The Infanticide Act 1938 was one of two pieces of inter-war legislation that established, and refined, the offence of infanticide within the criminal law in England and Wales. Under the Act, where a woman was found to have been responsible … Read more
R v Bourne [1938] was a landmark case for defining grounds for abortion and therefore extending its legal availability to more women. The case under scrutiny – a termination performed on a girl of 14 who had been gang-raped – … Read more
The Intoxicating Liquor (Sale to Persons Under Eighteen) Act 1923 introduced the principle that people should be aged 18 to drink alcohol in bars and pubs. Before this, a person had to be 14 years old to buy and drink … Read more
The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1922 extended legal protections for children throughout the United Kingdom in relation to sexual activity, addressing significant gaps in the 1885 Act of the same name. The earlier Act had raised the age at which … Read more
Section 2 of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 makes it a criminal office to disclose, or threaten to disclose, a photograph or film which shows, or appears to show, another person in an intimate situation.
The Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act is the first piece of legislation in the UK to specifically address violence against women as opposed to ‘domestic violence’ generally.
R v Nimmo & Sorley was the first prosecution for online threats of sexual violence, death and gender-based abuse.
In 2011, the United Nations Committee against Torture found that the Irish State had failed to protect girls and women who were involuntarily confined in Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries.
Section 14 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 created the offence of paying for the sexual services of a prostitute who has been exploited or subjected to force by someone else.
The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 seeks to protect individuals forced into marriage without their consent.