Our UK work has been focused on bringing together organisations working on issues to share ideas and good practice in the UK around two themes:
The Role of Education in Responding to FGM and other Harmful Practices
We were delighted to partner with The National FGM Centre on this event. The new government statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), announced in 2019, made it compulsory for secondary schools to teach pupils about FGM and other harmful practices.
This conference, held in June 2019, was co-produced with young people, and brought together key experts in the field of harmful practices and education to raise awareness, and inform participants of their duty with regards to the new RSE mandatory guidance
Speakers Included:
- Leethen Bartholomew, Head of the National FGM Centre
- Inspector Allen Davis, Metropolitan Police
- Dr Charlotte Proudman, Barrister and specialist in FGM and Forced Marriage
- Louise Williams, Speclialist FGM Clinical Nurse, University College Hospital – FGM paediatric clinic
- Young people
We are grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for supporting this initiative.
Community Learning and Refugee Rights
We worked with Reading Refugee Support Group during Refugee Week to explore how awareness and understanding of the rights of refugees can strengthen communities and help to secure the rights of all community members.
It is clear that these are difficult times for refugees and those claiming asylum and organisations are looking to communities for innovative ways to support people experiencing multiple challenges. These include language skills, employment and training opportunities and community integration. We look forward to working with others in the community to identify how refugees may be better supported to access their rights and what roles the local community can play.