As we know too well, the COVID-19 pandemic has kept us all indoors for many months now. For some, this has allowed them to learn new skills, find new passions and spend time with loved ones. Sadly, this hasn’t been the case for everyone, with many people spending lockdown in home environments that are unsafe for them. For example, during this time, authorities and charities like Savera UK have seen an increase in the amount of cases of FGM reported. These increases have been reported as a worldwide problem, with the UNFPA estimating an extra 2 million cases of FGM having occurred during the lockdown, that otherwise would not have.

What is FGM?

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), also known as ‘cutting’ or ‘female circumcision’, is defined as any procedure that involves the partial or total removal of external parts of the female genitalia, without any medical reason for doing so. This procedure often impacts the future physical and mental health of the FGM survivor. 

Why has COVID-19 impacted rates of FGM?

The spread of COVID-19 has forced countries into lockdown restrictions and seen schools closing globally, which has caused an increase in the reported cases of human rights abuses. Going into lockdown has meant that girls have stayed at home rather than going to school or college, and therefore have been more vulnerable to FGM. Without going to school or non-essential hospital appointments, there is less chance of anyone outside of the family who will recognise the signs of trauma or that the cutting has taken place. Additionally, the closure of schools means that ‘cutting season’ is prolonged. 

Although in some parts of Africa FGM has been outlawed, it has begun to carry it out again because, during this difficult time, it is seen as a way to ‘obtain income’. This is because some believe that females must have the procedure in order for them to get married. Families are more likely to marry off a daughter in difficult times. 

Where does FGM take place and who does it affect?

Since the start of the pandemic, there has been very little acknowledgment of how it is specifically affecting FGM.

The majority of reports worldwide are covering COVID-19, leaving little support for the girls who are being forced to undergo this practice in their communities. A report from the Orchid project shows that there is an increase in the cases of FGM in East and West Africa as the new lockdowns are an opportunity to carry out the harmful practice.

Josephine Kulea, who is the founder and executive director of the Samburu’s Girl Foundation, reported that in Kenya, in 3 villages alone, more than 500 girls were subjected to FGM (and child marriage) in the months of March April, May June and July 2020 – when the lockdown was put in place and the rules were strict. According to the Five Foundation, based on reports from activists, between September and mid-October 2020 around 2,800 were subjected to the practice. Since schools began closing in March, cuttings have taken place earlier than expected as the school year usually finishes in November.

In Somalia, circumcisers have been going ‘door to door’ to carry out the procedure within communities, with nurses reporting an increase in parents wanting to get their daughter ‘cut’ while off school during the lockdown. 

FGM takes place worldwide and it happens a lot closer to home than you may think. A report in the Liverpool Echo in late 2020 revealed that doctors in the city had found almost 100 new cases of FGM in 2020 alone, with there being 3,005 newly reported FGM cases nationally in the UK during 2020. Sadly, FGM is usually carried out on the youngest girls in communities, with some girls getting cut at only a few months old. This often results in long-lasting mental and physical pain for the victims.

What can be done?

There has been a huge impact on those at risk of FGM but it does not have to be this way. Savera UK Youth is continuing to speak out against FGM for those who cannot and raise awareness of the practice to make sure survivors and vulnerable people get the help and support they need. To help make a change, we think there should be:

• Access to mental health and legal support to help prevent cases of FGM. More effort should be put into ensuring this support is available to those who need it.
• Action should be taken to include FGM in the response plans that have been made for COVID-19. This could include different forms of communication and support delivery, such as online services that would not be affected by COVID-19 restrictions. While creating these plans, it is important to include the opinions of an FGM survivor so they can speak for those at risk and make sure FGM is not overlooked.

What can you do to help?

• Donate to charities that help raise awareness for FGM and support its’ victims, such as Savera UK
• Volunteer with groups to keep the conversation going, help raise awareness of this practice and highlight pathways to help and support 
• Write to your local MP encouraging them to raise the issue of the increase of FGM cases in Parliament
• Look out for signs that FGM has happened or is about to. You can learn about the signs here
• You can find more information about FGM, harmful practices, and where to get help and support below 

Contacts

• 0800 107 0726 – Savera UK’s helpline. (9am-5pm from Mondays to Fridays) 
• 0800 5999 247 – Karma Nirvana’s free helpline
• 0808 2000 247 – Refuge’s domestic abuse helpline.

