British forces update
02 Apr 2015
‘Britain remains at the forefront of coalition military efforts to support the Iraqi government in their fight against IS’ says Defence Secretary Michael Fallon. ‘This effective and closely coordinated activity in conjunction with Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces has largely stalled the terrorists’ advances. In Syria, coalition airstrikes have supported the liberation of Kobane and have disrupted IS’s logistics and supply lines. However, defeating IS ultimately lies with local forces and we are helping to create effective ground forces in Syria, as well as in Iraq, so they can take the fight to IS.’ RAF Tornadoes and Reapers have been involved in successful airstrikes throughout the month. Please pray for the discrepancies between what is being asked of our Armed Forces, and the cuts proposed by government. This adds stress and uncertainty affecting not only the individual and their expected work load, but the nation and its defence and security.
Church leaders in the UK have welcomed a call by MPs for an ‘urgent’ review of benefits sanctions. Their support for the Work and Pensions Select Committee proposal comes after a Church report found that nearly seven million weeks of sanctions were handed out to people in 2013/2014, with as many as 100,000 children affected. People on sickness benefit because of a long-term mental health problem were being sanctioned at a rate of more than 100 per day. ‘The Select Committee Report describes a system that is broken and needs urgent review,’ said Paul Morrison of the Methodist Church. ‘Churches are often at the forefront of helping people who have been sanctioned and who are in desperate need of food, support and advice. It is unacceptable that vulnerable people can be left with no means of support as punishment for often very minor mistakes.'
New teaching materials exploring issues around sexual consent to be introduced in schools next term. Children as young as 11 are to be given lessons about rape where they will be taught that dressing provocatively does not imply consent to sex, under new teaching plans to be introduced in schools within weeks. Nicky Morgan, the former Education Secretary, has commissioned new guidance advising schools that they should teach pupils about ‘rape myths’ before they are sexually active, as otherwise it may be ‘too late’. Mrs Morgan, who was also Minister for Woman and Qqualities, said that girls today faced ‘unimaginable’ pressures. ‘Mothers at the school gates often tell me about their worries for their daughters. They tell me that on top of the usual stress of school life and teenage years, they want to know their girls are being taught what a healthy relationship looks like and how to say ‘no’,’ she wrote in the Sunday Times. ‘It's our duty to ensure that our daughters leave school able to navigate the challenges and choices they will face in adulthood.’
Christians are ‘openly derided’ and ‘coolly dismissed’, but their beliefs and work to help others are hugely valuable, Michael Gove has said. The former Education Secretary said that while British culture belittles Christianity on a daily basis, churchgoers’ demonstration of their love for Jesus through service to others is of incalculable importance. Last month an equality watchdog found evidence of widespread discrimination against Christians. Writing in the Spectator magazine, Gove said: ‘Relativism is the orthodoxy of our age so to call yourself a Christian in contemporary Britain is to invite pity, condescension or cool dismissal. But genuine Christian faith - far from making any individual more invincibly convinced of their own righteousness - makes us realise just how flawed and fallible we all are’, he wrote. As the Book of Common Prayer puts it', we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts and there is no health in us.’
One in five primary school girls 'on a diet'
02 Apr 2015
New figures from the Government Equalities Office show that one in five primary school age girls say they have been on a diet, while 87% of girls aged 11-21 think that women are judged more on their appearance than on their ability. Poor body image among girls has also been associated with low participation in sport. The research shows that 23% of girls aged 7-21 don't participate in exercise because they are unhappy with their body image, and 48% of girls think getting sweaty from taking part in sports is unfeminine. There is also new insight into the long-term consequences of poor body image among young girls, which is associated with lower confidence, lower aspirations and lower social participation. Equalities Minister Jo Swinson said: ‘We absolutely need to make sure that children have resilience to deal with the world around them.’
Students have turned to sex work to fund studies
02 Apr 2015
Almost five per cent of students have worked in the sex industry to reduce their loan debts or fund their lifestyles, according to a major new study from Swansea University. The Student Sex Work Project, based on a survey of 6,773 students across the UK, also found that around one in five students have considered such work and that male students are more likely to do sex work than female. Sex work varied from prostitution and escorting to stripping and internet work. The figures mean that given a total UK university population of around 2.3 million, the number of student sex workers could be in the tens of thousands. The study found that one in four student sex workers does not always feel safe and that they felt it necessary to keep their work a secret. The researchers have called on universities to do more to support those involved. See also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16157522
Alarm over sudden drop in female life expectancy
09 Apr 2015
Life expectancy for women has suffered a drop on a scale not seen for decades, as their lifestyles become more like those of men, official figures show. In 2012 there were falls in average life expectancy for females over 60. Experts said the trend could be the result of changes in the lifestyles of the ‘baby boomer’ generation, with older women more likely to drink regularly and to have smoked, than previous generations. Charities also raised concern that older people are having their lives cut short by reductions in social care spending. Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK said, ‘The most obvious likely culprit is the rapid decline of state-funded social care in recent years, which is leaving hundreds of thousands of older people to struggle on alone at home without any help.’ She called on the next Government to take urgent action to support the elderly and prevent the downturn becoming the start of a ‘terrible trend.’
Pornography addiction worry
02 Apr 2015
A tenth of 12 to 13-year-olds fear they are ‘addicted’ to pornography, an NSPCC ChildLine survey has concluded. One in five of nearly 700 youngsters surveyed said they had seen pornographic images that had shocked or upset them, researchers found. The charity also says that 12% of those surveyed said they had taken part in, or had made, a sexually explicit video. It says that viewing porn is ‘a part of everyday life’ for many of the children who contact its helpline. ChildLine has launched a campaign to raise awareness and provide advice to young people about the harmful implications of an over-exposure to porn following the survey results. One boy under the age of 15 told ChildLine that he was ‘always watching porn, and some of it is quite aggressive’. He said: ‘I didn't think it was affecting me at first but I've started to view girls a bit differently recently and it's making me worried.’