Rights of Women
Rights of Women: Championing Justice, Equality, and Safety for Women
Founded in 1975, Rights of Women (ROW) is the only charity in England and Wales dedicated solely to providing frontline legal advice to women experiencing all forms of violence against women and girls. For nearly five decades, they have been a critical force in ensuring that women have access to justice, safety, and equality under the law. Their work is rooted in the understanding that women continue to face systemic inequality, gender-based abuse, and significant barriers when navigating the legal system.
Their mission is simple yet powerful: to advise, educate, and empower women. They do this by offering free, confidential legal advice from specialist women solicitors and barristers; producing accessible publications and training to help women understand and benefit from their rights; and campaigning to make sure women’s voices are heard in law and policy-making.
ROW’s core values — feminist, trusted, connected, accountable, evolving, and committed to equalities — shape everything they do. They recognise that the law is not applied equally, that many women lack fair access to justice, and that meaningful change requires both individual support and systemic reform. The advice they provide can be life-saving, and their work is a lifeline for countless women across England and Wales.
Practical, Specialist Support That Changes Lives
One of ROW’s most vital services is their free telephone advice lines. These cover family law, criminal law, immigration and asylum, and sexual harassment at work. The calls are confidential and answered by expert women lawyers who understand both the legal complexities and the lived realities of abuse and inequality. Alongside this, ROW produces clear, accessible online legal guides and handbooks - resources that cut through the jargon and make the law understandable for those who need it most.
For women like me, these resources are not just useful - they are transformative.
My Story: How Rights of Women Helped Me Fight Back
In 2017, I woke up to find I had been raped while I slept by the man lying next to me. I contacted the police immediately and began the long, harrowing process of seeking justice. Three years later, just days before my trial was due to start, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case. The defendant had claimed I suffered from “sexsomnia,” a rare sleep disorder, and the CPS accepted this unsubstantiated defence on the basis of expert opinion from people who had never even met me. They offered no evidence in court, and the defendant was acquitted.
The CPS’s decision was devastating. It compounded my trauma and left me feeling powerless. But through the Victims’ Right to Review (VRR) process, there was still a chance to challenge their decision - if I could navigate the complex legal framework.
This is where Rights of Women changed everything for me. Their online VRR guide broke down the dense, intimidating CPS guidance into something I could understand and act on. It explained my rights in plain language and gave me the tools to build my request for a review. When I needed more help, their criminal law advice line gave me detailed, tailored guidance that enabled me to meet every legal requirement and deadline with confidence.
Their support wasn’t just legal - it was empowering. They equipped me to speak up, to challenge authority, and to do so effectively. Because of their guidance, I was able to force the CPS to admit they had been wrong. They conceded that a jury would have been “more likely than not to convict the defendant” and that my case should have gone to trial.
That admission was a turning point. It validated my experience and exposed the flaws in the system. It also gave me the foundation to later sue the CPS — a case I won in 2024, receiving compensation for the damage caused by their decision.
A Beacon of Hope in a Broken System
For me, Rights of Women were more than a source of legal advice; they were a lifeline. They helped me transform despair into action, confusion into clarity, and isolation into empowerment. The journey through the justice system can be lonely and exhausting, but having their expert, accessible support made it possible for me to keep going. Their work proves the importance of independent, specialist legal advice services. Without them, many women - especially those failed by the criminal justice system - would never be able to navigate the processes available to them, let alone hold powerful institutions to account. In my case, the VRR guide and advice line weren’t abstract tools; they were the reason I could challenge the CPS, win acknowledgment that they were wrong, and continue fighting for justice.
Rights of Women stands as proof that when women are equipped with the right information, advice, and support, they can take on the system - and win. But these services are under constant threat from funding cuts and lack of investment. Sustaining their work is essential, because every woman deserves the safety, equality, and justice that ROW works tirelessly to make a reality.
- Jade Blue
Click the image to read more about my experience and how Rights of Women supported me in challenging the CPS’s decision to close my case through a Victim’s Right to Review
