Campaigns supported by Sarah

On this page you can find information about NGOs and campaigns currently supported by Sarah, links to recent related press releases and to campaign websites.

"Say NO" to child sex tourism

Click here to sign the petition

Every year thousands of European tourists travel to countries in Southeast Asia, South America and Africa with the specific intention of having sex with children, a shocking form of abuse and exploitation. The chance that offenders get caught is almost zero. That's why European Liberal Democrat MEPs including Sarah have initiated a campaign to "Say No" to child sex tourism. The online petition, which you can sign from 27th June, pleads for more powers for the European police agency Europol to fight sexual exploitation of children by Europeans travelling abroad.

"Say NO" to child sex tourism by signing the online petition here.

Read Sarah's full press release here .

Mass Lone Demo

Sarah has been joining campaigning comedian Mark Thomas at the his 'mass lone demo' protests in Parliament Square. This series of individual demonstrations is to highlight the absurdity of the ban on protests within one kilometre of Parliament Square without prior police permission which was introduced under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. Photo courtesy of Gareth Winchester at http://d-notice.blogspot.com/

Mass Lone Demo II.

Euro-MP takes part in 'absolutely anything' demo .

The Great Repeal Act

Sarah is supporting the Lib Dem's proposed 'Great Repeal Act', launched by Nick Clegg at party conference, to roll back a generation of illiberal legislation and illiberal regulations. Lib Dems have identified a list of the top ten laws we don't need, but you can also submit your suggestions, whether they are for a small piece of annoying detail, laws that have been overtaken by events or laws that were never a good idea in the first place!

Which laws should be scrapped? .

One seat

MEPs: "Scrap Strasbourg - one seat is enough!".

Lib Dems launch campaign against 'over-the-top' DNA database

Sarah is supporting the Liberal Democrats' campaign against police retention of the DNA records of innocent people. Five times more people in the UK have their DNA records stored on central government records than in any other country in the world. Liberal Democrat home affairs spokespeople Lynne Featherstone and Nick Clegg have launched a petition on the party website.

Sign the petition against over-the-top DNA database.

Fair Trials Abroad

Sarah is a patron of Fair Trials Abroad which seeks to help citizens from the European Union accused of a crime in a country other than their own, to assert their rights to due administration of justice. Sarah fights for EU citizens facing miscarriages of justice and has successfully campaigned for the release of wrongfully detained constituents.

London MEP fights for release of British citizen held in Azerbaijan.

Justice

Sarah is a council member of Justice, an all-party, law reform and human rights organisation. Justice works to improve the legal system and the quality of justice, in particular by: promoting human rights; improving the legal system and access to justice; improving criminal justice; raising standards of EU justice and home affairs. Sarah is also Liberal Democrat European Justice Spokesperson and an active member of the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

Embargo!

Embargoed! is a human rights group campaigning to bring an immediate and unconditional end to all embargoes against the people of North Cyprus. Embargoed! thus aims to restore the fundamental political, economic and social rights of all North Cypriots. Sarah campaigns vigorously for the EU to honour its commitments by providing aid for economic development in North Cyprus and is calling for an immediate end to the isolation of Turkish Cypriots.

Cyprus: resolving property issues to build confidence.

EU North Cyprus aid better late than never.

Failure to act on Northern Cyprus damages EU credibility.

Liberty

Sarah is a council member of Liberty, a campaign group which believes in a society based on the democratic participation of all its members and the principles of justice, openness, the right to dissent and respect for diversity. Liberty aims to secure the equal rights of everyone (as long as they do not infringe the rights and freedoms of others) and oppose any abuse or excessive power by the state against its people. Sarah is a leading campaigner for the protection of civil liberties and fundamental freedoms, including through her work on the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee and as Vice-Chair of the Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup.

No torture, no compromise.

Data retention deal will erode citizens' trust.

