JAN Trust provides impartial, culturally sensitive and confidential advice and guidance in English and South Asian languages for women suffering or fleeing from domestic abuse. We also provide awareness raising training for professionals, statutory and voluntary organisations designed to enable them to provide suitable services for clients and service users. Our training package is comprehensive and seeks to include topics such as Forced Marriage, Honour Based Violence (HBV), FGM, cultural perceptions and religious awareness. Please contact us on [email protected] for further information or bespoke training for your organisation.

If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence please call the free National Domestic Violence Helpline (24 hours) on 0808 2000 247, they can provide advice to access refuge space and contact details for local services to aid you. If you are in imminent danger please call 999 immediately.

JAN Trust launched an award-winning Forced Marriage campaign in 2011 and we have since provided training to thousands of participants from the community, voluntary and statutory sectors including schools, police and healthcare professionals. We are extremely proud of our awareness raising and preventative work around the issue of Forced Marriages. We provide highly credible and expert training designed to raise awareness, deconstruct myths and enable statutory and voluntary sectors to provide efficient and appropriate responses to their clients and service users concerning forced marriages. Our training is both culturally sensitive and seeks to educate on religious provisions and marriage.  We have engaged and worked especially with Muslim communities in the UK on the issue of forced marriages. 

Our website www.againstforcedmarriages.org provides an array of resources and updated information on Forced Marriages. Whether you are a victim, friend, practitioner or someone seeking information on forced marriage, you will find relevant support and advice on the website. If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us on the email address (below); we are happy to answer any questions you may have.

Email: please contact us for information, queries, options or bespoke training on: [email protected]

Website: for resources on forced marriages at www.againstforcedmarriages.org

Young people play a vital part in our community and are potential future leaders.

We focus on identifying and growing potential for individuals to thrive. Working with 13-25 year olds, we provide support and guidance in the complex transition to adulthood, helping disadvantaged young people to become successful and active citizens within our community.

We focus on the challenges facing young people in our communities, provide guidance, support, and ways of overcoming their problems.

Like our work with adults, the programme works holistically, with many different activities and strands addressing each individual’s needs. The activities we offer include mentoring, debating, sport, social excursions, music, drama and interfaith workshops, as well as extensive project focussing on prevention of radicalisation and extreme practices.

Young people aid in developing our youth service; identifying their needs, and how their existing skills make a difference to their lives, and that of other young people.

Given the ethnic diversity of London, we promote greater understanding between differing racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Bringing youth together from different backgrounds forges bonds, influencing attitudes to narrow the divide.

“We have learnt so much since we started using JAN Trust’s youth service. We enjoy coming here and doing different things and we’ve made so many friends. I don’t know what I would be doing if I did not have the support of this service and JAN Trust.”
Ali, Haringey

Given London’s diversity, we organise various cohesion projects to encourage a sense of common belonging and cultural understanding.

We also deliver a number of workshops across the country encouraging civic awareness between grassroots communities and policy influencers. One example is the first community cohesion conference in Haringey called ‘One Community Many Voices,’ which we organised and delivered. The conference gave members of the public, in particular Black, Asian, Muslim and minority ethnic women, the opportunity to question the leader of the Council, their local Member of Parliament, the relevant portfolio holder for Communities and the local Police Service.

This gave many of them the opportunity to engage with key influencers and policy makers in the borough for the first time.

“I’ve learnt so much about other religions and cultures that I never knew before coming to JAN Trust.” – Mona, Walthamstow

Honour Based Violence (HBV) is a crime or act which is committed to protect or defend the so-called ‘honour’ of the family or community.

Examples of HBV include murder, assault, forced abortion, disfigurement, enforced suicide, kidnapping and false imprisonment: acts which are motivated by ‘honour’ in order to uphold perceived cultural and/or religious beliefs.

All the above crimes are contrary to British Law, and at JAN Trust we work extensively within communities and religious groups to raise awareness of HBV and its consequences. We influence policy on this subject, and also provide advice and guidance to women as well as offering preventative courses on HBV.

