Once a year, a group of 24 police officers and NHS workers from the UK visits us for two weeks to do mostly educational work in the Massai communities. As they’re specialised in handling FGM cases in the UK, they are destined to hold awareness seminars in schools and villages in Kenya and educate girls and women about FGM and their right to say no to this violation of their human rights.
While with us, the UK team gets an opportunity to interact with communities in order to get a cultural insight on why FGM is still important for them and how it is conducted. This helps the police officers in their investigations of FGM cases back in the UK, having a better cultural understanding.
The activities the team conducts while visiting Divinity Foundation in Kenya include:
Participation in the annual
Alternative Rite of PassageConduction of outreach workshops in rural villages and schools with groups of men, women and children on FGM and understanding gender based violence
Conduction of workshops with girls on how to make reusable sanitary towels
Holding of open forum meetings with circumcisers and women on challenges they face to eradicate the tradition of FGM
Participation in the annual Football Against FGM tournament
We are very proud to announce that DCI Gillian Squires of the West-Midlands Police has been honoured by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the 2018 honours list for her work in safeguarding the rights of children. Together with Inspector Emma Tyler of Coventry Police and DCI Leanne Pook of Bristol Police she had been setting up the Police Officers and NHS Workers Expedition.
