AC2.1 Compare Campaigns for Change
Sarah’s Law
Sarah’s Law was introduced following the abduction and murder of eight-year-old Sarah
Payne by paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000. The tragedy of Sarah’s death led to the start of
the Child Sex Disclosure Scheme, this scheme aims to protect children from such horrific
attacks in the future. This law allows parents, carers, or guardians to formally ask the police
for information about a person who has contact with their child, or a child close to them, if
they are concerned the person may pose a risk. Following this law, more than two hundred
children have been protected from potential harm during the first year of the scheme. In
2012, the police received more than 1,600 enquiries and nine hundred formal applicants.
Public appearances were used to promote her campaign in the media by her parents. Her
mother spoke on multiple occasions in hopes of finding her missing daughter and then later
to encourage support for her campaign. This type of media adds a personal approach to the
campaign which makes the public sympathise with the promotor. After the success of the
law, this scheme was introduced in four areas of England and is believed to have saved
dozens of children from abuse. The use of its coverage in the newspapers spread
awareness. ‘News of the World’ published ‘Name and Shame,’ which names sex offenders
and where they lived to help promote the government to act. However, this public disclosure
of the offenders led to many attacks from the public, some even attacking people who looked
similar to the perpetrators.
MeToo Movement
MeToo was a movement to raise awareness around the issue of sexual harassment and
sexual abuse of women in the workplace, which grew to prominence in 2017 in response to
sexual abuse by American film producer Harvey Weinstein. The MeToo movement was
founded by Tarana Burke but began as a social phenomenon in October of 2017 as a
hashtag by American actor Alyssa Milano who shared her story of sexual abuse from
Weinstein. The movement heightened public awareness and sensitivity surrounding the
issues of sexual harassment and sexual assault, both in the United States and throughout
the world. The #MeToo has trended in at least eighty-five countries. The campaign has
encouraged people to spread their stories of sexual assault and harassment. Social media
was critical to empowering the voices of those who have been silenced and ignored in
society. It gave survivors the power to share their stories and develop a recognisable
movement against sexual abuse through the circulation of the hashtag. Since #MeToo went
viral in October 2017, there has been progress at the state level to address workplace
harassment, twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have passed more than seventy
workplace anti-harassment bills, according to a new report by the National Women’s Law
Centre. States also introduced 2,324 MeToo-related bills and passed 286.
Clare’s Law
The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme enables the police to disclose information to a
victim or a potential victim of domestic abuse about their partner’s or ex-partners' previous
abusive or violent offending. The campaign was created after Clare Wood was brutally
murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009. Michael Brown, Clare’s father, fronted the campaign
to reduce intimate partner violence by designating several ways for police officers to disclose
a person’s history of abusive behaviour to those who may be at risk from such behaviour.
Sarah’s Law
Sarah’s Law was introduced following the abduction and murder of eight-year-old Sarah
Payne by paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000. The tragedy of Sarah’s death led to the start of
the Child Sex Disclosure Scheme, this scheme aims to protect children from such horrific
attacks in the future. This law allows parents, carers, or guardians to formally ask the police
for information about a person who has contact with their child, or a child close to them, if
they are concerned the person may pose a risk. Following this law, more than two hundred
children have been protected from potential harm during the first year of the scheme. In
2012, the police received more than 1,600 enquiries and nine hundred formal applicants.
Public appearances were used to promote her campaign in the media by her parents. Her
mother spoke on multiple occasions in hopes of finding her missing daughter and then later
to encourage support for her campaign. This type of media adds a personal approach to the
campaign which makes the public sympathise with the promotor. After the success of the
law, this scheme was introduced in four areas of England and is believed to have saved
dozens of children from abuse. The use of its coverage in the newspapers spread
awareness. ‘News of the World’ published ‘Name and Shame,’ which names sex offenders
and where they lived to help promote the government to act. However, this public disclosure
of the offenders led to many attacks from the public, some even attacking people who looked
similar to the perpetrators.
MeToo Movement
MeToo was a movement to raise awareness around the issue of sexual harassment and
sexual abuse of women in the workplace, which grew to prominence in 2017 in response to
sexual abuse by American film producer Harvey Weinstein. The MeToo movement was
founded by Tarana Burke but began as a social phenomenon in October of 2017 as a
hashtag by American actor Alyssa Milano who shared her story of sexual abuse from
Weinstein. The movement heightened public awareness and sensitivity surrounding the
issues of sexual harassment and sexual assault, both in the United States and throughout
the world. The #MeToo has trended in at least eighty-five countries. The campaign has
encouraged people to spread their stories of sexual assault and harassment. Social media
was critical to empowering the voices of those who have been silenced and ignored in
society. It gave survivors the power to share their stories and develop a recognisable
movement against sexual abuse through the circulation of the hashtag. Since #MeToo went
viral in October 2017, there has been progress at the state level to address workplace
harassment, twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have passed more than seventy
workplace anti-harassment bills, according to a new report by the National Women’s Law
Centre. States also introduced 2,324 MeToo-related bills and passed 286.
Clare’s Law
The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme enables the police to disclose information to a
victim or a potential victim of domestic abuse about their partner’s or ex-partners' previous
abusive or violent offending. The campaign was created after Clare Wood was brutally
murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009. Michael Brown, Clare’s father, fronted the campaign
to reduce intimate partner violence by designating several ways for police officers to disclose
a person’s history of abusive behaviour to those who may be at risk from such behaviour.