Booking a training session

We provide training on Honour Based Violence for agencies across London and the UK. Our training is culturally relevant and explores religious stipulations. If you are interested in attending or arranging a training session please contact us on [email protected]

JAN Trust offers women one-on-one mentoring, covering a wide range of subjects aimed at enhancing their personal development.

We match volunteer mentors with women who are best suited to help them to become more confident members of society and role models within the community. Our mentors are from all walks of life and include entrepreneurs, councillors and political activists, all from a wide range of ethnic groups.

We aim to motivate women by inspiring them to consider their options and showing them that these options are far greater than they might realise. We provide practical insights into how others have made a success of their lives.

We provide advice and guidance on a whole host of issues affecting women from a diverse ethnic background including:

• Refugee/asylum
• Radicalisation
• Immigration
• Housing issues
• Domestic violence
• Welfare State Benefits
• Employment issues
• Honour Based Violence
• Forced marriages
• Pregnancy
• Health & Fitness
• Mental health
• Life in the UK
• Dietary advice

“I thank JAN Trust for providing me with advice on my housing issue. Without them I wouldn’t have known who to turn to. I would have been very depressed.” – Feliz, Haringey

It is important that women from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, as well as refugees and asylum seekers, have access to the right information and care that they deserve.

These women are often blocked from this due to a number of reasons such as language barriers, lack of local information, cultural and religious boundaries.

JAN Trust educates these women on prevalent health issues. Such issues include obesity, diabetes, cancer, blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, anaemia and pregnancy.

We run a range of activities to promote healthy eating and exercise. These include:

• Yoga
• Pilates
• Chair exercises
• Weight-loss programmes
• Health workshops
• Meditation
• Healthy cookery classes

“Thanks to all at JAN Trust, they have made me aware of health issues that I did not know of. I have been able to pass this learning and knowledge onto my friends and family.” – Saira, Haringey

JAN Trust provides support for elderly Black, Asian, minority ethnic and refugee women.

We run a regular club for mature citizens where the ladies meet to socialise, discuss issues, undertake exercise, attend health workshops and have outings.

Visits are made to elderly patients either in their house or hospital.

“If JAN Trust did not provide us with this elderly service we would be sitting at home lonely and depressed.” – Abida, Haringey

Links and useful numbers:

JAN Trust is an award winning charity.

• Website: www.jantrust.org
• Telephone: 020 8889 9433

AGE UK help older people to come together to overcome the barriers that get in the way of them making the most out of life.

• Website: www.ageuk.org.uk/
• Telephone: 0800 055 6112

Barnardos helps vulnerable children throughout the UK.

• Website: http://www.barnardos.org.uk
• Telephone: 0208 550 8822

FCO Forced Marriage Unit is a joint-initiative with the Home Office to help victims of forced marriages.

• Website: www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/when-things-go-wrong/forced-marriage
• Helpline: 020 7008 0151
• Operates Monday – Friday 9am-5.30pm. For out of office hours in an emergency call 0207 008 150

Haringey Citizens Advice Bureau provides a generalist advice service to the residents and workers of Haringey.

• Website: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/local/haringey/
• Telephone: 0300 330 1187

Haringey Council Customer Services

• Telephone: 020 8489 1000
• Operates between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday

Haringey Job Centre Plus provides assistance with employment and training opportunities.

• Website: http://www.haringey.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/help-getting-job/job-search-support
• Telephone: 0345 604 3719

Haringey Voiceability Advocacy Service work together with people with learning disabilities to ensure that they are listened to and their choices are respected.

• Telephone: 0300 222 5948

NSPCC is a national organisation whose vision is to end cruelty to children in the UK.

• Website: www.nspcc.org.uk
• NSPCC Helpline service: 0808 800 5000, or text 88858.
• Childline Helpline: 0800 1111
• Operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year.

Refuge is a national organisation catering for victims of domestic violence.

• Website: http://www.refuge.org.uk/
• Telephone: 0808 2000 247

Shelter is a housing and homeless charity.

• Website: http://www.shelter.org.uk
• Telephone: 0808 800 4444

Victim Support provides free and confidential help to victims of crime, witnesses, their family, friends and anyone else affected across England and Wales.

• Website: www.victimsupport.com
• Helpline: 0845 30 30 900
• Operates 24/7