The Tory government is acting as pimps: The link between benefit sanctions and prostitution

There is evidence that suggests a link between benefit sanctions and prostitution. For example, a report from the English Collective of Prostitutes documented how cuts to single mothers' benefits have had an impact on the rise in prostitution ³. Additionally, MPs launched an inquiry into "survival sex" where benefit claimants impoverished by universal credit or sanctions have turned to prostitution to pay rent or feed their families ². Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/18/2023 (1) SUBMISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON EXTREME POVERTY .... https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/EPoverty/UnitedKingdom/2018/NGOS/English_CollectiveofProstitutes.pdf. (2) MPs to launch inquiry into ‘survival sex’ by benefit claimants. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/19/mps-to-launch-inquiry-into-survival-sex-by-benefit-claimants. (3) The Impacts of Benefit Sanctions: A Scoping Review of the Quantitative .... https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-social-policy/article/impacts-of-benefit-sanctions-a-scoping-review-of-the-quantitative-research-evidence/9272BC857236795930DCD6AB7B8E04A1. (4) Criminalize vs. Decriminalize Sex Work: The Debate Continues. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-day-slavery/202207/criminalize-vs-decriminalize-sex-work-the-debate-continues.

An AI composes a sonnet blaming successive Tory governments in the UK for benefit sanction deaths

Oh, Tories, how you've caused such needless pain, With policies that hurt the poor and weak, Your cuts and sanctions, each one more insane, Have caused so many tears and so much bleak. The benefit system, once a source of aid, Has become a tool to punish and shame, For those who need it most, it's now a raid, A game that's rigged and stacked in your own name. You claim to care for all, but that's a lie, For those who suffer most, you turn away, Your hearts are cold, your conscience will not pry, You let them die, and then you look away. Oh Tories, how you've caused such needless grief, May history judge you harshly, beyond belief.

Why sanctioning sick and disabled benefit claimants during a pandemic, recession, and banking crisis can be considered immoral

Sanctioning sick and disabled benefit claimants during a pandemic, recession, and banking crisis can be considered immoral for several reasons. Firstly, benefit sanctions are punishment fines whereby claimants’ benefits are docked for at least a month for supposed infringements¹. This can have a negative effect on claimants’ health and finances¹. In fact, DWP staff have admitted to inflicting psychological harm on claimants². Secondly, there is no evidence that benefit sanctions incentivize people to get work¹. A report by the National Audit Office in 2016 found that there was no evidence that sanctions work or that the system is saving the taxpayer money⁵. Thirdly, during a pandemic, recession, and banking crisis, people are already facing financial difficulties. Sanctioning their benefits would only add to their hardship. In conclusion, sanctioning sick and disabled benefit claimants during a pandemic, recession, and banking crisis can be considered immoral because it can harm their health and finances without any evidence of effectiveness. Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/14/2023 (1) DWP ordered to release ‘sensitive’ research into effects of benefit .... https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/mar/14/dwp-ordered-to-release-sensitive-research-into-effects-of-benefit-sanctions. (2) DWP staff admit inflicting ‘psychological harm’ on claimants during .... https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-staff-admit-inflicting-psychological-harm-on-claimants-during-coalition-years/. (3) Benefit sanctions are punishing disabled people for the sake of it. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/20/sanctions-disabled-people-claimants-tough-love. (4) Disabled people denied benefit uplift during pandemic because it would .... https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/disability-benefit-uplift-universal-credit-dwp-it-system-b1724260.html. (5) Opinion | Disabled Americans Are Losing a Lifeline - New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/opinion/supplemental-security-income-ssa-disability.html.

