Nottingham connected
INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN’S DAY
MARKET IN
EAST
MIDLANDS
Photo:
International
Women’s Day
News & Sports
9
Hundreds of women
from across the East
Midlands attended
seminars in Leicester
last month, on a diverse
range of subjects such
as domestic violence,
forced marriage and
extremism to mark
International
Women’s Day.
International Women’s Day provides an
ideal opportunity to raise awareness of the
role women play in tackling radicalisation in
the UK and to highlight the work of the Prevent
Tragedies campaign. Women from Leicester,
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire came to Spinney Hill
to hear presentations on a wide range of issues such
as extremist ideology, forced marriage, female genital
mutilation, hate crime, domestic abuse, mental health
and tackling terrorism. Sameena Ali was one of the 150 women
who came to the event. She was Chair of the
Muslim Women’s Forum in Nottingham for four
years and worked with Nottinghamshire Police to
set up Prevent. She said; “Days like this are really
needed. Having worked in this field, I know a lot about
it but everyone’s needs are different and people will take
something different from today but we can all learn more.
It’s important that the women who are here go out and
tell others to spread the message into the community.
Deputy
Assistant
Commissioner
from
The
Metropolitan Police, Helen Ball, the Senior National
Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, gave a
presentation on the important part women play in
protecting their families before it is too late. She
showed the audience a short film which focused on
three Syrian refugee mothers speaking directly to
mothers in the UK about the realities of life in Syria and
asking why any mother would want to take their family
to live in a war zone. “Many Muslim women don’t know their rights, they
need Islamic awareness training so that they know what
is part of Islam and what isn’t. Female genital mutilation
does not exist in Pakistan. There is a difference between
culture and religion, but if things are misinterpreted
people believe the ideology. If women know their true
rights they will be empowered.”
DAC Ball said; “We know that mothers are often the
ones in a family who are most likely to spot signs and
notice changes in their children’s behaviour. They are
also more likely to be able to persuade their children
not to travel. I want to thank all those women who
attended today’s event for continuing to work with us
to safeguard our young people and help them make
positive choices about their lives.”
Deputy Chief Constable, Sue Fish from Nottinghamshire
Police, said: “Nottinghamshire Police is extremely proud
to be part of this fantastic regional event in celebration
of International Women’s Day. It is testament to our
continued engagement with our local communities
that we have received such outstanding support from
ladies across the East Midlands.
“Our event today aims to highlight the vital role women
play in driving social change as well as the importance
of working with our partners to promote issues which
affect women from all walks of life.”
Nottingham African Women Network
The Nottingham African
Women Network has been
established to engage,
support and empower
African girls and women in
the region.
For more details and to join,
or Partner with us, contact
Valentine Nkoyo [email protected]
T:01158457009 | M: 07794372214
167 Alfreton Road, NG7 3JR
www.gaindiaspora.co.uk