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Community news
LONDON BANGLA = Friday 28 June 2013
NSPCC launches helpline for girls in danger of female genital mutilation The NSPCC has launched a helpline to protect UK children from female genital mutilation after discovering that more than 70 women and girls seek treatment every month. The youngest was just seven-years-old. Over 1,700 victims were referred to specialist clinics in the last two years. However, the charity believes the true number of victims is even higher as only a tiny fraction come forward for medical help. Those who do are usually adults with maternity problems. Female genital mutilation is a form of child abuse common to some African, Asian and Middle Eastern communities in the UK. This illegal and life-threatening initiation ritual can leave young victims in agony and with physical and psychological problems that can continue into adulthood. Carried out in secret and often without anaesthetic it involves the partial or total removal of the external female genital organs. Victims are usually aged between four and ten, but some are babies. Lisa Harker, NSPCC Head of Strategy, said: “The UK’s child victims of female genital mutilation are hidden behind a wall of silence. Like other forms of abuse if female genital mutilation is not exposed it will continue to thrive and more children will suffer. “There is also a huge pressure within these communities to keep quiet about female genital mutilation, with some people even being threatened with violence if they speak out.
“This is why we believe a dedicated helpline with specially trained child protection advisors is needed to help overcome the difficulties in protecting children from such a complex and secretive form of abuse.” The free 24-hour helpline on 0800 028 3550 at fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk is for anyone concerned that a child’s welfare is at risk because of female genital mutilation and are seeking advice, information or support. Though callers’ details can remain anonymous, any information that could protect a child from abuse will be passed to the police or social services. The NSPCC’s child protection experts received training and advice from Daughters of Eve and Equality Now who work with and campaign on behalf of women and girls who have been affected by female genital mutilation. Lisa Harker continued: “We want this helpline to be a safe space for families who are against their daughter having female genital mutilation but feel powerless to stop it. Anyone from these communities can speak to us to get advice and help about female genital mutilation without fear of reprisal. “Government, professionals, campaigners and the police have shown real commitment to protecting victims of female genital mutilation. We hope that this will prove to be the tipping point that will stop this barbaric abuse of children.” The Metropolitan Police force is also supporting the FGM helpline as part of its crime prevention work and has provided training to the NSPCC.
Uni students: deadline to apply for loans is here! To ensure their funding is in place and paid by the start of the new term, students returning to university or college in September to continue a fulltime course of studies should re-apply for their finance before the deadline on Friday, 28th June. Re-applying for loans and grants through The Student Loans Company can be done quickly online at www.gov.uk/studentfinance. Processing of student finance applications can take up to six weeks. With the new term approaching, the message from The Student Loans Company to those who haven’t already reapplied for funding is: “don’t delay – get your application done today!” Derek Ross, Director of Operations and Customer Services of The Student Loans Company says: “We expect to process over a million applications for student finance for the new academic year. We therefore strongly advise continuing students in England who are returning to university or college to continue a full-time course to re-apply right away for their student finance so they allow enough time for their funding application to be
processed and paid. If, however, there is any reason that they can’t apply online by this Friday’s deadline, they should still apply just as quickly as they are able to.” Returning students who have not reapplied for their funding yet are reminded by SLC – and Student Finance England (which provides the funding to students in England) that: If they have started but not completed their application, they should login to their online account and finish it now – and not forget to press the ‘submit’ button! To complete their student finance application, they must also sign and return their declaration form. lFor more information on how to apply for student finance, visit: www.gov.uk/studentfinance. lFor a range of helpful guidance visit: www.thestudentroom.co.uk/studentfinance lTo get updates and information on how to apply, follow Student Finance England on Facebook and Twitter.
On Sunday, 23rd June, East London cyclists took part in Pedal Against Poverty. Mieke Evans, of Tower Hamlets, rode the ten miles with her friend Laura Grantham (above). The event ws raising money for CAFOD’s work fighting poverty in over 50 countries around the world, with all their inhabitants, regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality. For more information about Cafod’s work, visit www.cafod.org.uk.
Join the launch of Healthwatch Residents are invited to come along to the Healthwatch Tower Hamlets launch event and learn more about the new organisation which will act as an independent resident-led champion on health and social care. The event will take place on 2nd July at the Brady Centre, 192196 Hanbury Street, E1 5HU from 1-3.30pm and will give residents an opportunity to find out how they can get involved in the organisation and share their views on current health services. There will also be free health checks, face painting, children’s play area and crèche available on the day. Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman said: “Healthwatch is an important organisation which will ensure health services are held accountable. I urge residents to come along and get involved in the work they do.” Councillor Abdul Asad, lead member for Health and Wellbeing added: “We support the work of Healthwatch and will be working with them to improve health and social care services for our residents.” Healthwatch Tower Hamlets Chair, Amjad Rahi, said: “This is a great opportunity for local people to have their say. We look forward to hearing people’s views and experiences, and to feeding back to the relevant services. We are working with key stakeholders such as the Tower Hamlets Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the Health and Wellbeing Board and Tower Hamlets Council, so we are ideally placed to make a real difference to health and social care in the borough.” As well as attending the event, there are a number of ways for local people to get involved in Healthwatch. Visit the Healthwatch Tower Hamlets website http://www.healthwatchtowerhamlets.co.uk/ or freephone on 0800 145 5343 for more information.
Tower Hamlets Mayor approves dispersal zone in Bethnal Green Get your sentences right! The Council has approved an application for a temporary dispersal zone in south Bethnal Green. The application was made by the police and comes after a dispersal zone elsewhere in Bethnal Green earlier this year. The new dispersal zone covers the area bounded by the Railway Line between Cambridge Heath Road and Globe Road to the North, Cambridge Heath Road, Darling Row, Collingwood Street, Headlam Street and Buckhurst Street to the West, Mile End Road, Assembly Passage and Adelina Grove to the South and Globe Road to the East. It will be in place until 10th November. The dispersal zone gives police officers extra powers to move on people who are behaving anti-socially. Officers can exclude groups of two or more people who are not resident within the area, if they are acting in an anti-social manner. The exclusion lasts for up to 24 hours and if the excluded people fail to leave or return within the excluded time, they can be arrested and fined up to £2,500 or imprisoned.
Officers are also able to return youngsters under the age of 16 to their homes if they are causing a nuisance between the hours of 9pm to 6am. Police applied for the dispersal zone because local residents have been complaining about drug dealing and other forms of anti-social behaviour in the area. The application came after police had already tried to deal with the trouble by issuing antisocial behaviour injunctions and increasing patrols in the area. Businesses had also been complaining that their customers had felt harassed and intimidated by groups of young males hanging around. There is no excuse for anti-social behaviour and it is hoped that the dispersal zone will help residents lead a normal, safe life and will help business pick up. However, with youth unemployment rising, there are fears that young people with nowhere else to go will now move out of the dispersal zone and start harassing people elsewhere in the Borough.
The Sentencing Council has just published proposed new sentencing guidelines for a range of crimes. These guidelines cover offences in the general category of fraud. They include new guidelines on crimes such as cowboy builders overcharging, gangs who commit offences around cash point machines, company tax evasion and fraudulent insurance claims. Also included for the first time are bribery, corporate offending and money laundering. Sentencing guidelines cannot change the law, so all the new guidelines will remain with the legal frameworks set down by Parliament. However, the guidelines have been changed to put more emphasis on the effect fraud has on victims beyond financial loss. Those who target vulnerable people such as the elderly will get a premium on their sentences. lThe full guidelines are available on www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk, and anyone can send in a comment about them during the next few weeks.