Friday 15 July 2011

Reasons to Be Cheerful II


The public consciousness of the evil of child abuse is one of the best things that has happened in my lifetime. AN Wilson

Refers to the UK unless otherwise stated.

1836 civil marriages allowed

2004 Civil Partnership Act gives same sex partners most of the same rights as married couples

1907 The Court of Criminal Appeal set up following the adverse publicity from George Edjali's wrongful conviction

1970s CoE/Catholic church involves the laity, lets women read, installs coffee shops, gift shops, toilets (not without extreme resistance from deans, chapters straight out of Anthony Trollope).

1979 Sweden bans smacking.

Age of consent
1861 set at 12
1875 raised to 13
1885 raised to 16 “The anomaly that a girl could marry at 12 but not consent to sexual intercourse outside marriage until 16 remained in place until the Marriage Act of 1929.”

2003 The Female Genital Mutilation Act outlaws the practice, and extends to UK citizens taking their children abroad for the operation.

More Reasons to Be Cheerful here.

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