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Ask the Mayor to support a UK HIV/AIDS Memorial in LondonWe the undersigned call on the Mayor of London to support us in the creation of a UK HIV/AIDS Memorial. HIV/AIDS disproportionally affected gay men but also new African communities; people with haemophilia; prisoners and injecting drug users. It influenced the whole nation by forcing us to confront deep rooted prejudices and ask questions about equality, difference, religion, morality and identity which hit at the very core of our values as a people and as a nation. There is currently no memorial to those who died in London in contrast to most other major cities affected including Amsterdam, Auckland, Barcelona, Berlin, Brighton, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Dublin, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kiev, LA, Madrid, Manchester, Melbourne, Montreal, Moscow, Munich, NYC, Paris, San Francisco, San Salvador, Sydney, Toronto, Vienna and Zurich. We want the Mayor of London to support our campaign for a national memorial in the city, by meeting with campaigners and helping in practical ways to find a location, funding and wider support. Why Now? 1) 2017 is the 50th Anniversary of the passing of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 which partly decriminalised sexual acts between two men in private and aged over 21. 2) 2016 is the 20th anniversary since the widespread use of the life-saving anti-retroviral therapy that arrested the number of deaths and literally, allowed for a new awakening. 3) New communities are examining and documenting their unique histories for future generations to make more sense of their own lives and to make secure as well as more grounded, their identities and narratives. The National AIDS Memorial in London aims: • To pay tribute to the men, women and children who died in the UK • To remember the struggles of those living with HIV as well as those who took on the challenge to treat, support and campaign for those who were affected by AIDS. • To acknowledge an almost forgotten period in British history • To form a linear historical path between the past, the present and the future for all the communities in the UK who bore the brunt of the epidemic. • To remember those worldwide who perished and who continue to live with HIV, the majority of whom still cannot access treatment This campaign is being led by GMFA (Gay Men Fighting AIDS), in conjunction with the UK HIV sector. @AidsMemoryUK; #AidsMemoryUK3,523 of 4,000 SignaturesCreated by Ash Kotak
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Fund Inner London's only Disability GymAbility Bow is the only place in inner London that provides long term rehabilitation to help people who have a disability, an injury or a long-term health condition. For many it is be a life-changing experience. There are thousands of people that Ability Bow has helped over the last 10 years. Margaret is a stroke survivor who regained near full use of her body after doctors wrote her off. Albert had a spine broken in two places and learned to walk again. There are hundreds of stories like these here. We are asking for the assistance of a government partner to safeguard the future of this vital service. I do not know where I would be without this place. I started this campaign to raise awareness and make sure that people get the help they need to improve their lives.7,838 of 8,000 SignaturesCreated by Richard Amm
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Equal pay for Women.In the modern, equal and fair Britain of 2016 it is more important than ever that everyone no matter who they are or what gender they may be have equal and fair opportunities regarding work. Britain is a diverse land of many races, religions, sexual preferences and opinions. In the UK we are striving on a whole for equality in all aspects of our lives. So many barriers which once stopped groups of people from having equal opportunities have now been demolished. Yet still there is the pay gap between men and women. Around 90% of job roles in the UK pay men more than women for the same job title. If this is not inequality then its difficulty to comprehend what is. Our head of state; The Queen is a female. Our new post-Brexit Prime Minister; Theresa May is a female and more then ever women are diversifying in their job roles and taking on what was once viewed as "mens jobs". But still the employers of this once great country continue to underpay the hard working women of the UK in comparison to men. If true equality is to be brought upon us and a fair society secured then we must end this (for lack of a better term) sexist scourge on our country. If you believe in feminism, equality, or just empowering the government to make a positive change then please do sign this petition. If you have a mother, sister, girlfriend, auntie or female friend then why not provide them with the equal right to a decent wage just as much as men?59 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Daniel Thomas
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Introduce a Universal Minimum Wage for All AgesIt is allowing employers to discriminate workers on the account of their age. We must allow people of all ages to be paid the same wage for the exact same work.113 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Ben Robinson
