Ep 23: The NSS at the UN - interview with Josephine Macintosh
Posted: Thu, 16th Apr 2020
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 the international level. She also talks about the constraints that the coronavirus is likely to place on the UN's human rights work.
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Watch this episode on YouTube | Direct MP3 link | Transcripts
Notes
43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council
Protect all children from ritual genital cutting, NSS tells UN
NSS raises Italy's response to child abuse in Catholic Church at UN
The Vatican Is Talking About Clerical Abuse, but Italy Isn't – New York Times
NSS urges UN to push government to pass law on caste discrimination
We publish our podcast to enable exploration of subjects of interest to NSS members and supporters. Guests' views may not always align with those of the NSS.