“FGM is violence, child abuse and sexual assault  …and of course we handed out Vulva cupcakes” is not a phrase you hear every day. But of course, it isn’t every day you speak to Leyla Hussein. Leyla has been at the forefront of the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM) for over a decade. Her […]

Two parents have denied trying to take their children out of the country in the face of a court order. The man and woman from Teesside, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to four charges at Teesside Crown Court today. They are accused of breaching a forced marriage protection order by trying to […]

Amber Rudd visited The Halo Project which supports victims of forced marriage, FGM and domestic abuse. Survivors of domestic abuse and forced marriage told their harrowing stories to one of the UK’s most senior politicians. Home Secretary Amber Rudd visited charity The Halo Project, which supports victims of forced marriage, domestic abuse , honour based violence and […]

t was a heartbreaking moment – a mother and father being forced to deny on television that they had anything to do with the disappearance and murder of their 17-year-old daughter. As they were repeatedly asked about the disappearance of Shafilea Ahmed , Iftikhar and Farzana wiped away tears and resolutely told television cameras they were being […]

Only one in 30 suspected forced marriages in England is leading to a prosecution. In the past seven years 8,170 cases of suspected forced marriages were identified by the government’s forced marriage unit. There have only been 395 referrals to the Crown Prosecution Service since 2010, however, of which 268 prosecutions were completed, according to […]

Almost all women aged 15 to 49 in the east African state of Somaliland have suffered female genital mutilation. But a campaign to highlight the physical and psychological damage caused by the practice is starting to have an impact Somalia has one of the world’s highest rates of female genital mutilation. In the self-declared autonomous […]

Parents accused of trying to take their children out of the country in the breach of a “forced marriage” court order have appeared before Teesside’s top judge. The Teesside man and woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Teesside Crown Court on Thursday. They are accused of breaching a forced marriage protection order […]

In 2016, the Pakistani designer Nashra Balagamwala attended her best friend’s wedding in Karachi. She was approached by an older woman, who asked about her relationship status. “You’re 22 and you’re still single?” the lady gawked. “She was in shock I wasn’t getting engaged any time soon,” said Balagamwala, who now lives in New York City. “It […]

Anyone who carries acid could face up to four years in prison or risks a life sentence if they use it to attack someone, under tough new rules for prosecutors. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), against the backdrop of horrifying acid attacks, has issued updated interim guidance which for the first time explicitly refers to […]