Although the UK has world-leading net zero targets, simply setting the target is not enough. Achieving it requires the participation of all sectors of society. However, racialized minority communities are underrepresented in mainstream approaches to achieving environmental sustainability. To redress this marginalization, Dr Sherilyn MacGregor and Dr Nafhesa Ali from the Sustainable Consumption Institute explain […]
Children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing: moving towards evidence-based, data-driven responses
As children and young people return to classroom education, schools have a vital role to play in assessing and supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Here, Professor Neil Humphrey from the Manchester Institute of Education argues that schools should routinely collect reliable mental health and wellbeing data, with which they can ‘build […]
Is the current appeal system acting ‘In the Interests of Justice’? – a review of the report of the Westminster Commission on Miscarriages of Justice
Suzanne Gower, PhD researcher, and former managing director of the legal charity APPEAL shares her thoughts on the long-awaited report of the Westminster Commission on Miscarriages of Justice, “In the Interests of Justice”. Suzanne played a leading role in helping establish the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Miscarriages of Justice (APPGMJ). She then worked to set […]
Why the powers of the Victims’ Commissioner are not enough
Established in 2004, the role of the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales was created to provide a champion for the interests of victims, for whom the criminal justice system may be difficult or overwhelming to navigate. The role provides an independent voice for victims at government level and aims to reinforce the status of […]
Why victims of cyber crime deserve ‘Cyber CPR’
COVID-19 has seen an increased vulnerability to cyber crime. In this blog, originally from our On Digital Trust publication, Professor Emma Barrett, Professor Danny Dresner, and Dr David Buil-Gil outline why victims of cyber crime need greater protection, including a raft of ‘CPR’ measures designed to help them recover quickly. Cyber crimes cost billions of […]
Getting women’s voices into policymaking in Greater Manchester
Progress toward achieving equality in life chances, so that all citizens can fulfil their potential, has been slow. Despite women in the UK having the vote for over 100 years and protection from equalities legislation since the 1970s, there are still significant inequalities in the educational, employment, care and retirement choices available to men and […]
How to support refugees’ and asylum seekers’ health and wellbeing
Spending time in an allotment was permitted as a form of exercise throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, and as it eases, provides a physically distanced way of socialising. In this blog, researcher Jo Biglin outlines the vital role these spaces play in the mental and physical wellbeing of asylum seekers and refugees, and suggests policies to […]
Democracy at risk? Detecting and deterring the flow of disinformation in elections
On 21 July, Ministers published a report that found the UK Government failed to counter Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum, despite a mounting body of evidence of global efforts to use and abuse digital platforms to influence democratic outcomes. As a result, how can we be sure that what we are being told […]
Point-scoring and modern slavery
In February, the UK Government announced new post-Brexit immigration measures promising to “take back control of our borders”, introducing an Australian-style points-based system limiting the number of ‘low-skilled’ foreign workers in the UK. In this blog, Dr Rose Broad and Professor David Gadd explain why, far from protecting both foreign and British workers, the new […]
Domestic Abuse Bill 2019-2021: Does the inclusion of ‘relatives’ go far enough in addressing the issue of adolescent to parent violence?
The Domestic Abuse Bill 2019-2021 will receive its third reading today. Once this long awaited Bill passes through Parliament, assuming it receives Royal Assent, it will ultimately mean that for the first time in England and Wales, there will be a criminal offence of domestic abuse. In this blog, Caroline Miles and Rachel Condry examine […]