One million signatures demanding changes to discriminatory laws

Sarah has signed a petition launched by a group of women's rights activists in Iran demanding changes to discriminatory laws against women.

The 'One Million Signatures Demanding Changes to Discriminatory Laws' campaign is a follow-up to the peaceful protest which took place in June in Tehran. The instigators point out that their demands for reform do not clash with Islamic law but call on the Iranian government to eliminate discrimination in accordance with its commitments under the UN Convention on Civil and Political Rights.

Demand changes to Iran's discriminatory laws.

Polish Federation for Women and Family Planning

Sarah has signed up to add her voice in opposition to the initiative of the League of Polish Families (LPR) political party to totally ban the termination of pregnancy. This initiative creates a serious menace for all girls and women. The victims of rape, as well as women, who are conscious that the fetus is seriously and fatally damaged will be forced to give a birth. The pregnancy would not be even terminated if the life or health of a women is threatened.

The Big Trident Debate

Sarah is supporting The Big Trident Debate - calling on the government to facilitate a thorough national consultation to inform the decision-making process on the future of the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system. The Government must allocate sufficient time for a full Parliamentary debate, and the substantive decision on whether or not Britain retains nuclear weapons must be made by Parliament.

Control Arms

Lack of controls on the international arms trade fuels conflict, poverty and human rights abuses worldwide. Every government is responsible. The Control Arms campaign is asking governments to toughen up controls on the arms trade. Sarah signed the Control Arms petition in March 2006, and has been urging Londoners to join her in adding their face to the "million faces" petition ever since.

A million faces against the arms trade.

Euro-MP joins million faces fighting the arms trade.

Guantanamo Human Rights Commission

The Guantanamo Human Rights Commission, of which Sarah is a patron, was launched at a press conference at the House of Commons, London on January 20th 2004. The Commission's long term objective is to achieve an end to all forms of internment without trial, whether in Guantanamo, or in Britain in Belmarsh and Woodhill, or on the island of Diego Garcia. Sarah has repeatedly called for the closure of this legal black hole, calling it both a scandal and a setback in the fight against terrorism. Sarah is Vice-Chair of the European Parliament committee investigating CIA torture flights in Europe.

Guantanamo must be on EU-US agenda.

Guantanamo suicides 'wake-up call' to EU governments.

Guantanamo Bay must close.

Euro-MP welcomes request for al-Rawi release.

Justice for Nick Baker

Nick Baker was arrested in Tokyo in April 2002 on drug-smuggling charges. He was convicted after being interrogated for 23 days without a lawyer and with no taping of the interview. At the end he signed a document which was not translated and which he therefore did not understand. He has always asserted his innocence, alleging he was duped by his travel companion into carrying the bag in which more than 40,000 ecstasy tablets and nearly a kilo of cocaine were found. The prosecution acknowledged the bag was not Nick's. Sarah has campaigned on Nick's behalf since 2002, and visited Japan in 2003 in an attempt to get him a fair trial.

Japan prisoner Nick Baker: reduced sentence, but still no justice .

Nick Baker case: the final leg.

Nick Baker case - three years on.

Irrepressible.info

Efforts to try and control the Internet are growing. Internet repression is reported in countries like China, Vietnam, Tunisia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria. People are persecuted and imprisoned simply for criticising their government, calling for democracy and greater press freedom, or exposing human rights abuses, online. IT companies have helped build the systems that enable surveillance and censorship to take place. Sarah is supporting Amnesty International's Irrepressible.info campaign to show that online or offline, the human voice and human rights are impossible to repress.

Irrepressible.info website.

Mission statement for the European Union

Last year's negative referenda results on the European Constitution sparked much discussion. Members of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) in the Committee of the Regions believe that the fundamental problem lies in the fact that for an increasing number of Europeans, the purpose of the European Union in the 21st century is not clear. A Mission Statement for the European Union has thus been drafted which would allow the EU to state clearly what its purpose is, without depending on the outcome of the Constitution.