Nottingham connected
News & Sports
7
UN RECOGNISES MOJATU FOUNDATION & SHERIFF
OF NOTTINGHAM FOR THEIR WORK ON ENDING FGM
By Valentine Nkoyo
Mojatu Foundation and Sheriff of Nottingham were
invited to Vienna for Women Federation for World
Peace International UN event in honour of our
global work in ending Female Genital Mutilation
(FGM). The UN presentation and celebration took
place on 27 March.
Following Mojatu’s community work and collaborative
work with the Office of the Police and Crime
Commissioner, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Councillor
Jackie Moriss and other partners, our Director,
Valentine Nkoyo received an invite to attend and
present at a conference at the United Nations Vienna
on ending FGM.
The Nottingham Community FGM Steering Group
worked closely with the Sheriff to have a motion
moved at the full Council House in September 2016.
After becoming the first city in the UK to officially take
the stance, Mojatu Foundation took the campaign to
parliament. Nottingham’s work has been recognised
even beyond the UK as a leading figure in taking a
strong stance and using a multiagency approach in
tackling FGM.
Mojatu also presented Nottingham’s work at an international
conference in Bratislava in November 2016.
The Vienna conference brought together vital support
foundations like the Women Federation for World
Peace International and the United Nations to discuss
the issues surrounding FGM and how measures can be
taken to stop young women becoming victims.
Valentine Nkoyo, the Director of Mojatu Foundation
and Councillor Jackie Morris, The Sheriff of Nottingham
were invited to represent Nottingham and to present
their work to the international audience in order to
showcase how Nottingham is leading the UK’s battle
on FGM.
Valentine said: “Receiving an invite to the event in
Vienna is great news for our fight against FGM. Not only
does it provide our organisation with an international
platform to explain and help others in their fight against
FGM, but the invite is also international recognition
for the vital work we do here in Nottingham. I am
grateful for the support from Nottingham City Council,
the Office of the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime
Commissioner and all our other funders and partners.
The Women Federation for World Peace UK and Vienna
have been instrumental in getting us such a platform
and we are grateful for this support.”
Valentine added: “FGM is a major issue around the
world and so for the United Nations and the Women
Federation for World Peace to be supporting the fight
against it will help provide support for many survivors
and those at risk.”
The Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner,
Paddy Tipping said that, “Sadly FGM remains an
underreported crime because people are too frightened
to ask for help. A lot of progress has been made in the
fight to tackle this dreadful practice and encourage
people to come forward, but there is more to do. This
conference represents another big step in the right
direction and I’m really pleased to see that Valentine has
been invited to speak. I am proud of the work we have
done together to raise awareness of the issue and to
support survivors and those at risk and am sure that her
presentation will be very much appreciated”.
FGM represents a risk to physical health, mental health
and quality of life for young women across the whole
of the United Kingdom and throughout the world. It is
believed over 60,000 people are at risk of this abuse in
this country alone.
Speaking about the invite, Councillor Jackie Morris said:
“For Nottingham to be invited to the Celebration of the
International Women’s Day: Zero tolerance to FGM event
is fantastic news. As the leading city in the UK, it is going
to be a valuable opportunity for Nottingham to guide
other cities around the world in the battle against FGM.
We are extremely proud of the ways we are tackling
FGM in Nottingham, and the UK, so to attend this event
alongside the Mojatu Foundation will help us continue
this important work.”