REFORMS DEMANDED.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1832, 19 August 1913, Page 3

REFORMS DEMANDED.

——$ — PROTECTION OF WOMEN.

LEGISLATION THIS YEAR?

A deputation representing the Society for tbp Protection of Women nncl Children, and also other women's societies interested primarily or secondarily in the welfare of women and girls, waited upon tho Prime Minister (the Hon. W. F. Massey) yesterday to bring under his notice several resolutions passed recently by the bddies represented. Mr. J. G. AY. Aitlcen introduced the deputation.

Lady Stout, the first speaker, drew the Minister's attention to the following repassed first of all by the Wellington Society anil referred subsequently to other societies in different towns in New Zealand: ''That the secretary be instructed to invite the co-operation of all tho women's societies in organising a deputation to the Prime Minister asking that the age of protection be raised to 18 at least, and that the law may be amended ill accordance with Judge Denniston's recommendation, so that the prisoner's declaration that he believed the girl was over age, shall 110 longer be a sufficient defence, and that seeing men sometimes evade their punishment by getting the parents' consent to marriage with their victims, the deputation shall ask that the marriage age be substantially raised from the present limit of twelve." Lady Stout said that tho resolution had been endorsed by meetings of representatives of women's societies at Duneilin, Christchurch, Napier, and New Plymouth. Later, she proposed to submit the proposals to similar meetings in other towns, and she wos sure that the . resolutions would meet with the same general support.

Mrs. W< A. Evans submitted'other resolutions passed by other societies during Lady Stout's tour. It was evident, she claimed, that the movement was a united one. She asked, in terras of another resolution, that boys below the age of 18 should be protected from the solicitations ot older women. She urged also that the punishment for indecent assault on feebleminded girls should be made more severe. At present it appeared to -be rather less than for assaults on normal girls. Tho next resolution asked that farm colonies should bo-provided for women who had had two or more illegitimate children, and that the women should be detained at those colonies. Another request was that the time-limit within which application may bo made to a magistrate for maintenance of an illegitimate child be extended to a few months after the birth of tho child. It was suggested also that when a guilty man sought to evade punishment by bringing forward a friend to swear that he had had immoral relations with tile complainant woman, both sliould be made liable for the maintenance of the child. It was urged, too, that women visitors should be appointed to take charge of women prisoners in the gaols, .some women being made justices of the peace for this purpose, ana that women doctors should be appointed'to control women's wards in tfy; mental hospitals. These requests slie considered extremely reasonable, in new of the greater part now being taken by women in public work, ami the capacity Shown by an increasing number of women to look after women's affairs.

Mrs. A. R. Atkinson stressed the importance of the first resolution—that submitted by Lady Stout. Before tho reported statement of Mr. Justice Denniston, it bad not been thought to be a sufficient defence to a charge that 'the accused man should swear that he thought his vicjtim was over the age of consent, but now that this was established there was the -greater reason for raising the age. A gTeat niany of the societies thoaight .that the age should bo raitvei to 21 years, arguing that as a girl could not hold property until reaching that age, she should not b 0 allowed to fritter away. her honour before that age. • This, however, was not the view of all the societies, and the deputation merely asked for a substantial raising of the age of consent. . Some men escaped punishment by marrying their victims, and for this and other reasons it was pleaded that the marriage age ought to be raised considerably above tho present limit—twelve years. '

The Prime. Minister, in reply, said he did not think it was at all necessary to dismiss the resolutions submitted to him by tho deputation. Speaking generally, he sympathised with the suggestions made, although he did not agree with all of them. lie would submit the resolutions to Cabinet, with his recommendation that legislation be introduced this session if possible to bring about some reform in the direction the deputation had suggested. 1