mothers.
They also argued that the Act was implicitly racist. Half of black families of Caribbean descent are headed by single mothers. Men of African, Asian and Caribbean descent - who because of racism are more likely to be unemployed, imprisoned or on low wages - would be most vulnerable to the Child Support Agency; and 'failure to maintain' could be used as grounds for deportation.
Since the Act came into operation the main opposition has come from affected men and their second families. This partly represents the weakened state of the women's liberation movement but is also a response to the glaring injustices suffered by men on the receiving end of the Act.
A number of suicides have been linked with the Act, two in Sheffield in just one week. In one case a separated father and his two young children were found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in their car, while in the other the car had been set alight burning to death the man and children inside. Teachers mu 's reactionary curriculum has criticised the working of the agency but refused to commit itself to scrap it.
This reflects a much wider retreat by Labour on the question of the family: *For too long, the Left has let the issue of the family become the domain of the Right' argued Harriet Harman, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Her colleague Marjorie Mowlem told Labour women's conference this year that the party must have policies with a high 'family friendliness' appeal.
Age of consent
The Labour party leadership refused appeals from lesbian and gay activists to instruct MPs to vote for the amendment which would lower the age of consent for gay men to 16 resulting in its defeat.
And Labour is allowing the Conservative right to make the running on 'political correctness' as witnessed by Labour controlled Hackney council launching a witchhunt against Primary School Head Jane Brown.
Education Secretary John Patten used 'OUR LIVES are composed out of thousands of small and big tragedies. Yesterday I dropped a box of matches in a pan of water, I cried for mere than an hour from anger and despair. That is our reality.
Everyday reallty for a member of the da (WUT) who the first Interna nray in tava been arli war. They have as part of ing. Thay than men on • primary to hold their illes together. n has 10,000 ral in ornanising ees forced into in organising to WIT's proare, ense of ely, that ne-one The women's union of Tuza, is a non-partisan, non-governmental omanIsation which unites the women of Tuda without regard of nationality, belist, age, education or party.
As an organisation of volunters, the WUT stands open for all women who are deeply committed to Bosnia Herzogovina as a sovereign st their native country, to T nati onal Euro the interests of sph its alms defence of chitirel against violence and the family, the exc women in deciding over amlly planning, robe, individual concerning As one of the women told Moes in November, problem here is hunger. have lood. Almost noth rough because there's Our Tuzl ald and Damn of Tuza naed salidarity malerial aid, Confact International Workers Aid for more informatios, 12 Thorion st, London, Swa OVL Tet 071 978 8592
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 58 12 March 1994, Page 10