Tory leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch stated in a BBC interview this weekend that not all cultures were “equally valid” citing “cultures that believe in child marriage” as an example, before saying that she thought it was “extraordinary” that people thought this view was controversial.

Here at Savera UK, what we believe to be “extraordinary” is Ms Badenoch’s startling lack of knowledge and understanding of the issue of child marriage, and her dangerous conflation of culture with abuse.

No culture ‘believes’ in child marriage. It is not a part of any culture. Child marriage is a violation of human rights that is perpetrated by abusers who use culture or religion as an excuse to abuse.

For a person being considered for one of the highest seats of power in the UK to so wrongly conflate abuse with culture is irresponsible, dangerous and fans the flames of hate that we have seen targeted at people of diverse cultures over the summer in the UK.

All cultures are valid. They allow a sense of belonging, shared history and place of joy and celebration. Culture is beautiful #NoExcuseForAbuse

If, like Ms Badenoch, you are confused about the difference between culture and abuse, visit the Savera UK Learning Hub for free resources: https://www.saverauklearninghub.co.uk/

Image Credit: By UK Government – Cabinet Ministers Announcements, CC BY 2.0

A new law prompted by a case where police failings led to the murder of two women has been revealed by the Home Office.

‘Raneem’s Law’ has been introduced in memory of Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem, who were murdered by Raneem’s estranged husband in 2018. 

The law will see domestic abuse specialists embedded in 999 control rooms by early 2025. 

Their specialist knowledge will see that cases are recognised, referred to appropriate services and agencies promptly, and receive the urgent attention that they need.

It will also see the launch of a new domestic abuse protection order pilot that will order more abusers to stay away from victims and impose tougher sanctions if they fail to do so. The Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) will provide a vital framework to strengthen legal protections for those at risk, including those experiencing emotional and coercive control, and place a clear emphasis on managing perpetrator behaviour through mandatory interventions and measures including electronic tagging and no maximum duration.

Afrah Qassim, CEO and Founder of Savera UK, said: “We welcome the introduction of ‘Raneem’s Law’ and believe that embedding domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms and the introduction of new DAPOs with tougher sanctions has clear potential to see more cases correctly identified, particularly in cases of HBA and harmful practices, and responded to swiftly and appropriately.

“However, effective implementation is vital. Much more detail is needed on how these initiatives will be put into action, including around training and vetting of specialists and the services and agencies that people at risk are referred to. Sadly, if these measures are not implemented correctly, they will not work.

“There must be robust training around HBA and harmful practices, which are often not easily identified and require a very different approach from frontline professionals when responding. 

“In our experience as a specialist HBA and harmful practice service, we see many frontline professionals working in the statutory and voluntary sector who are unaware of the laws that have been introduced to protect people from HBA and harmful practices. 

“These include the law banning virginity testing and Hymenoplasty, which was introduced under the Health and Care Act 2022 and the The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022, which prohibits child marriage in England and Wales. We also see a lack of knowledge of these laws amongst individuals who may be affected.

“Without effective implementation these powerful tools will fail to have the desired impact. Savera UK will continue to embed these laws and now ‘Raneem’s Law’ into our training, education and community engagement. We are committed to working with the Home Office, and voluntary and statutory services to ensure effective implementation, as together this will help us to end HBA and harmful practices for good.”

Read more about ‘Raneem’s Law’ from the Home Office: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-measures-set-out-to-combat-violence-against-women-and-girls 

A former PhD student has been found guilty of conspiring to commit female genital mutilation (FGM) against a young girl in the first conviction of its kind in England and Wales.  

Emad Kaky, 47, from Swansea, arranged for the child to travel from the UK to Iraq where he had organised for her to be subjected to FGM and forced into marriage.  

He was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit FGM and forced marriage, which he denied. In order to ensure the case went to trial, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had to show both that FGM is a criminal offence in Iraq and that the man had committed an act in England and Wales, where the CPS has jurisdiction to prosecute, as part of the conspiracy to commit FGM.

To fulfil this requirement, prosecutors presented evidence that showed he had booked and paid for the trip to Iraq while living in Nottingham. Messages retrieved from his phone showed Kaky clearly intended for the girl to be subjected to FGM and forced into marriage. He went on to defend his actions when a witness challenged him, calling FGM “normal”.

To further help the jury understand what FGM involves, the prosecution secured evidence from a cultural expert, who gave evidence about the practices and the physical and psychological harm it can inflict.

This is the first time a person in England and Wales has been convicted of conspiring to commit FGM. Kaky is now due to be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on 3rd October.

Speaking about the conviction, which took place in September at Nottingham Crown Court, Savera UK CEO and Founder, Afrah Qassim, said: “FGM is a harmful and abusive practice and a violation of human rights. As with the conviction and sentencing of Amina Noor in February 2024, this is another landmark decision that sends a strong message to those who perpetrate FGM will be held accountable. 

