Ep 23: The NSS at the UN: interview with Josephine Macintosh



In this week’s episode, Emma Park speaks to Josephine Macintosh, a solicitor and vice president of the National Secular Society, about her work representing the NSS at the United Nations.

Earlier this year, Josephine attended the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council at Geneva. She made submissions on behalf of the NSS on its objections to male circumcision, proposed reforms to Italian law to counter child abuse in the Catholic Church, and the need for the UK to legislate explicitly against caste discrimination.

She discusses the content of these submissions, the process of presenting them at the UN and lobbying for support, and why it’s vital for the NSS to be represented at international level. She also talks about the constraints that the coronavirus is likely to place on the UN’s human rights work.

Follow Emma on Twitter: @DrEmmaPark

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zdfQeKP8Tj8

Transcripts: https://www.secularism.org.uk/transcripts

Notes

43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session43/Pages/43RegularSession.aspx

Protect all children from ritual genital cutting, NSS tells UN

https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2020/03/protect-all-children-from-ritual-genital-cutting-nss-tells-un

NSS raises Italy’s response to child abuse in Catholic Church at UN

https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2020/03/nss-raises-italys-response-to-child-abuse-in-catholic-church-at-un

The Vatican Is Talking About Clerical Abuse, but Italy Isn’t – New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/world/europe/italy-catholic-church-pope-francis-abuse.html

Outlaw caste discrimination

https://www.secularism.org.uk/outlaw-caste-discrimination/

NSS urges UN to push government to pass law on caste discrimination

https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2020/03/nss-urges-un-to-push-government-to-pass-law-on-caste-discrimination

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