Flash mob delivers forced marriage message to
Liverpool Airport Flyers
PASSENGERS checking in at Liverpool
John Lennon Airport, on Friday, 15 July 2016, were treated to a surprise
rendition of a Little Mix song by performers. The flash mob stunt was organised
by Merseyside Police to raise awareness of the important issue of honour based
violence and promote local women's charity 'Savera.' Lyrics from
Little Mix's song 'Attention' were adapted to reflect female empowerment with
the aim of encouraging people who fear the prospect of a forced marriage or
female genital mutilation (FGM) to seek help from Police or charities like
Savera. The initiative at the airport aimed to capture as wide an audience as
possible with people of all nationalities and cultures flying out from Liverpool
to other parts of Europe and beyond. Passengers in the check in queue were also
given free neck pillows and other freebies promoting the charity Savera, which
supports women who have been the victim of honour based violence.
Detective Chief Inspector John Middleton from the force's Protecting Vulnerable
Persons unit said raising awareness of what honour based violence is and how
victims can seek help was crucial. He said:- "Protecting vulnerable people
is at the heart of what we do and we know that honour based violence is still a
vastly under-reported crime. It is deep rooted in other cultures and traditions
but under UK law it constitutes a crime because it often involves violence,
coercion and victims being made to do things against their will. The Police
service is doing all it can to lift the lid on issues such as forced marriage
and female genital mutilation, but there Is still a great deal of work to be
done. It is our duty not only to build confidence and trust in the Police with
victims, but also raise awareness among the general public about this very
important issue. Today is just 1 of many things we are doing to achieve this and
by aiming it at large numbers of people jetting off abroad I hope that those who
are going on to countries where perhaps these practices are still acceptable
will have been given something to think about on their journey."
A spokesperson for the Liverpool charity, Savera, said:- "Savera is
committed to change and by challenging the status quo we seek to give voice to
those who are silenced by honour based violence. Savera was founded in 2010 to
address what we saw as a glaring social issue; about which nothing was being
done. The victims of this violence are individuals who are most vulnerable. The
lack of a systemic and systematic remedy within the community led us to creating
our own. We have worked since to co-ordinate efforts across organisations
(Police, social services, health providers) to orchestrate a response which is
both timely and can potentially save lives. On top of this, we also work to
raise awareness about what constitutes honour based violence to help people read
the signs. Our mission statement defines what we exist to do: We are dedicated
to tackling domestic abuse within Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee
communities."