Useful Organisations and Websites 

• Savera.co.uk
• Equation.org.uk
• Karmanirvana.org.uk/
• Refuge.org.uk 
• Safeguardinghub.co.uk
• Safelives.org.uk
• Truehonour.org.uk

Written by Hannah Gloudon and Kusqaum Adam

On 19th December 2020, Savera UK Youth joined other young activists from across the world to speak out about the importance of youth action in an online event hosted by the organisation Scarlet Udaan. The live event aimed to highlight youth activism for gender equality and the influence that young people can have on making vital change.

Scarlet Udaan is a youth-based global awareness organisation that aims to raise awareness of female genital mutilation (FGM). The name of the organisation brings together the words ‘Scarlet’- a brilliant red colour which signifies the strength in one’s womanhood; and the word ‘Udaan’- a Hindi word which means ‘to soar’ or ‘to fly’, symbolising freedom and the limitless possibilities that exist for an individual. They imbibe the spirit of their name and hope for a world where the same power and freedom can exist within all women. 

The diverse team Scarlet Udaan team comprises people from different parts of the world ranging from the US, UK, Canada, India and many more. It hopes to bring awareness to FGM and the impact it has on the lives of females belonging to different communities all around the globe. 

Along with Savera UK Youth Advisory Board member Ayo, event speakers included: 

• Julieta from Chile who is the founder of the TREMENDAS Collaborative Platform that promotes empowering girls, adolescents and young people
• Selin from Turkey who is the youngest representative of UNWomen’s global gender equality movement HeForShe and the founder of the first Girl Up Club in Turkey
• Nonya who founded SheFFA which is dedicated to advocating against FGM through conducting educational advocacy workshops 
• Sakshi who is the Resource Mobilisation Executive at the Myna Mahila Foundation, a globally recognised organisation working on women’s health in slum communities in India

The inspirational panel discussed why they think it is important that young people fight for gender equality, what challenges they have faced in their activism and how they want to continue their work in the future.

Scarlet Udaan representative, Abi Reynolds, said about the event: “I thoroughly enjoyed organising the event, for it allowed me to engage with inspiring youth activists from around the world – India, the UK, Chile, and more. Their passion to strive for better is something we should all hold close to us and work towards, together. I cannot wait to see the change our wonderful speakers make in the future.”

Savera UK Youth member, Ayo, said: “The Scarlet Udaan event was an inspiration. It was so refreshing to be surrounded by other young people whose passion is to help others and raise their voices on topics that matter. 

“Listening to other young activists can encourage other young people to get involved, as they will believe ‘if others can do it, I can do it too’. Events like this also enable Savera UK Youth to engage with other organisations and create new worldwide campaigns that will gain more attention and shine a light on issues. We can only put an end to such issues and harmful practices if we are united.”

You can catch up on the event here and tune into the Scarlet Udaan podcast.

Journalism student, Sakura Singh, chose to write about Savera UK for her portfolio. As part of the piece, Sakura speaks to CEO & Founder Afrah Qassim, a survivor of forced marriage and a Savera UK Youth representative.

Savera UK was set up in 2010 due to a lack of support in Merseyside and Cheshire, particularly around cultural issues such as forced marriage, ‘honour’-based abuse, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and other harmful practices.

It is the only organisation that offers face-to-face support on these issues in Merseyside and Cheshire as well as seeking to eradicate the issues.

In the beginning, Savera UK started dealing with forced marriage as there was a group of young women (aged 13-15) who were being coerced into marriage before finishing school. The young people accepted their family’s decision of an arranged marriage but wanted to finish school beforehand.

They wanted to be able to question and explore these more, but when they were trying to find someone or an organisation to talk to about marriage and culture but there were no services locally. The young women were linked with Afrah Qassim through their school mentor, who then worked in the NHS (Mental Health service) as a Community Development Worker (CDW), leading on Women, Children and young people focusing on Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities.

Afrah Qassim, Founder of Savera UK said, “People don’t seem to want to talk about it.

“I had identified this and found that there was a gap that could be met by setting up an organisation that engages with communities, raises and promotes the awareness to those who may be at risk.”

