Freedom (charity)

Freedom or Freedom Charity is a UK-based charity which supports victims of forced marriage, FGM and dishonour on the family.^[1] The charity was founded in 2009 by Aneeta Prem and the chair of trustees is Toby Harris.

Awareness and helpline for forced marriage, FGM and dishonour abuse

The charity provides educational material and teaching and training programmes for schools & front line professionals and runs a 24/7 helpline supported by trained professionals.^[1] It is thought there may be 8000 forced marriages each year in Britain and it is most prevalent in communities originating in south Asia.^[2][3]

The charity operates its own website and also uses social media websites.^[4] In conjunction with the UK government's Forced Marriage Unit and the Metropolitan Police, the charity provides a smartphone app which, to divert suspicion, ostensibly looks like a game but which gives information regarding forced marriage for victims and carers and allows helplines to be called and emergency help to be summoned.^[5] The organisation aims to give every teenager in Britain a copy of Prem's book But It's Not Fair, a book with governmental recommendation.^[6][7][8]

Freedom Charity was founded by Aneeta Prem, a magistrate, who was born in London.^[1][3] When working as a karate teacher in London, Prem encountered the problem of forced marriages when teaching martial arts to young women.^[9]

On 16 June 2014, The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (UK) ^[10] made forcing someone into marriage a criminal offence. The charity marked the change in legislation by launching a hashtag campaign #freedom2choose^[11] and a video to help raise awareness of the change in legislation was produced.^[12] The video featured The Home Secretary, Theresa May; Aneeta Prem, founder of Freedom Charity; Sophie Lott from the government's Forced Marriage Unit; Commander Mak Chishty, National Police Lead on Forced Marriage; Nazir Afzal, Chief Crown Prosecutor of the Crown Prosecution Service for North West England, Edward Pleeth, a barrister; plus an anonymous victim of forced marriage,

Domestic slavery rescue

In October 2013, the organisation was contacted by three women in London saying they had been held as domestic slaves for thirty years. A television documentary on forced marriages, followed by an interview with Prem describing the work of Freedom Charity, had prompted one of the victims to call the helpline. Freedom contacted the Metropolitan Police who managed the women's rescue with the assistance of the charity which held secret telephone calls with the captives.^[13] Two suspects were arrested.^[3][8]

Red Triangle campaign

Monday 6 February 2017 saw Freedom Charity launch the Red Triangle campaign. Set to run until International Women's Day on the 8th March, the campaign aims to help eradicate Female Genital Mutilation FGM/C in a generation. Those taking part in the campaign are encouraged to wear a small downward facing red triangle to symbolise solidarity against Female Genital Mutilation.^[14]

References