THE DANGERS and trauma of female genital mutilation, ‘honour-based’ violence and forced marriages are the subjects of a new guide published by a Warwickshire charity to spread awareness and help victims of the ‘seriously underreported’ practices.
The Equality and Inclusion Partnership (EQuIP) has launched its Harmful Practices Guide and Toolkit, which details where and how victims can get support.
It contains details of organisations which can offer support and advice for anyone who needs help or support.
It is the result of a collaboration between the Rugby-based charity and Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to create a guide to the harmful practices.
EQuIP Chief Executive Junaid Hussain said: “Thankfully, female genital mutilation (FGM), honour-based violence and forced marriages are rare in Warwickshire. However, we know that if anything should happen, immediate access to specialist support is vital and not many people know what to do next.
“This guide is a comprehensive but simple toolkit on what to do and who to speak to when time is critical.
“We are grateful to the PCC for funding our research work in putting this guide together, and we aim to circulate it widely among communities in Warwickshire in both printed and online formats.”
Warwickshire PCC Philip Seccombe said: “FGM is truly abhorrent and, while the numbers of people in Warwickshire who have become victim to this are likely to be very low, any one victim is one too many. It is an unnecessary procedure which can have serious consequences physically, emotionally and psychologically for women and girls. These consequences are likely to continue throughout the victim’s life.
“It’s one of a number of harmful practices that are under-reported, often because there are cultural factors which make it hard for people to talk about their experiences. I hope that by producing this guide and distributing it widely across Warwickshire, we can get the message out that these harmful practices will not be tolerated and that there is a wealth of help and support available to help victims and anyone who has concerns about someone who may become a victim.
“Overall, the aim of police and partners is to put an end to these harmful practices and so raising awareness in this way is absolutely vital.”
Copies of the guide will be sent to communities across Warwickshire so that diverse communities have access to the correct information if they come across these practices.
Visit www.equipequality.org.uk/resources to download a copy of the Harmful Practices Guide and Toolkit.
