About the Campaign

Equal and Free is supported by a range of individuals and organisations concerned with the suffering of vulnerable women in the UK who experience religiously-sanctioned gender discrimination.

Although women from any faith tradition – or none – may suffer abuse and other problems associated with dysfunctional families, the plight of those in Islamic communities can be exacerbated by the application of established Sharia law principles which inherently discriminate against women and girls.

Such discrimination can take many forms, including:

  • Inequality in access to divorce (for men often so easy it is effectively free and unconditional)
  • Polygamy (practiced by men who have multiple ‘wives’ and numerous children)
  • Discriminatory child custody policies and inheritance laws
  • The implicit sanctioning of domestic violence

Suffering of vulnerable women

The resulting suffering is often worsened by the nature of the closed communities in which these vulnerable women may live, where there can be great pressure not to seek ‘outside’ professional help which might be deemed to bring ‘shame’ on the family.

Equal and Free seeks to raise concerns

While the Government maintains that all citizens have access to the law of the land, evidence shows that this ‘de jure’ right is sadly not always a ‘de facto’ reality.

Equal and Free seeks to raise the profile of these concerns by working alongside those affected by abuse, as well as a range of women’s rights organisations and parliamentarians of all parties.

Equal and Free Limited is a not for profit company registered in England. Company number 08143808

Supporters