Afrah set up a multi-agency group and held the first-ever conference in Liverpool in 2008 focusing on forced marriage.

It was apparent, there were gaps and Savera was established to fill the need to tackle culturally-specific ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices.

Savera UK today is nationally recognised, tackling, campaigning and raising awareness on these issues and supporting anyone at risk of HBA regardless of age gender or ethnicity.

When Savera started up they focused on women and girls but then received a message from a male who was a victim of abuse by his partner and was asking if they supported men from these communities.

Unfortunately, some boys and men can be victims of these issues particularly within cultures that have beliefs around LGBT being considered a sin.

Afrah said, “abuse is abuse” and can affect anyone and men from those communities would be even more reluctant to seek help.

While Savera has helped lots of women, they face a constant battle as many at risk are very fearful about coming forward.

Afrah said: “We have had many who come and they want our support but they walk away in fear of their family and causing family issues and problems and also they don’t feel safe if they report it, what may happen to them and how will they be supported.

“I know someone who took 22 years before she finally asked for help and escaped her marriage when she felt her children had grown up and were dependent and she was able to move and wasn’t worried about what her family or community would say.”

Savera UK believes that the way to combat the problem is through continuing to educate and engage with communities and work together to stand and speak up against these horrific practices.

Savera supports their clients in a range of ways: attending them in court, sorting their benefits, settling them into a new area and familiarising them with it. If they have children, they will help look for schools, register them with GPs, but also, they will tell Savera what they need.

Savera’s support does not have a time restraint on it, people can leave when they feel happy and confident enough to do so, but then if a risk reoccurs, they are welcomed back to Savera.

One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, has told her story. The assistance she received has helped her leave her previous situation and start a new life, she reveals all the support she received from Savera on all kinds of levels from helping her understand public transport to help her apply for university.

I spoke to a survivor that was supported by Savera UK:

“I come from a background of an old school. Even though it’s the 21^st century we’re still very old school it doesn’t really change, they got me engaged at 11 years old and that was it – I was going to get married. I kept saying no but it didn’t matter to them. I had enough and I wanted to leave, so I left.

“I was in my own little bubble for eight to nine years I didn’t know what was going on in the outside world and then when I left it was such a shock it was a culture shock let me tell you.

“I literally got on the train for the first time with Savera UK’s help – I didn’t know how to take the train before, they helped me out the entire time and called me and told me which stop to get off at, and who I had to talk to.

“They helped me with my education as I didn’t know what to do because if you’ve never done anything and suddenly you’ve got all the choices in the world it’s very daunting.

“You don’t need someone to tell you what is right and what you need to do but just help guide you into the decisions you might think are right for you with their help and support, so yes they’re brilliant.

“I didn’t leave a relationship, I left my family. It was scary, my background culture says ‘I can’t shame them’ but at the end of the day it’s your life and they’re not going to live it for you.”

Savera UK also has a Youth Board that was established as part of the Savera UK Youth programme. They want to raise awareness to young people, so they believe young people should be involved when doing this.

After speaking to a young person who is part of the youth board, he told me that they work on different projects, such as art projects which include writing poetry and taking photographs.

I asked Malcolm if these issues had been discussed with him in college, he said: “Not really, the only basic one that we have talked about would be domestic abuse but the rest of the harmful practices we don’t really talk about them.”

Malcolm said: “I volunteer in a youth centre mostly every day and I think most of the young people are not aware of all these harmful practices, maybe only domestic abuse but the rest of the harmful practices, for example, FGM none of them know anything about it.”

The youth board created a piece of theatre to educate people on FGM, explain to them what it is and why it is not allowed to be done and the pain it causes.

Savera UK provides training and educates young people by going into schools; they will perform their FGM performance to schools and youth centres they are invited to.

Written by Sakura Singh

The Savera UK Youth Advisory Board has recently launched its own Instagram platform, @SaveraUKYouth. The members of the Youth Advisory Board offer a youth perspective on everything that Savera UK does. They will be in charge of this Instagram platform, which will set a bold, new tone for discussing the human rights and gender equality issues that Savera UK campaigns against. This Instagram page will exist as a separate entity to Savera UK’s main social media channels, with its focus being to specifically engage with the younger generation.

