Freedom or Freedom Charity is a UK-based

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

which supports victims of

forced marriage Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later force ...

female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...

(FGM) and family dishonor. The charity was founded in 2009 by

Aneeta Prem Aneeta Prem is a British author, human rights campaigner, magistrate and the founder and president of Freedom. Background Prem was born in London, England. Her father, Chandra Shekhar Prem, was an author, poet and principal of a girls' college ...

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 In commerce and industry, 24/7 or 24-7 service (usually pronounced "twenty-four seven") is service that is available at any time and usually, every day. An alternate orthography for the numerical part includes 24×7 (usually pronounced "twenty ...

helpline A helpline, or switchboard, is a telephone service which offers help to those who call. Many helpline services now offer more than telephone support - offering access to information, advice or customer service via telephone, email, web or SMS. ...

supported by trained professionals. It is thought there may be 8,000 forced marriages each year in Britain and it is most prevalent in communities originating in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

. The charity operates its own website and also uses

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

websites. In conjunction with the UK government's Forced Marriage Unit and the

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

, the charity provides a

smartphone app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on de ...

which, to divert suspicion, ostensibly looks like a

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

but which gives information regarding forced marriage for victims and carers and allows helplines to be called and emergency help to be summoned. The organisation aims to give every

teenager Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

in Britain a copy of Prem's book ''But It's Not Fair'', a book with governmental recommendation. Freedom Charity was founded by

, a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

, who was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. When working as a

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

teacher in London, Prem encountered the problem of forced marriages when teaching martial arts to young women. On 16 June 2014, The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (UK) made forcing someone into marriage a

criminal offence In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

. The charity marked the change in legislation by launching a hashtag campaign #freedom2choose and a video to help raise awareness of the change in legislation was produced. 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, ''Exposure'', 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. Two suspects were arrested.

Red Triangle symbol

An inverted red triangle containing a gold heart is the international symbol for solidarity against

(FGM). The symbol was first used in 2016 by

in her novel ''Cut Flowers'' and further more as part of the Freedom Charity Red Triangle Campaign on 6 February 2016 for the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. The National Police Chiefs’ Council and Freedom charity campaign sold red triangle badges to raise awareness among people that FGM is a crime. The proceeds were used to supply books about FGM to schools. The Red Triangle symbol represents the female form.

Origins

The red triangle (FGM) symbol was devised by

, a British author, human rights campaigner, magistrate and the founder and president of Freedom Charity.

Red Triangle campaign 2017

Monday 6 February 2017 saw Freedom Charity launch the Red Triangle campaign. Set to run until

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

on 8 March, the campaign aims to help eradicate FGM in a generation. Those taking part in the campaign are encouraged to wear a small downward facing red triangle to symbolise solidarity against FGM.

''Cut Flowers''

''Cut Flowers'' is a novel written by Aneeta Prem, the founder of Freedom. The novel is about FGM. Katie and Sophia are two ordinary girls eagerly awaiting the summer holidays until their teacher, Miss Adams, gives them their summer homework – to prepare a presentation about what they did over the holidays. Little did they know that it would be the start of a lifelong mission to protect young girls all over the world. When Katie finally returns from Africa she needs all of Sophia’s support and creative flair to shine a spotlight on something that’s affecting millions of girls worldwide, but that no one seems to want to talk about. The book has PSHE Association lesson plans to accompany it. The book warns about the dangers of FGM, and is being distributed to schoolchildren to raise awareness of the illegal practice.

''But It's Not Fair''

''But It's Not Fair'', another novel by Aneeta Prem, draws Prem's extensive experience supporting child victims of forced marriage and dishonour based crimes through her work with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Government Ministers, the police, survivors and her experiences as a magistrate. The story is written from the view of a young British girl, Vinny, whose friend almost becomes a victim of forced marriage. The book is presented in a chatty and easy-to-read style, but it carries some powerful messages. It not only raises awareness of forced marriage and highlights some of the key signs associated with forced marriage, but it also suggests courses of action that could help potential victims. Freedom Charity distributes copies of ''But It's Not Fair'' free to schools, alongside lesson plans for teachers.

References

{{reflist Crisis hotlines Youth charities based in the United Kingdom Human rights abuses in the United Kingdom Forced marriage Women's rights in the United Kingdom Children's charities based in the United Kingdom Women's rights organizations