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Aneeta Prem

Forced Marriage

A marriage must be entered into with the free and full consent of both parties; you should feel you have a choice. A forced marriage is where one or both individuals do not (or in cases of people with learning disabilities, cannot) consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used. Forced marriage is illegal in Great Britain. It is, in some cases, a form of child abuse and is a serious abuse of human rights. The pressure put on people to marry, against their will, can be physical (including threats and actual physical and sexual violence) or emotional and psychological (for example, when someone is made to feel as though they are bringing shame on their family). Financial abuse is also a possibility.
Female Genital Mutilation
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is also sometimes referred to as female genital cutting or female circumcision. There are no health benefits to FGM and it is recognised internationally as a human rights violation.
FGM causes untold physical and emotional trauma, whilst enforcing the inherent gender inequality found in cultures where it is practised. FGM procedures can cause:
- Severe bleeding and, in some cases, death
- Problems with giving birth, later in life – including the death of the baby
- Lifetime susceptibility to infection
- Psychological damage.
Dishonour abuse
What is dis-honour based abuse or violence?
Dis-honour based abuse is a violent crime or incident that may have been committed to protect or defend the so-called honour of the family or community.
It is often linked to relatives or acquaintances, who mistakenly believe that someone has brought shame to their family or community by doing something that is not in keeping with the traditional beliefs of that culture. For example, dis-honour based violence might be committed against people who:
- become involved with a boyfriend or girlfriend from a different culture or religion
- want to get out of a forced marriage
- wear clothes or take part in activities that might not be considered traditional within a particular culture.

Free Online Safeguarding Training Course

Developed for the Home Office by Virtual College, follow Hope’s journey as we explore the key issues relating to Female Genital Mutilation and how they affect an individual throughout their life.

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Visits

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Police

We can help train police forces to help them combat Female Genital Mutilation, forced marriages and other crimes against children.

Judiciary

We can help judges and other judiciary staff better understand Female Genital Mutilation and forced marriages.

Teachers

We help teachers spot the signs of forced marriages and other issues affecting children.

Social Services

We can help train social workers to pick up on the signs of Female Genital Mutilation, forced marriages and other crimes against children.

NHS

We can help train NHS staff to help them diagnose the signs of Female Genital Mutilation and other crimes against children.

MP’S

We can help train politicians to help them combat Female Genital Mutilation, forced marriages and other crimes against children.

Testimonials

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RT @JoeHayman Well done to @ANEETAPREM, everyone @FreedomCharity and all your fellow campaigners as the bill to ban child marriage completes its Parliamentary journey. As Aneeta says, the hard work of eradicating child marriage starts now. twitter.com/FreedomCharity…

We call on government to support organisations like @FreedomCharity to deliver education programmes in schools and other settings and to provide direct support for vulnerable children so that we can end child marriage once and for all 3/3

However, as we know from our experience around forced marriage, legislation is not the same as eradication. As our founder @ANEETAPREM has said, the hard work to eradicate this abusive practice starts now. 2/3

We are delighted that the final stages of the new law to end child marriage have been completed today. We thank @liz_sugg, @Pauline_Latham, @sajidjavid, @pritipatel, @redditchrachel and @VotePursglove for their leadership on this issue and congratulate our fellow campaigners. 1/3 twitter.com/liz_sugg/statu…

RT @RadiantAmbition Women Unlimited: Breaking The Bias For Women Facing Dishonour Abuse. Interview with @ANEETAPREM, Founder of Freedom Charity UK fb.watch/bRr-CQ3zUj/ via @FacebookWatch #breakthebias2022 #womenempowerment #WomensDay

#IWD2022 #InternationalWomensDay working together we must make a difference to #EndViolenceAgainstWomen #EndChildMarriage #endfgm #endchildabuse #endforcedmarriage @ANEETAPREM @PSHEassociation @skurtuldu76 @GeraldineHutc18 pic.twitter.com/QFAzHjVUNw

#IWD2022 Happy #InternationalWomensDay A day to celebrate the work of all women and girls #EndFGM let’s pledge to keep each other safe. @ANEETAPREM visiting schools #educate to eradicate #red-triangle @PSHEassociation @skurtuldu76 @GeraldineHutc18 @HDeSil pic.twitter.com/ENlA1b8T8n

Latest News

Young girls forced into marriage during coronavirus lockdown

By Barnie Choudhury – Eastern Eye Children as young as 14 are contacting the police, using a special app, over fears they will be married against their will during the coronavirus lock down. That’s according to a leading charity which specialises in helping victims of forced marriage. The leap in numbers is an unintended consequence […]

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