“It also shows those at risk or under threat of FGM, survivors of the practice, or those who raise the alarm rather than looking the other way can seek help or speak out, and that they will be listened to and believed.

“The use of evidence from a cultural expert also highlights the importance of the CPS and statutory services working with specialist services to secure convictions.

“We welcome this conviction and thank the CPS for its commitment to getting justice for survivors and those at risk. It sets a precedent for future cases and provides those organisations, like Savera UK, working to end FGM and other harmful practices with another tool to challenge these forms of abuse and violations of human rights.

“Savera UK stands with all survivors and those at risk of FGM and those working to help them. Together we will end FGM and all forms of harmful practices.”

Read more about the conviction here: https://www.cps.gov.uk/east-midlands/news/man-convicted-conspiring-commit-fgm-against-young-girl-legal-first

Almost a month ago our Merseyside community was devastated by the horrific knife attack in Southport, which saw three young girls murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop, and five more children and two adults seriously injured. 

Firstly and most importantly, we must recognise the heartbreaking loss of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. Three young girls with hopes, dreams and people that loved them, taken far too soon. As an organisation, we wish to extend our deepest condolences to their friends, families and all those affected by the attack. Our thoughts are with you.

This attack and its aftermath had a profound impact not just in Merseyside, but also across the UK. When the attention should have been on standing in solidarity with the victims, their families and indeed the survivors, the tragedy was instead weaponised and used as an excuse for violence towards ethnic and religious minorities and migrant communities, which escalated in the wake of the attack through hate and disinformation spread online.

As a service run by and providing help to people from a diverse range of backgrounds, ethnicities and religions, it was a frightening and unsettling experience, but we did not allow it to deter us from delivering our clients the help that they needed, particularly at such a time of heightened risk.

To protect both our staff and clients, we pivoted to working from home and online service delivery and instigated immediate check-ins to ensure everyone involved with the organisation and both active and non-active clients were safe, aware of the developing risk and up-to-date on how they could access their usual services. Liaising with police and local authorities, we also circulated reliable information about areas to avoid, dates and location of concern and other safety updates – something we are continuing to do while risk of violence and unrest is still considered high.

While a frightening time for our employees, clients and their families, our resolve has been strengthened by the show of solidarity across our communities. From Savera UK funder Community Foundation for Merseyside rapidly establishing the Southport Strong Together Appeal – an emergency response fund to help these affected by the Southport attack – and faith and community leaders coming together to call for calm, peace and dialogue to overcome tensions, to huge turnouts from anti-racist protesters across the UK demonstrating that hate is not wanted here and protecting religious sites, centres supporting migrants and refugees and other community centres.

We would like to thank all those in our own community who have reached out to Savera UK to check in and offer help at this difficult time, the police and other emergency services who have been on the frontline responding to riots and threats and our own clients, team, the Savera UK Youth, our board and advisory board who have all show great resourcefulness and resilience in ensuring that our service continues to operate.

We believe our communities are stronger and better when we work together to promote love over hate; when we open dialogue to increase understanding and encourage acceptance and when we stand in solidarity to ensure the most vulnerable in our society are protected and given the help they need and deserve – we will continue to work in a way that reflects this, regardless of the challenges we face.

Afrah Qassim

CEO and Founder, Savera UK

Today Aminan Rahman was sentenced to life in jail for the murder of his wife, Suma Begum, which was witnessed by her two children and her online boyfriend.

On 3rd July this year, Rahman, 46, was found guilty by a jury at the Old Bailey of murdering Begum, 24, in a flat in east London on the night of 29 April last year.

During the case, prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC had told jurors that Suma was: “no longer happy in her marriage, she was fairly openly in a relationship with another man, and she had expressed the desire to leave the defendant, something about which neither he nor her family were happy.”

He also added: “But whether he [Rahman] was motivated by rage, shame, or pure jealousy, or a more complex mix of cultural expectations and emotions, may not matter.”

Speaking of the sentencing, CEO and founder of Savera UK, Afrah Qassim, said: “While we welcome the verdict and sentencing in this case, we understand that it will not bring Suma back, nor ease the pain for her family, friends and all those who loved her.

“This is a truly horrific case, where not only has a young woman had her life taken, but three others – including two children – were witness to the murder, leaving them with lifelong trauma.

“Suma Begum had her whole life ahead of her. If she was unhappy in her marriage, she should have been free to leave. Savera UK believes that this case bears the hallmarks of an ‘honour’ killing. There are no “cultural expectations” that can endorse or excuse murder and no individual, family or community should be able to dictate how an individual should live their life. There is no ‘honour’ in abuse or murder.

“We hope that the verdict and sentencing brings Suma’s loved ones some sense of justice, and that it highlights that perpetrators of such horrific crimes will be held accountable for their actions.”

Image credit: Met Police