Emma Ritch

Emma Ritch (8 December 1976 – 9 July 2021[1]) was a Scottish women's rights campaigner who was the executive director of Engender,[2] a feminist policy organisation working on women’s social, economic, and political equality in Scotland. She had been working there for 13 years when she died on 9 July 2021.[3][4]

Emma Ritch, 2017

Career

Ritch was a graduate of English Language and Literature at Glasgow University and a local activist, campaigner and author.[5][6][7] She had a masters degree in IT and management.[4]

She worked as an advisor to the Scottish Government on equality issues.[8] She was a member of the Scottish Government's First Minister's Advisory Council on Women & Girls.[9] She was on the joint strategic board of Equally Safe,[10] and the advisory group of the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre. Ritch became Chair of Rape Crisis Scotland board in 2016 and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the board of the Human Rights Consortium Scotland in 2020.[10] She sat on the equality advisory groups of Skills Development Scotland, was a member of the YWCA Glasgow board for eight years, and served a four-year term on the GMB union's National Equality Forum. She was a board member of the European Women's Lobby.[1] As a women's rights campaigner Ritch advocated a controversial form of inclusive feminism and was known for her intersectional approach and support for LGBT rights; she had a particular interest in the relation between equality policies and human rights; under her leadership Engender became "the authoritative voice on women’s unpaid care work, the devastating effect of austerity and the need for a social security system that meets the needs of women’s lives, hate crime, equal representation in politics, and access to safe, legal abortion healthcare."[1]

Death and legacy

On her death, Ritch's career and voluntary work was described as 'dedicated to realising women's equality and rights' and Engender claimed their boss was 'hugely influential in the movement in Scotland'. The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon who shared her views on trans issues called her 'a force for good - a passionate advocate for women's rights and a champion of justice and equality.' The Icelandic women's rights association Kvenrettindafelags Islands said she was a 'kind, brilliant and fiercely feminist voice for change in Europe.'[11]

In December 2021 the Scottish Government published its "Response to the First Minister's National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG) 2020 Repert" and it the foreword Nicola Sturgeon again remembers Ritch as a "passionate advocate for equality".[12]

In March 2023 the University of Glasgow opened a law clinic to conduct research and to help people who were victims of a sexual assault. It was named the Emma Ritch Law Clinic after Ritch who was a Glasgow University alumna.[13]

References
  1. Allan, Anna Ritchie (18 August 2021), Obituary: Emma Ritch, passionate advocate of women’s rights and equality, The Herald, Wikidata Q110636648
  2. "Our staff". Engender. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  3. "'This is truly heartbreaking news' - Leading Scottish feminist dies suddenly". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  4. "Scotsman obituaries: Emma Ritch, women's rights campaigner". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  5. Scott, Marsha; Ritch, Emma (17 March 2021). "Gender justice advocates and the making of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018". The Routledge International Handbook of Domestic Violence and Abuse. Routledge. pp. 590–604. doi:10.4324/9780429331053-43. ISBN 978-0-429-33105-3. S2CID 233710435.
  6. "Emma Ritch". The Saltire Society. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  7. Ritch, Emma (2019), Dustin, Moira; Ferreira, Nuno; Millns, Susan (eds.), "Foreboding Newness: Brexit and Feminist Civil Society in Scotland", Gender and Queer Perspectives on Brexit, Gender and Politics, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 333–362, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-03122-0_13, ISBN 978-3-030-03121-3, S2CID 158353039, retrieved 12 July 2021
  8. "Nicola Sturgeon leads tributes to women's rights advocate". STV News. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  9. "Emma Ritch | National Advisory Council on Women and Girls". One Scotland. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  10. "Tributes paid to leading Scottish feminist Emma Ritch following her sudden death". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  11. "FM leads tributes for charity boss after death". The National. 13 July 2021. p. 9.
  12. "National Advisory Council on Women and Girls report: Scottish Government response". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  13. news (31 March 2023). "UofG law clinic to improve justice for victims of sexual assault". The Glasgow Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
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