Her peerage was announced on 15 December 1982 on a list of "working peers", on the recommendation of
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and she was granted the title of
Baroness Cox, of
Queensbury in
Greater London, on 24 January 1983. Cox initially sat as a
Conservative and served briefly as a
Baroness-in-Waiting to
Queen Elizabeth II. She served as a Deputy Speaker of the
House of Lords from 1986 to 2006. This approach of personally visiting areas of humanitarian need would become a hallmark of her international advocacy work because she could then speak to The House with greater authority having 'been an eyewitness', and having 'been with the people and seen the reality'. After spending two years investigating the situation in
Azerbaijan, Cox criticised the government's treatment of Armenians in the breakaway region of
Nagorno-Karabakh in 1993. She has stated that her stance is the "advocacy for Karabakh Armenians". In 2015, she was a member of the Armenian
All-Party Parliamentary Group. She is a strong supporter of self-determination for the Armenians of
Nagorno-Karabakh. By 2003 she had made more than 60 trips to the region.
Frank Pallone, Jr., the co-chairman of the US Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, praised her devotion to Armenia and Karabakh. On 15 February 2006 she was awarded the
Mkhitar Gosh Medal by the President of Armenia
Robert Kocharyan. Cox is one of eleven officers of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea. The Group stated that the Obama administration brought with it an opportunity for a formal cessation of hostilities and normalisation of relations with
North Korea.
Religious Freedom and Women's Rights Since the 1980s, Baroness Cox has advocated for religious freedom for all religions internationally, especially in regions of religious persecution. She has also campaigned to ensure that religious fundamentalism does not infringe on the 'rights enshrined in UK law'. In the aftermath of the
September 11 attacks and growing militant Islamic movements, she wrote in 2003 ''The 'West', Islam and Islamism: Is ideological Islam compatible with liberal democracy?'' with John Marks, published by Civitas, which argued "that Islamist terrorism was only part of a broader ideological challenge of fundamentalist Islam, comparable to communist propaganda efforts during the
Cold War". In order to protect women's rights in the context of religious tribunals, Cox introduced the Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill to the House of Lords, initially on 10 May 2012. It was 'motivated by concern for Muslim women, with the observation that "Equality under the law is a core value of British justice. My bill seeks to preserve that standard. Many women say: 'We came to this country to escape these practices only to find the situation is worse here.". In a similar way to Jewish
Beth Din courts, sharia tribunals can make verdicts in cases involving financial and property issues which, under the
Arbitration Act 1996, are enforceable by the
County Court or the
High Court and Baroness Cox stated that "We cannot sit here complacently in our red and green benches while women are suffering a system which is utterly incompatible with the legal principles upon which this country is founded. If we don't do something, we are condoning it." The Bill was described by critics as "inflammatory". It did not reach a vote as it ran out of time. Cox continues fighting to stop sharia 'seeping' into enforcing divorce settlements. Cox re-introduced her legislation on 11 June 2014. One leading Muslim Conservative Party activist said "the Bill will not help to achieve any of its intended goal but will alienate many Muslims". Cox, speaking at a 2014 event organised by the Yuval Ne’eman Workshop for Science, Technology and Security at
Tel Aviv University and The
Israeli Institute for Strategic Studies, mentioned the alleged ‘
Trojan Horse plot’ in her speech as an example of secret takeover strategies by ‘Islamists’ in Africa made in order to ‘Islamize’ the continent. She said "“Islam is using the freedoms of democracy to destroy it.” In 2014, she hosted the parliamentary launch of Sharia Watch UK, an organisation led by UKIP candidate
Anne Marie Waters aiming to 'document the implementation of Sharia law in Britain'. Cox said Sharia law "undermines the most fundamental principles of equality enshrined in British law" in respect of its treatment of women. In February 2023 it was reported in
The Guardian that Cox and
Lord Pearson were members of a secret group called the New Issues Group, which had been operating out of the House of Lords for over a decade and had worked with far-right anti-Muslim activists. Cox has been described as part of the
counter-jihad movement. She has also campaigned for greater protection of young women at risk of
Female Genital Mutilation, raising to the house in 2013 that, 'There is a child somewhere today in this country, in school, in a hospital A and E Department or on a bus, who has had FGM or is at risk of this torture, who is counting on us to help her with her physical or emotional trauma—or crying out to stop it happening. That child’s protection is our responsibility.'
Education Whilst stating to The House that she 'welcomes teaching that increases tolerance and understanding, and which reduces the likelihood of victimisation of homosexual groups or individuals', she supported
Section 28, which limited the "promotion" of homosexuality in British schools. The bill later passed as the
Education Reform Act 1988. She backed the reforms to reduce powers of
Local Education Authorities in 1993. Baroness Cox has petitioned the government to be more comprehensive in its education of young women at risk of
Female Genital Mutilation, stating that the education system is a 'weak link' in protecting young women and that 'education about FGM should also be a compulsory element of personal, social, health and economic education, starting with primary-age children, to enable them to seek help, protection and prevention'. considering that, 'Sharply diverging demographics within the EU will make EU-wide one size fits all policies inappropriate in many spheres'. and has also advocated for the rights of domestic immigrant workers in the UK to ensure they receive legal protection regarding working conditions.
Hosting Controversial Figures In 2002, she controversially endorsed and hosted the launch of the book
Great Britain has Fallen by Wale Babatunde, a minister at the World Harvest Christian Centre in London, which said "that multi-culturalism is ruining Britain by importing 'foreign practices', homosexuality is 'destructive' and that abortion can be directly equated with the Holocaust" and described lesbianism as "against nature". In response, Labour's
Tom Watson called for her expulsion from the Conservative Party. In response, Cox and Pearson accused the Government of appeasing militant Islam. In 2010, Cox and Pearson successfully hosted Wilders and his film screening in the UK, Lady Cox said the visit had been a victory for free speech, saying: ''"You don't have to agree but it is important to debate sensibly in a responsible and very democratic way."'' At the event, Wilders called for an end to immigration to Europe from Muslim countries, but that Muslims already in Europe who agree to obey the law would be welcome to remain. A Home Office spokesperson said the government "regrets the decision by Baroness Cox and Lord Pearson". ==NGO work and Christian activities==