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Posts Tagged ‘london’

British Museum accused of ‘celebrating’ FGM by displaying cutter’s mask

Campaigners against female genital mutilation have accused the British Museum of “celebrating” the practice by holding an exhibition about a mask used by cutters in Sierra Leone.

The museum displayed a Sowei mask, which is worn by members of the Sande society — a women’s association in Sierra Leone which prepares girls for adult life. This has traditionally included FGM.

To mark the launch of the exhibition the museum also hosted an event where the dance performed during FGM ceremonies was recreated.

Survivors of FGM living in London said they still suffer flashbacks to the mask, which they said is used at the end of cutting ceremonies in Sierra Leone to terrorise young girls into keeping quiet about their ordeal.

Read More: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/british-museum-accused-of-celebrating-fgm-by-displaying-cutter-s-mask-a3179071.html

Tackling Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in London

I was shocked when I heard that London accounted for over half the number of female genital mutilation (FGM) cases recorded nationwide.

Data released in December showed 758 new incidents were reported in our capital between July and September alone, with 1,385 flagged across the rest of the country.

FGM is a practice that would seem out of place in the dark ages, and yet it is being inflicted on young people living in our city today. Its frequency is a worrying phenomenon that cannot be ignored. Yet despite its apparent prevalence in the UK, not a single conviction for the illegal practice has ever been achieved.

We as politicians need to recognise and act on this disparity between the number of barbaric and life-changing acts being committed and the complete absence of accountability for the perpetrators.

Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/andrew-boff/fgm-london_b_9009384.html

The Halo Project Charity delivering forced marriage, honour based violence and FGM training across the UK

Wednesday 28/10/2015
Noreen Riaz states – due to our model of delivery and case work, we are able to draw upon expertise and situations which can highlight specific issues for victims. This allows tailored training for a range of professionals based on sector specific needs.

Today, we are in London providing a programme to Refuge and Women’s Aid

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How border guards are trained to spot potential #FGM victims

If you are a teacher or a health worker and you think a girl has been subjected to genital mutilation, you now must report it.

The government is going to make it a legal requirement in the coming months, although details of how the new law will be enforced still have to be worked out. A new report estimates that about 137,000 women and girls are affected in England and Wales, with the highest number living in London.

The minister in charge of tackling female genital mutilation (FGM) admits it’s “a very difficult thing”.

FGM: What is female genital mutilation? Debunking the myths

Karen Bradley, minister for preventing abuse and exploitation, told Newsbeat: “It is the case where there is sometimes nobody in the family who thinks this is unacceptable.

“But we need to reach out to isolated communities, and say this isn’t part of the shared values here in Britain. This is not the way to behave. There is no cultural, religious, or political excuse. This is child abuse.”

Part of the plan to tackle it is to get more border staff at airports trained up on how to spot the signs of FGM, but also forced marriage and trafficking.

This already happens at Manchester and Gatwick airports. At Heathrow Airport in London, 200,000 people leave and arrive every day.

Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/33626605/how-border-guards-are-trained-to-spot-potential-fgm-victims

London man convicted of killing ex-partner and baby daughter

A “monstrous” father has been jailed for 35 years, after being found guilty of hacking to death his former long-term partner and their 22-month-old baby daughter, on the day he was supposed to move out of the family home.

Roland McKoy, 53, of Hackney, east London, inflicted horrific injuries on Valerie Forde, 45, his partner of 18 years, and their youngest child, Real-Jahzara, out of “spite and resentment” at being told he should leave. Their screams were heard by Forde’s eldest daughter, Carrise, 28, who listened via telephone, powerless as he attacked them with a machete, hammer and screwdriver.

Any report of a threat to life made to police by a partner should automatically trigger a risk assessment model, known as Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based violence (Dash) identifier, introduced in 2009 to manage risk and ultimately, to save lives. It takes into account the history of the relationship including previous threats.

 

Read more:http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/dec/17/london-man-convicted-killing-ex-partner-baby-daughter-roland-mckoy

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