Right to Equality

Great to see coverage from @SkyNews this morning on our campaign to end the presumption of child contact with abusive parents! Michelle, an anonymous survivor and mother who fought to protect her child from an abuser, speaks on the need for change.

(2/2) The Domestic Abuse Act has much room for improvement. Section 3 of the Children Act must recognise children as victims. No child should be forced to honour the heritage of their mother's attacker. The law must change. Righttoequality.org

(1/2) Our founder, Dr Charlotte Proudman, gave evidence to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Committee, exposing state-sanctioned abuse in family courts. When a father rapes the mother, the child is also a victim. Courts must recognise long-term psychological harm, not just immediate risks.

A problem-solving family court scheme championed by the president of the Family Division and praised by the lady chief justice will be rolled out nationally – under a new name. lawgazette.co.uk/news/lammy-reb…

We have identified that a social media post made yesterday incorrectly linked to the wrong individual. Upon discovering this, we took immediate steps to remove the post.

@FaringForwards @MLorrM @DrProudman @proudmanslaw @TimesRadio @cathynewman @barstandards @LawSocIreland @charlottschreu @ellieokwilson Your comments show everything that is wrong with the legal profession. No wonder rape victims are let down so badly with men like you in the profession. You do it a disservice.

@Right2Equality @MLorrM @DrProudman @proudmanslaw @TimesRadio @cathynewman @barstandards @LawSocIreland @charlottschreu @ellieokwilson I will read with interest. Meanwhile try educating yourself on what “irony” means, and in basic reading comprehension. Sawyer didn’t imply Proudman had sub GCSE education; he said her exhibited knowledge of criminal procedure was sub-GCSE.

When judges engage in harassment, they must be held accountable, otherwise how can the public have confidence in the judiciary? I spoke on @TimesRadio with @cathynewman about Judge Daniel Sawyer targeting me on X. He even made a malicious complaint about me to @barstandards to try to silence me and damage my career. After a lengthy investigation, it was dropped with no apology or explanation. He has not been held accountable by the JCIO. His anonymous account: @TweetingYet

Ahead of Mothers Day in the UK, I’m thinking about all the mothers and children who are apart and who have been victimized by the Family Courts and the professionals who work in them. Some of them are abusers and must be investigated. The status quo is unacceptable. It’s time for a reckoning and for accountability. I know so many of you have been harmed and put further at risk and you wanted me to talk about it. I’m so sorry. It’s not ok. Professionals tell you to leave for the sake of the children - then you get hit with Family Court proceedings instigated by the abuser… If children being harmed and murdered by repeat and serial abusers and mother’s being abused by Family Courts matters to you, please take time to watch my video with expert Barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman @DrProudman youtu.be/nHX6YWK5Zho?si… #FamilyCourt #CrimeAnalyst @laurarichards99

@FaringForwards @MLorrM @DrProudman @proudmanslaw @TimesRadio @cathynewman @barstandards @LawSocIreland Try educating yourself on the lived realities for rape survivors. You seem ignorant. @charlottschreu @ellieokwilson. x.com/charlottschreu…

The idea that a criminal specialist lawyer can’t say that a family specialist lawyer shouldn’t be listened to, and has no expertise, on issues around criminal trials, is not just ludicrous but cuts directly against the precedent Proudman herself established about barristers being entitled to free political speech, even at the expense of judges. I’m v confident that if I started opining on Proudman’s family cases, she would forcefully assert that I was clueless with no standing to do so. And, she would probably be right, just as Sawyer was right when Proudman big-footed her way into comments on criminal practice which were irresponsible and inaccurate.

The irony of defending a judge’s anonymous harassment while lecturing others about “free speech” is striking. 🚩 Implying @DrProudman is a “bitch” and barely has GCSE education is not legal analysis, it’s misogyny. And pointing out systemic failures faced by rape survivors is not “big-footing”. If the response to that is bullying and personal attacks, it says far more about the culture at the Bar than it does about her. Judge Daniel Sawyer shouldn’t be anywhere near rape victims. He doesn’t deserve the title of judge. Baroness Harman is right, the bar needs a serious overhaul. Especially with men like you in it.

The irony of defending a judge’s anonymous harassment while lecturing others about “free speech” is striking. Implying @DrProudman is a “bitch” and barely has GCSE education is not legal analysis, it’s misogyny. And pointing out systemic failures faced by rape survivors is not “big-footing”. If the response to that is bullying and personal attacks, it says far more about the culture at the Bar than it does about her. Judge Daniel Sawyer shouldn’t be anywhere near rape victims. He doesn’t deserve the title of judge. Baroness Harman is right, the bar needs a serious overhaul. Especially with men like you in it.

Judge Daniel Sawyer showed a troubling ignorance of the realities survivors face in rape trials. He issued a “forceful correction” of facts. Despite his claims, evidence and survivors’ experiences show victims are still cross-examined about what they were wearing. @TweetingYet.

(5/5) Cases like this expose exactly why Right to Equality’s “Breaking Bias, Building Justice” campaign is vital—changing the rules to shield judges from accountability is not justice. Justice must be fair, independent and free from misogyny. righttoequality.org/campaign/break…

(4/4) As Dr Proudman states: “When serious allegations of sexist conduct by a judge are frustrated on procedural grounds rather than properly investigated, it reinforces the perception that the system protects powerful men and fails women.”

(1/5) The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office initially agreed to investigate HHJ Daniel Sawyer for a misogynistic Twitter campaign against Dr Charlotte Proudman. Two months later, they invented a new “policy” specifically to drop the complaint.

Quite extraordinary that this judge seeks to blame a victim advocate for his own harassing and misogynistic behaviour. Almost suggesting that she was “asking for it.” This is Judge Daniel Sawyer’s account, which still exists, @TweetingYet.

Judge Daniel Sawyer said his posts were a “forceful correction” of the claim that clothing could be used as a defence in rape cases. A 2024 report by Victim Support found 3/4 of survivors face rape myths in cross-examination, including what they wore. dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…

(4/4) This is precisely why Right to Equality is launching its Breaking Bias campaign — challenging judicial bias towards victims of rape, domestic abuse and other forms of gender-based violence. Justice must be fair, independent and free from misogyny. Change is coming.

(3/4) When allegations of sexist conduct by those in positions of judicial power are not fully examined, it risks reinforcing the perception that the system protects powerful men and fails women.

(1/4) Judge HHJ Daniel Sawyer is accused of targeting a female barrister @drproudman with an anonymous social media campaign. The complaint was initially accepted for investigation by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office — but later dropped.