Member Article

MERSEYSIDE-BASED DOMESTIC ABUSE CHARITY GEARS UP FOR 2018 SUMMIT AT LACE CONFERENCE CENTRE

Survivors of domestic and honour-based abuse will tell their own brave and inspirational stories at a conference in Liverpool.

The Savera UK event takes place at Lace Conference Centre on July 13 – the date designated by the charity as a National Memorial Day to remember victims who killed in the name of so called ‘honour’.

The Merseyside-based organisation works with Black and Minority Ethnic communities to challenge attitudes towards domestic abuse and harmful practices such as forced marriage, ‘honour’-based abuse and female genital mutilation.

The charity’s 2018 conference seeks to inspire those who may be suffering, with personal stories from survivors, and also aims to engage professionals who may come into contact with sufferers such as health/social workers and those in law enforcement.

Internationally, very little is known about the true extent of honour based abuse, but estimated report stated up to 5000 honour killing internationally each year and 12 killing per year in the United Kingdom

This year’s conference sees Savera UK work in tandem with Liverpool Arab Arts Festival to bring Danish-Palestinian musician Simona Abdallah to the city.

The percussionist, who will perform a short set as part of the conference, will share her personal story which saw her family attempt to force her into an array of arranged marriages before she was finally able to exercise her independence and build a career from her musical talents.

Former Chief Prosecutor for North West England, and patron of Savera UK, Nazir Afzal OBE, will give a presentation about his experience in tackling gender-based abuse on a national and international level.

Nazir said: “Having prosecuted perpetrators from more than 60 countries and dealt with victims from more than 50 countries, I know there isn’t any community where women and girls are safe. “It’s a power thing, and sadly infects every community, and therefore our responsibility has to begin with listening to victims and survivors.”

Jane Kennedy, the elected Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner since 2012, will give a speech about the role of law enforcement in tackling such issues within Black and Minority Ethnic communities.

National Memorial Day honours the legacy of Warrington teenager Shafilea Ahmed, who was murdered by her parents in 2003 after she refused to marry the man chosen by them. The A level student’s body was discovered in the Lake District five months after she disappeared from the family home, but it took several years to bring her killers to justice.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nikki Girvan .