The account educates others about what is at stake with FGM, ‘honour’-based abuse, and child/forced marriage and will problematise the unfounded ‘justifications’ and myths that are used as excuses to perpetrate these harmful practices. It does so in order to inspire, activate, and empower the younger generation to #speakout about such issues. Members of the Youth Advisory Board will personally introduce themselves on this Instagram channel, explaining why they speak out about— and engage in thought-provoking discussions and debates around — these issues. We aim to lead by example: If we can speak out, as young people, so can you. 

The Savera UK Youth Instagram page will also feature original, thought-provoking images and live talks and videos featuring survivors of harmful practices, as well as content from Savera UK’s celebrity ambassadors, including Maya Jama. All of these voices speaking out on our Instagram channel will collectively educate, inspire and motivate other young people to #speakout and make change.

At Savera UK Youth, we invest our energy into the eradication of harmful practices every day. Yet to incite real and effective change, we need more voices. We need more people to speak out with us, until there is no more FGM, ‘honour’-based abuse or child/forced marriage.So, follow @SaveraUKYouth and use the hashtag #ImSpeakingOut to speak out against harmful practices with the Youth Advisory Board, our survivor and celebrity ambassadors, and other influencers who are also passionate about eradicating harmful practices.

By Isabella Rooke-Ley, Savera UK Youth Chair

TV presenter Maya Jama joined Savera UK Youth on Friday 31 July to host a youth-led quiz speaking out against ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA).

The online quiz was the part of Savera UK Youth’s activity throughout July to mark the National Day of Memory, established in 2015 on the birthday of Shafilea Ahmed, an A-Level student from Warrington who was murdered by her parents in 2003 for refusing a marriage.

The event included a quiz with true or false questions to test the knowledge of the audience and raise awareness about harmful and hidden traditional practices, as well as poetry written and performed by Savera UK Youth and inspiring survivor stories from Payzee Mahmod, IKWRO ambassador and Kiara Mohamed, Savera UK Survivor Ambassador.

The Savera UK Youth Advisory Board developed the event to empower young people by providing information about the risks of HBA and encouraging them speak out and seek help for themselves and others.

Speaking after the event, Maya Jama said: “The event was so inspirational and informative. Hearing about the work Savera UK Youth do and listening to Payzee and Kiara’s survivor stories really brought home how important it is that young people use their voices to speak out against harmful practices. I am so proud to be an ambassador for Savera UK and would like to thank them for their continued work to raise awareness.”

Vice Chair, Isabelle Rooke-Ley said: “For Savera UK Youth, every day is an opportunity to #speakout against practices such as FGM, “honour”-based abuse and forced marriage – in the hope of eradicating these practices. We would like to thank Maya Jama for hosting the quiz and for Kiara and Payzee for sharing their stories and encouraging others to seek help.”

Savera UK CEO & Founder, Afrah Qassim, added: “Savera UK Youth has delivered another successful and inspiring event. It is so important that other young people know their rights and also where to go for help and support if they are at risk of HBA or any other harmful traditional practices. The youth are the future and empowering them through peer-to-peer events like this will bring us closer to eradicating these practices. I am proud of all that they have achieved and look forward to their next project.”

Savera UK Youth is a runner up in the Nazir Afzal Essay Competition where they entered a 2,500 word essay answering ‘What steps must we take to eliminate harmful traditional practices?’

The competition is named after British solicitor and former Chief Crown Prosecutor Nazir Afzal OBE who, during a 24 year career, has prosecuted some of the most high profile cases in the country, and led nationally on numerous legal topics including Violence against Women & Girls, child sexual abuse, and honour based violence. He is also a Savera UK patron. 

The competition was hosted by UCLAN’s Honour Abuse Research Matrix (HARM) and had many submissions including entries from Nigeria, Australia, India, Germany, Estonia, Mauritius, and across the UK.

Led by their Chair Kusqaum Adam and Vice Chair Izzy Rooke-Ley, Savera UK Youth Advisory Board worked together to complete their essay which focused on how young people can be the key to eliminating harmful practices for future generations. The piece looked at the different types of harmful practices and how Savera UK Youth have started to pave the way as young people to campaign for change and eliminate harmful traditions for future generations.

Vice Chair Izzy commented about the short-listing: “I am very invested in eradicating harmful practices that are sugar coated as religious or cultural obligations, but that actually are simply unjustifiable violations of human rights. 

