News & Campaigns

All the latest from HER-itage and our affiliates

26 May 2016 10:00 ~ Responding to Female Genital Mutilation: Training for Professionals and Frontline Staff – Forward – London

Until 4.30pm @ NCVO, 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RL

FORWARD (Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development) is an African Diaspora campaign and support charity dedicated to advancing and safeguarding the sexual and reproductive health and rights of African women and girls. Over the last 30 years FORWARD has been the leading organisation working to end  Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the UK.

FORWARD is organising a one day OCN accredited training to increase knowledge, awareness and understanding for professionals on the practice of FGM.

This will help strengthen competency and skills when dealing with cases of FGM and enable multi-agency cooperation in relation to safeguarding and support services for those women and girls affected. The training is aimed at GPs, Midwives, Nurses, Social Workers and key staff at any agency involved in treating or supporting women and girls affected by FGM.

Outcomes:

  • Better understanding of the practice of FGM and the social and cultural context in UK
  • Increased knowledge of the UK law, safeguarding policies and procedures
  • Greater insight into the provision of appropriate care and support for women and girls affected by FGM
  • Increased awareness of the role of statutory agencies and key professionals in responding to FGM
  • Better understanding of practical issues and strategies for working with individuals, communities and stakeholders to respond to FGM
  • Development of action plans for responding to FGM in specific settings

Cost:  £125 including OCN Registration, certification and lunch. Fees must be paid before attendance.

How to book: To book your place please go to our website www.forwarduk.org.uk/events to register and pay for course attendance.

Full details at http://forwarduk.org.uk/civicrm/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm/event/info&reset=1&id=14

February 29, 2016

19 March 2016 10:00 ~ Young People Speak Out Against FGM! Conference – Forward – London

Until 5pm @ The Blue Hall, Lift Islington, 45 White Lion Street, London, N1 9PW

Are you a young person interested in activism? Do you believe that female genital mutilation (FGM) is wrong? Would you like to learn more and take action in your community to end the practice?

Join FORWARD and our partners NESTAC, The Girl Generation, Eursoma, as well as young people from across the UK on Saturday 19th of March at this Young People Speak Out Against FGM conference!

The day will include basic FGM training, talks from Men Speak Out against FGM, workshops and discussions, spoken word, film screenings, live drama and more!

Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

Cost:  £5 for young people (up to 25 years) £20 for professionals and over 25 years

How to book: Please visit our website (www.forwarduk.org.uk/events) to register your place.

Full details http://forwarduk.org.uk/civicrm/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm/event/info&reset=1&id=15

February 29, 2016

Rape Crisis responds to Dame Janet Smith report

Dame Janet Smith released on 25th February 2016 her long-awaited report into Jimmy Savile’s sexual offending at the BBC.

Rape Crisis England & Wales said:

“We welcome Dame Janet Smith’s report. It reminds us of the failure of individuals and institutions to recognise, challenge or address Savile’s abuse of power and position to target vulnerable young women and children. It also highlights the ‘macho culture’ within which this prolific sexual offender was able to rape and sexually assault with impunity for decades.  There is no doubt that determined cultural shift to dispel institutionalised sexism is essential to preventing similar widespread abuses.

And this is by no means the end of a chapter; adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse are currently coming forward in unprecedented numbers to seek specialist support from Rape Crisis and others, as well as criminal justice.

With the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) ongoing, need and demand from sexual violence survivors for specialist services and justice will only continue to rise and it is vital there are the resources in place to ensure they can be met.”

Press Release at http://rapecrisis.org.uk/news/rape-crisis-responds-to-dame-janet-smith-report

February 29, 2016

New report from Commission on the Sex Buyer Law – End Demand

The Commission on the Sex Buyer Law has published its report – ‘How to implement the Sex Buyer Law in the UK’.

Download the report: How to implement the Sex Buyer Law in the UK

About the report

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Prostitution commissioned End Demand to provide recommendations on how a Sex Buyer Law could be implemented in the UK. In order to develop these recommendations, End Demand established the Commission on the Sex Buyer Law. The Commission’s report, ‘How to implement the Sex Buyer Law in the UK’, was launched in Parliament on 23 February 2016 and endorsed by the APPG on Prostitution.

http://enddemand.uk/2016/02/new-report-from-commission-on-the-sex-buyer-law/

Executive Summary Introduction

In March 2014, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Prostitution and the Global Sex Trade (hereafter referred to as the ‘APPG on Prostitution’) published the results of its year-long inquiry into prostitution laws in England and Wales. The report concluded: “the law is incoherent at best and detrimental at worst. The legal settlement around prostitution sends no clear signals to women who sell sex, men who purchase it, courts and the criminal justice system, the police or local authorities.”

The inquiry also concluded that current legislation fails to recognise that prostitution is “a form of violence against women and girls” As such, the APPG on Prostitution recommended that Parliament criminalise paying for sex, decriminalise selling sex, and support people exploited through the sex trade to exit – an approach known as the ‘Nordic Model’ or ‘Sex Buyer Law’. This legal framework is designed to end the demand that drives the prostitution trade and the trafficking of women and girls into it. It has been adopted by Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Northern Ireland.

At the end of 2014, the APPG on Prostitution invited End Demand to submit proposals on how the Sex Buyer Law could be most effectively and efficiently implemented in the UK. End Demand is an initiative calling for the adoption of the Sex Buyer Law, supported by over 40 organisations In order to develop those proposals, End Demand established the Commission on the Sex Buyer Law. This report presents the recommendations of the Commission on the Sex Buyer Law. The objective of these recommendations is to ensure that the Sex Buyer Law achieves its goals of discouraging demand and of supporting women exploited through the sex trade to exit.

The Commission considers the adoption and enforcement of the Sex Buyer Law to be critical to ending commercial sexual exploitation in the UK.

February 26, 2016

2 March 2016 20:00 ~ Women’s Aid Comedy Gala – London

Until 22:45@ The Proud Archivist, 2-10 Hertford Road, London N1 5SH

Women’s Aid is holding a Comedy Gala! Join us at the Proud Archivist on Regent’s Canal, Haggerston on 2nd March for an amazing line-up that includes Bridget Christie, Sara Pascoe, Roisin Conaty and Felicity Ward.

We are raising funds to help us continue to support victims of domestic abuse and their children. Hilarious comedy AND doing something good for charity – what could be better?

The all-star incredible line up for the night includes:

  • Our host Suzi Ruffell
  • Bridget Christie
  • Sara Pascoe
  • Roisin Conaty
  • Felicity Ward
  • Twayna Mayne
  • Lous Sanders
  • Evelyn Mok
  • Joanna Neary
  • Bec Hill

Thanks to The Proud Archivist and all performers for giving their time for free ALL money made from the gala will go directly to Women’s Aid. Show your solidarity with the millions of women affected by domestic abuse in the UK ever year by joining us for a night of fun and fundraising.

Tickets available online at https://www.womensaid.org.uk/events/womens-aid-comedy-gala/

February 26, 2016