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The federal government has unveiled a revamped guide to help immigrants settle in Canada — a document that, for the first time, informs newcomers about practices that “will not be tolerated in Canada,” including female genital mutilation, honour crimes and marriage fraud.
Midwives in the West Midlands are to be trained by the police to help spot victims of forced marriage and “honour-based violence”.
About 50 Wolverhampton health workers are expected to attend a conference being held to raise awareness of the issues in Wednesfield on Wednesday.
Police hope health professionals will be able to identify potential victims when they meet new and expectant mums.
Midwives will be told to look out for signs of depression or self-harm.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-22270626
A 17-year-old girl whose brother tried to murder her in an ‘honour killing’ said she wishes she had died after surviving an axe attack, disowned by her family for escaping a forced marriage .At the age of 12, Gul Meena was married off to a 60-year-old man instead of being sent to school in Pakistan.Every day he would hit her. She would beg him to stop but he carried on, ignoring her tears. My family would hit me when I complained,’ she told CNN. ‘They told me you belong in your husband’s house – that is your life.’ In November last year, Gul packed a bag and ran away from her husband with a young Afghan man. ‘I’d tried to kill myself with poison several times but it didn’t work,’ she said. ‘I hated my life and I had to escape.
After years of debate on the issue of forced marriage, Austria is taking the bull by the horns by launching a project to provide emergency refuge for female victims.
Read more: http://www.west-info.eu/a-refuge-for-brides-from-forced-marriages/
Nearly half of South Sudanese girls between 15 and 19 years old are married. Some were as young as 12 years old when they were forced to marry men who, in many cases, were far older than them. The Old Man Can Feed Us So You Will Marry Him, a new report from Human Rights Watch, documents these facts and describes the terrible consequences of forced marriage for so many girls in South Sudan.
Women who find themselves victims of forced marriage and honour based violence are being urged by Derbyshire’s Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Hardyal Dhindsa, to seek help from the police.
Mr Dhindsa, speaking out in the lead-up to International Women’s Day on Friday, said: “Forced marriage has far-reaching impacts, and particularly with regard to safeguarding children and families.
“I am, however, pleased to say that multi-agency professional help is increasingly emerging. Both the police and partner agencies know about these crimes and ready to help victims find a solution.”
He added: “Only this week we saw the launch of a Government-funded smartphone Freedom app. It provides information and sources of help aimed not just at potential victims – who so often don’t know where to go for help – but also at their friends, teachers and professionals.”
He also acknowledged Prime Minister David Cameron’s promise to make forced marriage a criminal offence and said he hoped it would be sooner rather than later. It is hoped that legislation will be brought forward this year or next.
Groomed for sex at 12, stabbed to death at 17: Shocking life of white teenage mother murdered after Asian lover rejected her child
Teenage girl stabbed to death for bringing “shame” on two Asian families. She had a brief fling with a married man and became pregnant with his child while she was in a sexual relationship with another.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069055/Laura-Wilson-Groomed-sex-12-stabbed-death-17.html
A teenage student stabbed to death and dumped in a canal was groomed for sexual exploitation by adults from the age of 12, it has been revealed.
Laura Wilson, 17, had been tracked by social services since 2005 after she was identified as being ‘at risk’ of sexual exploitation by British Pakistani men.
But their work focused on other girls who were more closely associated with abusers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
The student was murdered in October last year after bringing ‘shame’ on two Asian families.
Barry Coppinger, The Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland and Yasmin Khan, Vela Group – Talk about Honour Based Violence and Forced Marriages in our Region.
https://www.haloproject.org.uk/img/page/halo-inverview.mp3_page_image.mp3