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End the employment agency/umbrella company rip offMillions of workers across the UK, from construction workers to IT professionals, are being hit hard in their pay packets. The Umbrella companies make the workers pay their NI contributions (employers NI) as well their own (employees NI). On top of this double NI deduction the company also charges the worker for the 'privilege' of receiving their own money. They call this their 'margin' and can cost as much as £30 a week to the employee. https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.ucatt.org.uk/umbrella-company-con-trick&ved=0ahUKEwicvcjBxvDPAhVsAsAKHdbSDFQQFgg9MAA&usg=AFQjCNF0VVD62uWTQceD9W6OE2JAog9C2g&sig2=UAe8y414tNQmyJAwDvFXHQ410 of 500 SignaturesCreated by Anton Duploy
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Say no to 'Wonder woman' as the UN ambassador for womenHOW can the UN think an imaginary , scantily clad , very well endowed ( Barbie doll - statistics) comic book cartoon represents women of the world and 'empowers' them? She is a 'sex symbol ' and will only serve to promote women as sex objects in countries that already veer that way! Are they serious? Yes I get that they need a 'modern ' symbol - but 'Wonder Woman' was out of the 70's (or maybe it is more to do with a new 'Wonder Woman 'film being released in 2017 )??? But would you choose Charlie 's Angels? or Baywatch babes ? what about Bridget Jones ? Or a whole raft of similar females ? Pretty much every REAL woman I have ever met is a better role model for women, for encouraging our girls to be all they can be. Are there no real modern women across the whole world who could not be the UN's ambassador for women ? really ? We deserve better163 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Debbie Veel
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Stop the press revealing identities of Calais childrenPublication of photos and personal details can risk the security of unaccompanied young people, who are known to be at a high risk of human trafficking and may be exposed to hate crime. The language used by The Sun, the Daily Star, the Daily Mail and the Daily Express to describe these young people arriving from the 'jungle' camp in Calais is incendiary and inhumane. The deliberate questioning of age, without due care to safety or lawful processes, has the very real potential to expose individuals to abuse, racism and hatred whilst in the UK. International law makes it clear that anyone under the age of 18 is a child. Unaccompanied children frequently have no documents to prove their age. Some don’t even know their own chronological age. Others have had their identities faked by human traffickers. There is a duty on the UK to give those in such situations the ‘benefit of the doubt’ where there is reason to believe they may be a child. The current approach of 'trial by media' undermines these young people's right to fair and impartial assessments of their individual circumstances. It ignores well-established, legal processes that are designed to protect those most in need and undermines the validity of the laws to protect children and refugees. ECPAT UK is a leading children’s rights organisation campaigning to prevent child trafficking, transnational child abuse and child exploitation for the past 20 years. To complement our research, policy and campaigning activity, we run peer support groups for child victims of trafficking and deliver training to a broad range of professionals. For more info about our charity, visit: www.ecpat.org.uk.5,396 of 6,000 SignaturesCreated by ECPAT UK
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United States Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)In 2010, the US government passed the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) obliging US citizens, regardless of dual citizenships and even though they may not have lived in the US since childhood, to self-report their non-US assets and to pay US tax on foreign income if the foreign tax should be less than US tax. For example, if such persons sell their home, then they are liable for American capital gains tax on the sale as the UK levies no such tax. FATCA obliges all non-US financial institutions to search through their customer databases to identify those customers suspected of being US citizens and to disclose the account holders' names, addresses, and the transactions of most types of account. It requires foreign financial institutions to require all foreign account holders (not just US citizens) to certify their foreign status. In 2014, The Economist called FATCA's "extraterritoriality stunning even by Washington's standards." FATCA potentially affects 173,470 people born in the US by chance but many of whom left the country as small children and have since been resident in the UK and are UK citizens. Following FATCA's passage, many such "accidental Americans" suffered closure of their bank accounts: a 2014 survey of US citizens in other countries by Democrats Abroad found that 12.7% of respondents had been denied financial services by their banks, making it harder for accidental Americans to live and work in their countries of residence. Accidental Americans often no owe US income tax, but must spend thousands of dollars in accounting fees to prove that fact, and face potential fines of tens of thousands of dollars for paperwork errors. Those who have spent their lives planning for their retirement without considering the US tax consequences of the non-US financial instruments they hold may find that US taxation wipes out most of their returns on investments. UK residents suspected to be US citizens are separated out at their financial institutions for differential treatment, based upon their place of birth and nationality. Discrimination according to national origin is prohibited in most countries and by the European Convention on Human Rights. American Citizens Abroad, a not-for-profit organization representing