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Police and Liverpool Charity
'Savera' have pledged to help victims of honour based violence
A young woman who fled her violent
family and the prospect of a forced marriage to make a new life for herself in
Merseyside is today encouraging other victims of honour based violence to seek
help.
The mum of 2 has taken part in a video produced by Merseyside Police to mark a
new national day of remembrance for Britain's 'lost women' and the anniversary
of murdered teenager Shafilea Ahmed's birthday.
In the video the woman, who is aged in her 20's, but remains anonymous for her
own safety, talks about her family arranged for her to be married to a man much
older than her in another country and beat her when she refused to conform.
She also talks about how she planned how she would leave her family by seeking
advice from the government's Forced Marriage Unit and how she was helped by a
women's refuge and a local charity when she arrived in Merseyside with few
possessions, no accomodation and no friends or family nearby.
After years of struggle in her new home, 'Sarah' (not her real
name name) now has 2 young children, has completed her university education and
wants to put her qualifications to good use helping others.
You can watch a video of her story in
YouTube.
Detective Superintendent Mark Guinness from the Protecting Vulnerable People
unit, said:- "This week is all about raising awareness of FGM, forced
marriage and honour based violence and encouraging people to speak to us if they
have information or concerns. School holidays can see an increase in the number
of young people being forced to travel abroad and we are determined to work at
places like with Liverpool John Lennon Airport and a range of partners to
provide a visible presence and show our absolute commitment to tackling these
problems and supporting victims. I want to be clear that FGM, forced marriage,
human trafficking and honour based violence are all serious crimes which have no
place on Merseyside or anywhere else in the UK. The force has officers who are
specially trained to investigate offences robustly, but also with sensitivity and
I would encourage anyone who is a victim or has information to find the courage
to come forward and speak to us. I would also like to remind people that they
can come forward for protection and to be signposted to refuge or safety, even
if they do not want to support a criminal prosecution. Safeguarding always
comes 1st. For more information please call Officers on 0151:- 777 4079."
A spokesperson for the Liverpool charity, Savera, said:- "Savera is
committed to change and by challenging the status quo we seek to give voice to
those who are silenced by honour based violence. Savera was founded in 2010 to
address what we saw as a glaring social issue; about which nothing was being
done. The victims of this violence are individuals who are most vulnerable. The
lack of a systemic and systematic remedy within the community led us to creating
our own. We have worked since to co-ordinate efforts across organisations
(police, social services, health providers) to orchestrate a response which is
both timely and can potentially save lives. On top of this, we also work to
raise awareness about what constitutes honour-based violence to help people read
the signs. Our mission statement defines what we exist to do - We are dedicated
to tackling domestic abuse within Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee
communities."
For more information visit:-
SaveraLiverpool.Co.UK or visit:-
Gov.UK/Stop-Forced-Marriage. |
