Somali Development Group

FGM (FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION)

The Somali community has been practicing FGM since the community has existed. As such, Somali culture is one that is quite downgrading for girls. The Somali Development Group has been commissioned by the Government Office South West together with the Home Office to produce a program to empower and protect young girls from FGM. We do this by:

  • Providing all the information they need and by advocating them to prevent future victimisation.
  • Achieving the parents understanding of the various implications it has in an effort to prevent this practice.
  • Provide both training and educational sessions for girls and parents, which include teaching them about the health and legal aspects of the subject.
  • Keeping a close eye on parents to prevent possible harm to their daughters.
    The Somali community still has many old-fashioned parents who are pro-FGM. It is therefore important to be aware of any signs that show probable risk to the girls.
FGM Posters
Highslide JS
Female Genital Mutilation Poster 1
Female Genital Mutilation Poster 1
 Highslide JS
Female Genital Mutilation Poster 2
Female Genital Mutilation Poster 2

FMU (FORCE MARRIAGE UNIT)

In Somalia, women’s rights are not equal to men’s. Many people within the Somali community – including women - accept this and even promote such the belief that women are not equal to men. This has caused issues such as forced marriage to maintain its presence, regardless of integration into foreign societies.

In order to tackle this, the Somali Development Group aim to educate the community and prevent forced marriage by having educational sessions and workshops. This includes:

  • Teaching women and men about women’s rights according to the law in the UK and in many other countries.
  • Making people aware of the support you can get if they or anyone else can seek if at risk of being subject to a forced marriage.
  • Explaining Islam’s stance on the topic and what religious classes and Imams teach.
  • Teaching them the value of their education and independence in life.
  • Informing the parents of England’s educational system.
    This is important because, due to language barriers, some parents are not aware of how their children’s schools work.

These sessions try to give girls a greater confidence to fight for their independence and to gain support from the parents and more members of the community to do the same.

Both sessions are held on a monthly basis. We go to secondary schools and hold events in which anyone can join (men and women, mothers and daughters, etc).