Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) develop protection mechanisms and (b) provide emergency protection funds for female journalists at risk.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK is committed to the promotion of media freedom and the protection of journalists, including female journalists, who face particular challenges. We have launched a campaign to shine a global spotlight on the subject of media freedom and to increase the costs to those who target journalists for their work. We have been liaising with multilateral, bilateral and civil society partners to explore the effectiveness of the protection mechanisms and funds that already exist, and consider how we can best support and enhance these efforts. This includes consulting with our partners and with female journalists on the steps we can take to minimise the added risks faced by women working in this field and to provide increased protections for them.
We have also supported women journalists through our ongoing project work. Through the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy the FCO supports the promotion and protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law by funding numerous projects overseas. This includes funding for various programmes promoting media freedom. In addition, we have supported media development training for Syrian journalists in exile through International Media Support and the Guardian Foundation. These initiatives are aimed at strengthening local capacity for investigative journalism and in support of public narratives on accountability. This support also has a focus on gender sensitive reporting and representation.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that female journalists are consulted on the UK's media freedom campaign; and what steps his Department is taking to promote that campaign at the London conference on media freedom in July 2019.
Answered by Mark Field
Female journalists in some parts of the world face the double burden of being attacked for their journalism and being attacked because of their gender. We are consulting extensively with civil society, journalists (with a special focus on female journalists), government partners and academia on the design of the Media Freedom Campaign, taking special note of the increased vulnerability of women journalists. We are exploring options for highlighting the increased risks faced by female journalists at the London conference in July 2019. We are also working with our embassies overseas to increase the spotlight on specific cases of abuse of female journalists' rights.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to develop a cross-governmental approach to support and help protect women human rights defenders.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK is committed to supporting all human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders. It is a key element of our work to promote universal human rights. The FCO and DFID work closely together to support human rights defenders. In our statement at the Human Rights Council in response to the Special Rapporteur's report on Human Rights Defenders, the UK acknowledged the stark challenges facing women human rights defenders. In November 2018, we co-sponsored a new UN resolution on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association which urged States to 'pay particular attention to the safety and protection of women and women human rights defenders from acts of intimidation and harassment'. In 2017, we co-sponsored the UN resolution on Human Rights Defenders to strengthen support for them and the work they do. Throughout 2019 our network of embassies and high commissions will continue to work with human rights defenders, using the UK Guidelines to inform their work. This includes taking into account groups who may face additional risks, such as women and those defending the rights of women. Our work to support human rights defenders can include attending trials, raising cases privately with the host government, making public statements, and lobbying for safe and open space for civil society and human rights defenders to operate. The FCO believes that a decentralised, flexible approach through the Guidelines allows UK diplomats to apply them in the local context of the country to which they are accredited.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the report on the situation if women human rights defenders, published by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders in January 2019, if his Department will take further steps to (a) protect women human rights defenders who are at risk and (b) help ensure a safe and enabling working environment for women human rights defenders.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK is committed to supporting all human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders. It is a key element of our work to promote universal human rights. The FCO and DFID work closely together to support human rights defenders. In our statement at the Human Rights Council in response to the Special Rapporteur's report on Human Rights Defenders, the UK acknowledged the stark challenges facing women human rights defenders. In November 2018, we co-sponsored a new UN resolution on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association which urged States to 'pay particular attention to the safety and protection of women and women human rights defenders from acts of intimidation and harassment'. In 2017, we co-sponsored the UN resolution on Human Rights Defenders to strengthen support for them and the work they do. Throughout 2019 our network of embassies and high commissions will continue to work with human rights defenders, using the UK Guidelines to inform their work. This includes taking into account groups who may face additional risks, such as women and those defending the rights of women. Our work to support human rights defenders can include attending trials, raising cases privately with the host government, making public statements, and lobbying for safe and open space for civil society and human rights defenders to operate. The FCO believes that a decentralised, flexible approach through the Guidelines allows UK diplomats to apply them in the local context of the country to which they are accredited.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department has taken to help protect women human rights defenders around the world from (a) death threats, (b) attacks, (c) defamation campaigns, (d) judicial harassment and (e) criminalisation of their work.
Answered by Mark Field
The UK is committed to supporting all human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders. It is a key element of our work to promote universal human rights. The FCO and DFID work closely together to support human rights defenders. In our statement at the Human Rights Council in response to the Special Rapporteur's report on Human Rights Defenders, the UK acknowledged the stark challenges facing women human rights defenders. In November 2018, we co-sponsored a new UN resolution on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association which urged States to 'pay particular attention to the safety and protection of women and women human rights defenders from acts of intimidation and harassment'. In 2017, we co-sponsored the UN resolution on Human Rights Defenders to strengthen support for them and the work they do. Throughout 2019 our network of embassies and high commissions will continue to work with human rights defenders, using the UK Guidelines to inform their work. This includes taking into account groups who may face additional risks, such as women and those defending the rights of women. Our work to support human rights defenders can include attending trials, raising cases privately with the host government, making public statements, and lobbying for safe and open space for civil society and human rights defenders to operate. The FCO believes that a decentralised, flexible approach through the Guidelines allows UK diplomats to apply them in the local context of the country to which they are accredited.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received any assurances from the Government of Saudi Arabia that Abbas al-Hassan and his co-defendants will not be executed.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are closely monitoring these cases. We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels of communication, including our Ambassador. It is a longstanding policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on the case of Abbas al-Hassan and his co-defendants and the Government's opposition to their execution since the beginning of 2019.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are closely monitoring these cases. We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels of communication, including our Ambassador. It is a longstanding policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle.
Asked by: Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether officials in his Department have plans to raise the human rights situation in Egypt at the next UN Human Rights Council session.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We have continuing concerns about the human rights situation in Egypt, and raise these regularly with the Egyptian authorities. We and our partners have previously highlighted our concerns in the UN Human Rights Council, and we will do so again at the next UN Human Rights Council session.