For Savera Youth, everyday is an investment in #speakingout against practices such as FGM, “honour”-based abuse and forced marriage— in the hope of eradicating them— and the Nazir Essay was a constituent part of this investment.”

The winner of the Nazir Afzal Essay Competition was Mariel McKone Leonard who titled their essay as ‘Not ‘them’,‘us’: The necessity of recognizing ‘harmful traditional practices’ in all communities’. The other shortlisted essay was from Dr Hannah Begum.

In choosing the winner, Nazir said: “We as a whole community, as a whole nation, as a whole country, as a whole world, need to respond. It shouldn’t be seen as an issue just for them—it should be seen as an issue for everybody.

“The winning entry deliberately and utterly focuses on the ‘them’ and ‘us’ attitude and the response that we need to make in order for us to tackle this. This made me especially proud.”

You can read the Savera UK Youth essay here.

The Savera UK Youth project aims to raise awareness, to young people, of the harmful practices that are unfortunately accepted as part of a tradition in some cultures, mainly black and minority ethnic communities. We did this by preparing and hosting a youth led conference on 13th November 2018 during UK Parliament Week which turned out to be really successful!

During the project, I learned about the different harmful practices that still take place today. These were: female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage honour-based abuse and much more. I have also learned that people that are dealing with this sort of issue can always seek help without having to spend the rest of their lives living in fear. Harmful practices are a violation of human rights and are an example of gender based violence; even FGM has a major life-long risks to a woman’s health and in some cases it may even lead to death.

At the conference, there was a panel of people who all represented different groups and organisations. The audience asked them questions about their roles, what they have in place and what more could be done in order to help and overcome these problems. I was curious to see what they all had to say. The founder of Savera UK (Afrah Qassim) also made a speech which was emotional. There was also a survivor who told her own inspiring story and some of the young people had also prepared poems. At the end of the conference the film was shown.

To prepare for the conference, we met up regularly and did a lot of sessions. We were educated all about harmful practices, the potential reasons for them, and what we as young people can do to help. The group of us young people discussed who we would like to see on our panel for the Q&A part during the conference and why they should be there. We planned the story line for the film we were going to make which would be shown at the conference then also learned how to use a camera which was fun. Shooting our film took about 4 days in total. We even filmed on the day of the conference! The film was about a young girl who was being forced to marry against her will. One of her classmates saw the hints she was posting on social media and she knew something was up. She managed to stop the wedding just in time and introduced the girl to Savera UK who were able to be instrumental in stopping the wedding. This story had a happy ending, but unfortunately this is not always the case in all real life situations.

Shauna, Malcolm and I were live on BBC Radio Merseyside which was an nerve-racking but an amazing experience. We spread the news about Savera UK and the problems of domestic violence.

I had two favourite parts during our conference. One was when I introduced our new ambassador Maya Jama to the stage and then she spoke about how passionate she is to make a difference to the lives of young women. I then interviewed her which was an amazing opportunity and she explained why she wanted to work with Savera UK. Her dedication was obvious and her enthusiasm just shows why she will always be an incredible ambassador for Savera UK. I was so excited to have met her. My other favourite part was listening to Nazir Afzal talk. He is the Patron for Savera UK and I just found his speech very inspiring and powerful. Listening to him talk about his personal experiences of different cases he has ruled about honour based abuse and harmful practices and how he thinks things should be different was very interesting and touching.

I loved every single journey of the project, and just seeing the successful end result of our all our hard work and commitment makes me very proud of us all. I personally have learned a lot more about harmful practices and domestic violence and I think that a lot more young people are aware of it as well.

By Kusqaum Adam

Savera UK Youth has placed third in the Youth Led National Crimebeat Awards. The National Crimebeat is the youth crime prevention charity of the High Sheriffs’ Association in England and Wales. 

The prestigious award ceremony exists to give recognition to the most innovative and successful crime prevention projects carried out across the UK, with categories celebrating both adult and youth-led work. The 2020 awards saw the most entries ever received and Savera UK Youth was proud to be finalists in the ‘Youth Led’ category along with two other youth projects, Sharing Stories Sharing Strength and Targeting Substance Abuse in Young People by Derby Cadets. 

