The Soho Hotel was the setting for the Hemraj Goyal Foundation’s (HGF) first FGM awareness event, hosted in partnership with children’s charity Barnardo’s, and the National FGM Centre (NFGMC).
More than sixty people attended the event on the evening of 30th May 2018, which was a private screening of Jaha’s Promise followed by a panel discussion and opportunity for guests to ask their questions.
The special event, organised collaboratively by the three charitable organizations, aimed to raise awareness of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) by not only showing the deeply moving documentary, but by encouraging guests to share their thoughts afterwards with the panel of experts. Jaha’s Promise, which was released in 2017, was made by The Guardian as part of their Global Campaign to end FGM.
The panel was made up of Leethen Bartholomew, Head of the NFGMC, Sonita Pobi who heads up the National Lead Learning and Professional Development for the NFGMC, and Maggie O’Kane, Executive Producer of the film and Executive Director for the Global Media Campaign to end FGM. Questions were led by Anita Goyal, Director of HGF and Honorary Chair for the FGM Appeal, who covered everything from the film’s inception to what we can all do to help bring an end to Female Genital Mutilation.
One of the key messages guests took away from the event was a sense of encouragement to talk about what they saw and how it made them feel. “The only way to end FGM is by breaking the silence”.
Anita Goyal said: “The Hemraj Goyal Foundation is delighted to be continuing its work alongside Barnardo’s and the National FGM Centre into 2018. Sharing Jaha’s Promise was a step in ensuring we collaborate in bringing this horrendous practice to an end in the UK”.
This private screening was part of a set of three events that are being hosted by HGF, Barnardo’s and NFGMC in 2018. The next event, a full-day conference on FGM, is taking place on Monday 9th July, and will include an introduction from Barnardo’s CEO Javed Khan, presentations from industry professionals and the chance to hear from an FGM survivor.
If you would like to attend or support any of HGF’s upcoming events, please contact Chesca for more information on [email protected].
