe have laws that recognise sex without consent is rape. Sweden changed its last year & campaigns are building in Portugal, Switzerland, Slovenia, Greece & Spain. #IWD19 amnesty.org/en/latest/camp…
8/10. Changing laws is a vital first step, but much more needs to be done to end the culture of victim blaming & impunity reinforced by myths & stereotypes which pervade many societies: from playground to locker room, police station to witness stand. #IWD amnesty.org/en/latest/news…
9/10. The #LetsTalkAboutYes campaign - led by courageous women in partnership with Amnesty - has brought Denmark to the brink of an historic change. And it won't stop there. It will carry on in Denmark & across Europe. Today, on #IWD2019, we celebrate it.
10/10. Tonight’s #BreakingNews: Danish Justice Minister, @SorenPape, has just announced that the Conservative Party will back a new consent-based rape law. Fantastic news which demonstrates how campaigning can indeed change the world. Happy #IWDay2019 #IWD
11/10. We are not there yet. We will still have to review the Bill that the government presents.

But we are close.

Massive thanks & respect to all those who made this possible: to the survivors who campaigned & shared their stories & my indefatigable colleagues (tagged below).
12/10. More good news.

Today #Denmark's prime minister, @larsloekke announced that his government will back consent-based rape legislation. We look forward to seeing the law & hope it will be drafted it in close consultation with survivors & @amnestydk

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More from @StefSimanowitz

Feb 14
1/. Do you remember what you did #ValentinesDay 2020?

Prof Ferguson was warning that 400,000 Briton’s could die

Minutes from NERVTAG’s 21 Feb meeting, reveal govt scientific advisors estimated that, without action, deaths could top 1.3 million

No action was taken for a month
2/. Meanwhile, @BorisJohnson & @carriesymonds, went to stay in Chevening country house...for 12 days!

The govt claim this was a ‘working holiday’ but @JCalvertST reported that “aides were told to cut down documents or the PM just wouldn't read them”. #ValentinesDay #valentines
3/. During these 12 days in the countryside, the PM - who admitted he doesn’t read the scientific papers - missed two COBRA meetings

Instead of planning for the impact of #COVID19 he was trying to finalise his divorce

When he came back to London, the PM was winging it as usual
Read 6 tweets
Feb 12
“If you’re cold, take one
If you can help, leave one.”

Brighton’s #TakeOneLeaveOne rail is on the corner of Ship St & North Rd

If you’re in need of warm clothes, come down & help yourself

If you can help, drop off some warm clothes

They also need volunteers

See #TOLOBrighton
“This is a brilliant thing!”

Music legend @guypratt who had played with the likes of @pinkfloyd @davidgilmour @Madonna @IggyPop @bryanferry @Icehouseband @nickmasondrums etc, came down to the Brighton #TakeOneLeaveOne rail today to drop off some warm clothes for those in need.
To set up a #TakeOneLeaveOne rail where you are:

1. Get a rail

2. Find good location (ideally covered)

3. Get permission of locals/shopkeepers

4. Make a sign, ask us for a free one or order one 4 £30

5. Hang up warm clothes @BoyGeorge @MassiveAttackUK
Read 4 tweets
Feb 10
1/. The biggest story I ever “broke” (coverage-wise) was a piece about Malawi’s plan to ban farting in public

I was researching an article about homophobia in Africa & stumbled on the story in the @NyasaTimess

I wrote it up for a tabloid & it went global
2/. The story I wrote for the @DailyMailUK - I was a freelancer...don’t judge me - was packed with fart gags: “The winds of change blowing through Africa” etc

The next day @DailyMirror picked it up

By the end of the week, it was the top story on the BBC website & was EVERYWHERE ImageImageImageImage
3/. A week after the story ‘broke’ I was guest on Bluff The Listener - a radio show on @NPR

Broadcast to 30 million listeners, it’s a bit like BBC’s ‘Would I Lie To You’ (@WILTY_TV) where guests have to work out the fake story

None of them got it right👇
npr.org/2011/02/05/133… Image
Read 7 tweets
Feb 9
If you're free this Sunday, I'm doing a free walking tour tracing London's greatest lost waterway - the River Fleet - from it's two sources on Hampstead Heath as it heads towards the Thames (with my dog Mango)

Meet on top of Parliament Hill at 2pm facebook.com/events/1088672… Image
This 1746 map follows the Fleet from the Thames at Blackfriars along the Fleet Ditch, up Fleet Market (now New Bridge St) along Saffron Hill, past Clerk’s Well (now Clerkenwell) past Black Mary’s Hole & Battle Bridge (now Kings Cross) towards its source on the Heath #FreeTheFleet
The River Fleet has two main sources

The source in the Vale of Heath forms the Hampstead Brook running down Fleet Road

The source in Kenwood👇forms the Highgate Brook running down Tufnell Park Road

The two brooks meet in Kentish Town & flow together to the Thames & the ocean.
Read 4 tweets
Feb 9
1/. HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD:

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

In 2020, Denmark changed its laws to recognise the simple fact that sex without consent is rape

This didn't happen by chance

It resulted from years of campaigning & advocacy by survivor groups & campaigners.
#LetsTalkAboutYes
2/. Shockingly, in 2020 only 7 out of 31 countries in Europe had laws that recognised sex without consent is rape

That figure has almost doubled to 13...but there is still along way to go

But back to the lessons from Denmark, & their successful campaign for a consent-based law
3/. Working with survivors groups, research was done to identify key barriers to justice for rape survivors

Why were so many rapes committed?

Why were so few rapes reported?

Why did so few reports of rape lead to prosecution?

Why did so few prosecutions lead to convictions?
Read 10 tweets
Feb 9
“The gate to the groin for Yannick Bertrand and you could hear it. And if you’re a man, you could feel it…The boys took a beating on that one” #Olympics2022 #WinterOlympics #Olympics #OlympicGames
I’m finding the #WinterOlympics painful to watch

It isn’t just men’s genitalia getting pummelled, it’s women’s too

For matters of good taste, I’m not going to post the clip of the couple’s figure skating, but instead leave it to Robin Williams to explain
The #WinterOlympics can also lead to injury when viewers decide to give sports a go in their own homes

Inspired by the #Olympic figure skating, this kid ended up with a blister on the sole of his foot the size of a golf ball.
(Video via @DoggerlandMan)
Read 5 tweets

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