Tag: Merseyside PCC

Event | Savera UK Youth Presents ‘Orange Brick Road’ Film Launch

Date: Monday, 14th November

Time: 4pm – 6pm

Location: Liverpool John Moores University, JMSU Activity Room, UG.17, LJMU Student Life Building, Copperas Hill, L3 5GE

Entry: Free, registration essential

This UK Parliament Week (14th – 20th November) join Savera UK Youth as they take you on the Orange Brick Road to learn about ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices.

Their new film provides an overview of harmful practices for young people, and invites teachers and professionals to continue that discussion with the resources provided in our education pack, which you can register for by clicking here.

On Monday, 14th November the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) we will be joined virtually by Savera UK Patron and Former Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West, Nazir Afzal OBE, Savera UK CEO Afrah Qassim and Liverpool John Moores University Lecturer in Law Dr Hannah Baumeister.

Together speakers will discuss the complexities surrounding ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices and the importance of education in tackling them.

We invite you to join us between 4pm and 6pm at this free event by registering here.

Meet the Speakers

Nazir Afzal, OBE

Nazir Afzal OBE, Savera UK patron and former Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England

Nazir Afzal OBE is the Patron of Savera UK and the Former Chief Prosecutor for North West England. Nazir was also appointed the Chancellor of the University of Manchester in August 2022. He is an expert in de-radicalisation and a senior British lawyer who campaigns on issues around child sexual exploitation and violence against women.

Afrah Qassim, Founder and CEO of Savera UK

Afrah is the Founder and CEO of Savera UK, a leading national organisation tackling the causes and effects of harmful practices including ‘honour’-based abuse, female genital mutilation and forced/child marriage. Afrah is also the Chair of the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival.

Dr Hannah Baumeister

Dr Hannah Baumeister

Hannah is a Lecturer in Law at Liverpool John Moores University and a Savera UK Advisory Board Member. Her research interest and expertise is in sexual and gender-based violence and Hannah’s doctoral research analysed the politics behind the international criminalisation of war rape and forced marriage in times of armed conflict. Her broader research interests also include the intersections between forced marriage and modern slavery.

Savera UK Youth Advisory Board 

The Savera UK Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is a group of 16-25 year-olds dedicated to raising awareness of ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices. Presenting this event will be YAB members Ayomide Folarin, Malcolm Thwala, Adele Leung, Hannah Gloudon and Elias Folarin.

 

If you’re unable to attend our physical event, we invite you to join us online on Thursday, 18th November at 2pm for the online showing of the ‘Orange Brick Road’ video. Register here. 

This project has kindly been funded by Merseyside PCC and supported by Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool John Moores Student Union.

Savera UK Youth launches #ENDFGM Exhibition at Liverpool International Slavery Museum

The #ENDFGM Exhibition was created by Savera UK Youth and is intended to help people learn about the issue of female genital mutilation (FGM). Attending the exhibition is not only a matter of curiosity but, it could potentially save lives. Our event provides insight into this matter by illustrating the issue through the various exhibits that are on display. It also gives a good indication of the current impact of FGM and what action is necessary for a brighter future. The hope for the #ENDFGM Exhibition is to encourage individuals to contribute by, for example, sharing a post on social media or by joining our campaign to eradicate harmful practices like FGM.

The exhibition was set up for UK Parliament Week in November 2019, in order to bring attention to harmful practices, particularly FGM. We are grateful to the International Slavery Museum and Merseyside PCC Emily Spurrell, for supporting Savera UK Youth in allowing us to spotlight our message as we mark International Zero Tolerance Day for FGM 2022 (Sunday, 6th February).

So, what is female genital mutilation (FGM)?

FGM is a procedure that involves the total or partial removal of the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. FGM causes injury to the female genital organs and has no health benefits; additionally, it can cause major psychological trauma.

The person carrying out the procedure often is not medically trained and does not use sterilised equipment. It is also important to note that often times the people close to the person receiving the procedure, family and/or community, are regrettably involved.

What is the aim of the #ENDFGM Exhibition?

This exhibition is incredibly important in informing people about what FGM involves and the effects it can have. Using a combination of visual imagery and written pieces was imperative for us as the use of a variety of methods is useful when trying to portray a message to a large and varied group of people, as different individuals have different ways of learning.

The Exhibition will be on display between Friday, 4th February and Sunday, 27th February 2022

How do you expect people to campaign against an issue they are unaware of? That’s the question that came to our minds when trying to lay the groundwork for the Savera UK Youth campaign to #ENDFGM. Knowledge is one of the most valuable things we have in our society as without shining a light on a topic it is very difficult to get people involved, and the support of the general public is vital for us to accomplish our goal to permanently eradicate FGM.

The exhibition was created after Savera UK Youth worked with photographer Andrew ‘AB’ Abrahamson to learn valuable photography skills and members also wrote poetry and created stop-motion animation videos after sessions with artist Joanne Tremarco and poet and Savera UK survivor ambassador Kiara Mohamed (learn more about these workshops here).

About the exhibition, a member of the Savera UK Youth Advisory Board said: “It is unbelievable how far we have come with this exhibition, to think that it began with the National FGM Centre. During the years, my knowledge around harmful practices has improved, and we have had the opportunity to express this through poetry, performances and photography.

“Those pieces of art have been created with the hope to inspire and encourage others to acknowledge those practises, using a different approach, as we are aiming to raise awareness among young people. We strongly believe that using art to do so is more powerful than just words, helping us to convey our message and encourage others to join us into our journey of speaking out.”

We hope you join us in our endeavour to #ENDFGM and learn more by visiting the #ENDFGM Exhibition at the International Slavery Museum, where it will be on display between Friday, 4th February and Sunday, 27th February 2022.

Written by Elias Folarin, Savera UK Youth Advisory Board