17 March 2023 Budget announcement - what it means for DWP members

Wednesday’s Budget announcement means bad news for DWP members and bad news for the people they provide vital services for. There is no mention of more pay in the budget for hard-pressed PCS members working in the DWP but the Budget statement signals a major ramping-up of a punitive sanctions regime for claimants. At the same time doing this the government are providing tax relief on pensions for some of the wealthiest in society. Pay The budget fails completely to address the concerns over poverty pay for PCS members working in DWP and across the Civil Service. This hugely disappointing omission is despite the days of targeted and all out strike action taken by members. Because the government is refusing to listen to our reasonable demands on pay we have no choice to begin re-balloting members for further strike action from Monday 20 March. It is crucial we renew our mandate to ramp up the pressure on this government. Attacks on claimants and Jobcentre staff PCS completely opposes statement in the Budget that says: “The government will strengthen the way the UC sanctions regime is applied in Great Britain by automating parts of the process to reduce error rates, and additional training for Work Coaches to apply sanctions more effectively, including for claimants who do not look for or take up employment.” This is a massive attack on claimants that suggests there will be a huge increase in sanctioning activity unnecessarily forcing many already desperate claimants into deeper poverty to serve the failed and discredited idea that sanctioning people helps get them into work. The automation of decision making for sanctions suggests a “computer says no” culture, which means that the individual circumstances of claimants will be ignored. Particularly worrying in this statement is the implication that Work Coaches will be making sanctions decisions for claimants. Currently these decisions are made by remote decision-makers who are trained specifically to make complex decisions. Putting the onus for decision-making onto Work Coaches will destroy relationships between them and the claimants they support; sewing division, with the inevitable consequence that there will be more violent incidents in Jobcentres as claimants express their frustration with the excessively hostile environment that the government seem hell bent on creating. There is also a clear indication in the budget statement that the government and the DWP intend to extend significantly the “Jobcentre Innovation Pilot” forcing groups of claimants to attend interviews 10 times per fortnight and divisively incentivise staff in 30% of Jobcentres with insulting bonuses. The Budget statement also includes attacks on parents, in-work claimants and disabled people. The government seem intent on attacking the majority of citizens in this country. PCS demands a supportive social security system PCS will continue to negotiate and campaign for a fairer social security system. We will demand that the system allows our members to support and not punish people who need a social security system. Our demand is for a massive increase in staff to process benefits and support claimants in Jobcentres. PCS negotiators will press for these demands and for mitigation against the worst aspects of the government’s welfare strategy, particularly where they will result in compromising member safety. We will use all means at our disposal to fight for members safety and for a fairer social security system.

Care Quality Commission - Tell Us About Your Care

Disability Rights UK Disabled people, those living with a long-term health condition and their families now have the opportunity to help shape the future of services in England by sharing their experiences of the NHS and the care system with the regulator for the NHS in England – The Care Quality Commission (CQC). We've received outstanding responses to previous requests for feedback to the CQC, and would like to take the opportunity to give those unable to respond at the time the chance to share their experiences of the NHS and care services. The CQC are asking that you share with them, in confidence, your experiences through their Tell Us About Your Care programme. It allows you to provide the CQC first-hand with your experiences – during hospital stays, GP and dental visits, accessing care services, etc. You can also do so anonymously. The simple to complete questionnaire will ask you for details of the establishment and to describe your experiences as a user of their services. The Tell Us About Your Care page can be located via this link. Once you have completed the questionnaire, we ask that you share this email with your family and friends so that they too can offer their own experience. If you are unable to complete the survey online, please call us Monday – Friday on 0330 995 0400 and choose Option 1 (afternoons are quietest) and we can complete the survey for you and send your response to the CQC on your behalf. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be a key provider of evidence to help shape the future of your care. Kind regards Disability Rights UK 0330 995 0400 enquiries@disabilityrightsuk.org Disability Rights UK Plexal 14 East Bay Lane Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stratford, London E20 3BS United Kingdom 0330 995 0400 www.disabilityrightsuk.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list Unsubscribe from all mailings from Disability Rights UK

 Get Involved

Are the rights of Disabled people being upheld? UN CRDP Capacity-building and Consultation Meeting Date: 17th November 2021 Time: 18:00 - 20:00 Location: Zoom (Online) Since its adoption by the UN General Assembly on 13 December 2006, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (CRDP) has been a major global catalyst for the progression of disabled people’s rights. The CRDP became one of the most quickly supported international human rights treaties in history and it now has 163 signatories. Governments who ratify the CRDP agree to be examined every few years to check how far the rights of Deaf and Disabled people set out in the treaty are being fulfilled. Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DPPOs) play a key role in the examination process, submitting “shadow” reports to the UN Committee responsible for the CRPD. This meeting will give an over-view of the CRDP and the shadow reporting process. Participants will also help shape the next shadow report as DDPOs prepare for the next examination of the UK under the CRDP. Access provision information: BSL & Palantypist (Speech to text) available. Registration details: Please register at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsc-yqqjstG9BzgrQ3BlOPGwZ379qaMG6Q. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

 

The Future of Work

Session 1 of the Future of the World Global Policy Dialogues

Wednesday, 15 September 2021, 8:30-10:00 a.m. EDT

This session, the first in a six-part series from UN DESA and UNDP looking at “The Future of the World,” aims to consider the ramifications of the changing nature of work and lifelong learning, and what we need to do now in order to be better prepared for the future of work.

Speakers also will debate crucial issues such as economic insecurity, the gig economy, informal work, fair wages, the role of artificial intelligence and policies to support workers. Across all issues, special attention will be paid to the needs of vulnerable groups, such as women, youth, older persons, indigenous persons and persons with disabilities.

• Register here by 15 September.
• Programme
• Speakers' biographies