75 per cent of prosecutions introduced by TV Licensing are towards ladies
Leigh Day has secured £6,500 in compensation for a lady who claimed she was discriminated towards by the BBC when she was prosecuted by TV Licensing for not paying her TV licence.
Statistics present that 75 per cent of prosecutions introduced by TV Licensing are towards ladies. Throughout the pandemic, single mom Josiane struggled to pay family payments and was prosecuted for not paying her TV licence payment. She stated the prosecution was “deeply aggravating” and brought on her “sleepless nights”.
Josiane claimed the way in which TV Licensing (a commerce mark of the BBC) identifies, investigates and prosecutes circumstances for the non-payment of the licence payment is discriminatory.
The fees have been dropped after the authorized charity APPEAL took up Josiane’s case. Nonetheless, a authorized declare of intercourse discrimination resulted in a settlement.
A proposed judicial assessment declare by the Public Regulation Venture towards the BBC resulted within the BBC agreeing to conduct a Gender Disparity Overview, overseen by Baroness Younger of Hornsey OBE. Nonetheless, publication of the report has been delayed, stated Josiane.
Josiane commented: “I introduced a discrimination declare towards the BBC as a result of I imagine that the BBC’s processes for figuring out suspects of TV licence evasion disproportionately drawback ladies. I settle for that the BBC doesn’t agree that this was what led to my prosecution, however I’m happy that they’re endeavor one other Overview of the gender disparity in TV licence prosecutions and have accepted that errors have been made in my case.”
Deputy director of APPEAL, Naima Sakande, stated: “I’m happy that the influence of this unfair prosecution towards Josiane has been acknowledged by the BBC. Nonetheless, the BBC has didn’t take duty or rectify its discrimination downside.
“Final yr the BBC purchased prison prosecutions towards practically 50,000 individuals for not paying their TV Licence. Earlier than the pandemic, this quantity recurrently exceeded 100,000. Not solely are the vast majority of these individuals ladies, many are additionally struggling financially and produce other vulnerabilities.
“The influence of those prosecutions will land closely on regular individuals in the course of the cost-of-living disaster. That’s why APPEAL is asking on TV Licensing to droop all prosecutions in the course of the financial disaster.”
Leigh Day human rights solicitor Kate Egerton stated: “The stark gender disparity in TV Licensing prosecutions has been clear for over a decade but the disproportionate prosecution of ladies will increase yr on yr. It’s our view that the BBC’s present insurance policies not directly discriminate towards ladies underneath our equality laws, and that that is unjustifiable and avoidable.
“We imagine that there are a selection of different measures for investigating potential TV licensing offences that would scale back the disproportionate influence on ladies; we hope that the BBC critically considers these as a part of its assessment and implements a lawful system.”
