Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Rowling set up Beira's Place after a row about women's-only services
- Published38 minutes ago
Amnesty International UK has said it regrets publishing a report which classed a sexual violence support centre set up by JK Rowling in Edinburgh as "anti-rights".
Beira's Place was established in 2022 by the Harry Potter author and other campaigners who claimed it fulfilled an unmet need for women-only support in the city.
The facility was listed as a gender critical organisation in a briefing issued last week by Amnesty entitled "A Growing Threat: The Anti-Rights Movement in the UK".
The human rights charity now says the briefing was uploaded without going through the normal checks, and it has been temporarily withdrawn while an internal review takes place.
In a statement it said: "We regret that this briefing was uploaded to our website without going through the established internal review processes that are in place to ensure consistency, accuracy and alignment with Amnesty International UK's positions.
"Its use of language does not reflect the position of Amnesty International UK which is why it was promptly removed.
"We remain committed to defending human rights, including both the rights of women and the rights of trans people."
Image source, Beira's PlaceImage caption, JK Rowling with founding board members of Beira's Place, former prison governor Rhona Hotchkiss, former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont, GP Margaret McCartney, and director of For Women Scotland, Susan Smith
Rowling, herself a survivor of domestic violence, set up and funded Beira's Place after a row over the management of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre which at the time was being run by a transgender woman.
The author said it was important that survivors of abuse had the option of "women-centred" and women-delivered" care.
The new centre was named after the Scottish goddess of winter who Rowling said embodied female wisdom and regeneration.
'Offensive' description
The Amnesty International report prompted a backlash when it listed Beira's Place as a gender-critical organisation, one of 117 which it characterised as being part of an anti-rights movement.
Also listed was the campaign group For Woman Scotland, which brought the legal case that culminated in the UK Supreme Court ruling that "woman" refers to biological sex for the purposes of equalities law.
The Amnesty report said the ruling had contributed to a "significant decline in protection for LGBT+ rights".
The chief executive of Beira's Place, Lesley Johnston, said it was inexplicable that it had been described as an anti-rights organisation.
She added: "This is deeply offensive to Beira's Place staff who work day in day out to support survivors, and to the women who need and use our service."
For Woman Scotland has called for an apology over the way it has been characterised and called for the Amnesty report to be withdrawn permanently.
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