It was with a great pleasure and surprise that few days ago we read about the announcement from the Somali Government to introduce a new law banning FGM in the country. Speaking at a conference in Mogadishu, Sahra Mohamed Ali Samatar, Ministry of Women Affairs, said: “time has come to eradicate this bad practice and …
Ending Forced Marriage: One Step Closer
This month marked an important milestone for the global campaign against forced marriage. On Thursday 2nd July the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution promoted by more than 85 countries, calling for an end of child, early and forced marriage and recognizing it as a violation of human rights. Amongst the signatory countries there are many …
Crowd Funding Page
We over here at the JAN Trust are launching an online fundraising campaign in order raise money for our Against Forced Marriages project. Forced marriages affect some of the most vulnerable people in the UK from very marginalised and non-mainstream communities, and often these individuals find it very difficult to seek help. Statistics from the Forced Marriage …
Victim Blaming
Blaming the victim is a practice that is exhibited within society as a means of justifying racism, sexism and other forms of social injustices. Victim blaming has today become more noticeable in crimes of a sexual nature such as rape and assault, particularly when the victims of these crimes are adult women. It has been …
The ‘Spoon Trick’ – how sound is the latest forced marriage advice?
The British government recently warned local authorities and front line staff – including those at airports – to be aware of the increased risk of forced marriage during the summer holidays. Summer holidays are a prime time for British girls to be taken abroad to be forced into marriage and hundreds of suspected victims disappear …
Child Grooming
On Tuesday 14th May, after a three and a half month trial, seven men from Oxford were convicted at the Old Bailey for a total of 43 charges relating to at least six victims aged 11-12. Whilst this is one of the largest child grooming exploitation rings to have been exposed in recent years, it is …
A promise is a promise: Time for action to END violence against women
On International Women’s Day, women around the world join together in celebration of the strength of women. Since 1908 this has been a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world without regard to their national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political differences; with this year the theme focusing on ending violence against …
Rape: The Silent Shame of the 21st century
The trial of five men charged with the gang rape and murder of a medical student in India has got under way this week. The gang rape of the 23-year-old woman and the beating of her male friend on a moving bus in New Delhi have produced global debates about women’s rights and the subject of rape and sexual …