IKWRO’s Diana Nammi named among 150 women who shake the world
IKWRO’s Diana Nammi has been named on a list of 150 women who shake the world. The list has been put together by Newsweek and The Daily Beast – convenors of the recent Women in the World Summit - to honour women activists and the growing network of powerful women who support their efforts. “They are heads of state and heads of household, angry protesters in the city square and sly iconoclasts in remote villages. With a fiery new energy, women are building schools, starting businesses, fighting corruption, harnessing new technologies and breaking down old prejudices....
Read MoreWhy not join IKWRO’s girls’ group?
Hi, my name’s Tara and I work as an events organiser at IKWRO. I’m 21 myself, and recently I decided to set up a support group for girls aged 16-25. IKWRO’s other support groups are focussed on older women, and I wanted to give younger women and girls a space where they could talk to others their own age and discuss issues going on in their day to day lives. The group has been running for six months now but new members can join at any time. The group meets once a month – usually for about 90 minutes – and discusses issues chosen by the participants. So far we’ve...
Read MoreCampaign to Abolish No Recourse to Public Funds Celebrates Victory
Yesterday the Home Office introduced a concession allowing victims of domestic violence who have entered the UK on spousal visas and have no recourse to public funds (NRPFs) to access benefits and public housing while they apply for settlement under what’s known as the ‘domestic violence rule’. The Campaign to Abolish No Recourse to Public Funds, which involves over 27 leading women’s and human rights groups including IKWRO, welcomes this concession. It represents a major victory for the Campaign, and for the rights of migrant women at risk of gender based violence and...
Read MoreCriminalisation of forced marriage – IKWRO statement of support
Forcing someone to marry is a serious violation of human rights which deprives the victim of the ability to make fundamental decisions about their life. It can also involve serious crimes, including rape, abduction, assault and imprisonment. Yet forced marriage is not a crime under UK law. Last May the Home Affairs Committee recommended that the government make forcing someone to marry a criminal offence. The HAC argued that this “would send out a very clear and positive message to communities”. A government consultation on this is ongoing. IKWRO recently held a meeting with...
Read MoreAnother year, another International Women’s Day: how much longer will victims of ‘honour’ violence have to wait?
A year ago, to mark International Women’s Day, I wrote a blog post for the Independent. I wrote about a GP’s receptionist who refused to put up a poster advertising our advice service for women facing ‘honour’-based violence. The receptionist told one of our workers that the poster “might offend men”. We were by no means surprised by the receptionist’s reaction. Later last year, we spoke to a student counsellor who said that while she had spoken to several sixth-form students who were facing forced marriage, she had never phoned the police, and instead simply offered the...
Read MoreIKWRO announces winners of True Honour Awards 2011
The winners of IKWRO’s first True Honour Awards - an annual prize which has been established in memory of all victims of honour killing – were announced during a special ceremony in London. The first winner is Hanim Goren, the mother of “honour” killing victim Tulay Goren. 15 year old Tulay disappeared in January 1999 after angering her father Mehmet. Hanim Goren suspected that her husband had killed Tulay, but she was too frightened to talk to police because of the risk to her own life. In 2009 Hanim finally decided to break her silence and give evidence...
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