Centre for Law, Gender and Sexuality at
Westminster
Conversations
The Conversations Project is a
series of conversations between academics and groups and
individuals outside the academic environment, such as
non-governmental organisations, practitioners and policy
makers. The purpose of each conversation, which covers a
discrete topic, is to transfer knowledge through the cross
fertilisation of ideas. The conversations find areas of
commonality between various communities and encourage the
discussion and development of conceptual and practical ideas beyond
their usual boundaries. In doing so, each conversation
highlights then extent to which academics and practitioners borrow,
translate and adapt ideas from scholarship and practice to produce
knowledge and policy that contributes to ongoing political
discourses and social change.
Friday 17th May
2008
Conversation 1: Gender, Human Rights and International
Law
with Professor Hilary Charlesworth, Gita Sahgal of the Gender Unity
at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International and
Kathryn Lockett from the NGO, Womankind and facilitated by Dr. Zoe
Pearson from Keele University.
The topic of conversation was
‘Gender, Human Rights and International Law’ which is available
here to download. Further conversations are planned for the
coming academic year which cover diverse topics such as ‘addressing
homophobia’ and ‘the meaning of family’ and will also be available
to download.
31st October 2008
Conversation 2: Trafficking
The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in
Human Beings came into force in February of this year having
received the necessary number of ratifications. While the
majority of the member states of the Council of Europe have yet to
ratify or acede to the Convention, including the UK, the entry
into force of the Convention provides the impetus for the
conversation on the topic of 'Trafficking'. The Convention
will frame a larger conversation on the responses to human
trafficking, especially of women and children, and the
effectiveness of legal frameworks at domestic, regional and
international levels in addressing this global phenomenon.
With Dr Tsachi Keren-Paz, Law
School, University of Keele, Helen Atkins, POPPY, Abigail
Stepnitz, POPPY and Dorrie Chetty, Department of Social and
Historical Studies, University of Westminster.
Facilitated by Dr Emma McClean, Law School, University of
Westminster'
26th November 2008
Conversation 3: Fatherhood
The conversation on the topic of ‘Fatherhood’ takes as its starting
point the current proposal to change the law relating to birth
registration. The proposal will provide a departure point for a
larger conversation exploring paternal rights and responsibilities
from legal and ethical perspectives.
With Professor Sally
Sheldon, Law School, University of Kent, Dr Jonathan Ives,
Department of Philosophy, University of Birmingham and Adrienne
Burgess, Fatherhood Institute.
Facilitated by, Dr Oliver Phillips, Law School, University
of Westminster
6th February 2009
Conversation 4: Addressing
Homophobia
The incitement provision in the Criminal Justice and Immigration
Act which has recently received royal assent provides the departure
point for the conversation on 'Addressing Homophobia'. The
conversation will explore how successful legal provisions
foraddressing homophobia can be, i.e. what can/will the law achieve
in this area.
With Professor Les Moran,
Law School, Birkbeck College, London, Jonathan Finney, Stonewall,
representative from GALOP.
Facilitated by, Dr Oliver Phillips, Law School, University
of Westminster.
This page is maintained by Marcia Kelly on behalf of the
School of Law. Email: M.S.Kelly@westminster.ac.uk