the interests of the millions of Americans residing outside the United States, points out that FATCA's problem is citizenship-based taxation. The United States and Eritrea are the only countries in the world which impose taxation and reporting requirements on citizens living abroad permanently. The Guardian reports that Americans living abroad feel financially terrorized by FATCA requirements. According to research by Democrats Abroad: "These survey results show the intense impact FATCA is having on overseas Americans. Their financial accounts are being closed, their relationships with their non-American spouses are under strain, some Americans are being denied promotion or partnership in business because of FATCA reporting requirements and some are planning or contemplating renouncing their US citizenship”. The US will not allow accidental Americans to renounce citizenship until they have filed five years’ of tax returns. Due to the rise in applications, the fee for renouncing citizenship was raised by roughly 400 percent in 2015 to $2,350. According to a recent piece in The Economist, a UK resident who was born in America but moved to Britain as a child, “recently received a huge bill from the IRS [the US Internal Revenue Service], out of the blue, for many years of unfiled taxes. He had not realised that he owed anything; he had always paid taxes promptly in Britain. The IRS was so aggressive that he feared he might lose his technology business; he even discussed divorce with his wife as a way to shield their assets. In the end, he settled for a six-figure sum.” In 2014, the UK Government entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement whereby financial institutions in the UK report information about US accounts to HMRC. HMRC then provides the information to the US. The UK government has estimated that the cost to British businesses will be £1.1 billion to £2 billion for the first five years, in order to locate the US citizens. HMRC estimates its own one-off IT and staff project costs at approximately £5m, with ongoing annual costs of £1.4m from this year. FATCA’s effects on UK citizens who by accident of birth are deemed American means that the UK Government’s cooperation with FATCA must end. The relationship between the British state and its citizens is founded on an implicit contract whereby, in exchange for obedience to the law and performance of their civic duties, citizens have a right to the state’s protection.155 of 200 SignaturesCreated by Jim Newell
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Get The Age For Minimum Wage LoweredIt is important to us because we want younger people to be able to hace access to more jobs at a younger age.1 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Jayden Marshall-Lane
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Ensuring Personal Privacy and Sexual FreedomPERSONAL PRIVACY: The Digital Economy Bill currently before Parliament will introduce compulsory age verification without guaranteeing privacy protections for subscribers. This omission risks users’ personal details and private sexual preferences being exploited for commercial gain and/or leaked into the public domain. SEXUAL FREEDOM: Consensual adult sex should not be outlawed, yet this Bill will prohibit the publication of depictions of sexual activities that are legal to perform. This Bill imposes a financial burden on free, amateur and niche commercial websites, affecting sexual minorities by denying them from freely expressing their sexuality.1,689 of 2,000 SignaturesCreated by Myles Jackman
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Specsavers - Stop Advertising in the Daily ExpressAnti-immigrant hate crime in the UK has increased fivefold over the past few months (according to the National Police Chiefs' Council). The UK media has, in the words of the United Nations human rights chief, peddled "sustained and unrestrained anti-foreigner abuse" and "vilification, intolerance and politicization of migrants." Migrants are routinely portrayed as less-than-human, and unworthy of dignity and respect. The Daily Express alone is responsible for headlines such as "BRITAIN MUST BAN MIGRANTS" and " SEND IN ARMY TO HALT MIGRANT INVASION." Specsavers: is this your vision? We are calling on you to take a stand, and no longer tacitly endorse the demonisation of migrant communities by the Daily Express. Just earlier this year, the newspaper was forced to publish a correction after press watchdog IPSO ruled that a piece entitled 'Europe's leaders have no plan to cut immigration' inflated and distorted migration figures. The impact of this kind of media rhetoric is not limited to the newspaper stands: it has real-life, divisive consequences. By withdrawing a recent front-page advert from the Daily Express, you have recognised that what your brand appears alongside, matters. We call on you to take this further and withdraw all financial and symbolic support for a newspaper that is notorious for inciting racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia.1,321 of 2,000 SignaturesCreated by Undoing Borders (People & Planet)
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Scrap the bedroom tax for all disabled householdsFamilies where the spouse of a disabled adult are already on an extremely low income so having to pay the bedroom tax, which carers for children where for example one parent may be earning an adequate wage are already exempted from, is not only discriminatory, it leads to further financial pressure on top of the stress of being a carer.44 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Allan Aspinall
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