Savera UK Youth was invited to the awards ceremony, which was set to take place on 18th March. However, the event was postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak and later cancelled, with the winners being contacted by Amanda Parker, The National Crimebeat Chair. 

Amanda Parker said: “The Youth Led category of the National Crimebeat Awards looks to those young people who come up with an idea for crime prevention and devise a project to tackle it. They never cease to impress us with their ingenuity and courage to confront sensitive and painful topics such as drug abuse, sexual exploitation, FGM and forced marriage.

“Many of the finalists have suffered themselves, and all are conscious of the importance of raising awareness among their peers and in their communities. Their courage and commitment is always inspiring and National Crimebeat is delighted to recognise and reward them.”

Speaking of the accolade, the High Sherriff of Merseyside for 2020, His Honour John Roberts DL, said: “Mr David Steer QC was the High Sheriff of Merseyside for 2019 and was responsible for nominating Savera UK Youth for the National Crimebeat Awards 2020. I am the High Sheriff of Merseyside for 2020.

“We were both absolutely delighted to learn that Savera UK Youth based in Merseyside secured third prize in the youth led section of the National Crimebeat Awards for 2020. This was well deserved recognition of a very special organisation run by some very special and highly committed young people and of their  hard work in support of a very important cause.

“Mr Steer and I salute you all and extend to you our warmest congratulations. Well done.”

Savera UK Youth is a group of young people aged 11 – 25 who are passionate about raising awareness amongst their peers about harmful practices such as ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA), forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). They believe that education is the key to preventing these issues. 

The Savera UK Youth project empowers young people and inspires them to lead and advocate for the work that Savera UK does, allowing them to develop and gain new and transferable skills. The Savera UK Youth programme is vital for educating future generations on harmful practices and how to prevent them.

Savera UK Youth Advisory Board Chair, Kusqaum Adam, said: “As Chair of Savera UK Youth Advisory Board, I am incredibly  pleased  that we have placed third  in The National Crimebeat Awards. This is such a huge accomplishment for all of us. I am very proud of everyone who was involved and helped to make this happen.This could not have been achieved without everybody working together. 

“This means so much to Savera UK Youth as it is our aim to get recognition, spread our message and raise as much awareness as we possibly can. I am thankful that we have been given the opportunity to show our hard work for everyone to see and appreciate.”

Savera UK Youth is continuing to speak out and raise awareness about harmful practices during lockdown. They are working hard to spread the word and break the silence amongst their peers.

If you would like to find out more about Savera UK Youth and how to get involved, click here.

Representatives from Savera UK Youth were invited to speak at the National FGM Centre conference in Stoke-on-Trent on 12^th March 2020. The event was called One Year On: Bringing about Change in Response to FGM in Stafford and was chaired by Sue Arnold, Deputy Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. The event reviewed the partnership between the National FGM Centre and the PCC and celebrated the successes of the services, as well as discussing the lessons learned.

Speakers at the event included midwives, paediatricians, community workers and the police who all shared their response to female genital mutilation in their professions. One of the highlights of the event was a presentation by FGM survivor Sarian Karim Kamara. Hearing from survivors always puts into perspective why more must be done to eradicate the practice. Speaking about her experience, Sarian said: “The night before, it was a big celebration. On the day, I was blindfolded, thrown on the floor, a woman sat on me and I felt a sharp cut between my legs. I didn’t even know what they were cutting—I just knew it was painful.” Sarian’s powerful story brought home the effects of the practice and made clear that although every survivor’s story is different, it is vital to speak out.

Savera UK Youth representative, Malcolm Thwala, concluded the event. As well as reading his hard-hitting poem Who Are You?, he also spoke very honestly about how his own mother taught him to speak out about what was right. Malcolm talked about the importance of young people breaking the silence on these issues amongst their peers, in order to raise awareness and end the practice for good.

Malcolm said about the event: “It was important for me as a young person to be there to learn and share how we are looking to make a change. I was inspired by hearing moving stories where women’s freedom has been taken away and they have had to risk their lives. Change has to happen for a better future.”

Watch Malcolm read his poem here.

Savera UK Youth would like to thank the National FGM Centre for giving them a platform to speak out against harmful practices.

If you would like to get involved in Savera UK Youth to also #speakout about female genital mutilation and other harmful practices, click here to find out more and apply.