Welcome to the Empower & Enable series by Elmore and Oxford Against Cutting.

Oxford Against Cutting, also known as OAC is a rights-based charity working to end harmful practices suffered by girls and women. These include female genital mutilation (FGM), ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA), early and forced marriage (EFM) and female cosmetic genital surgery.

Elmore is a complex-needs, mental health, and domestic abuse charity in Oxfordshire, working with vulnerable people experiencing several overlapping challenges at the same time. Elmore is delivering the victim and perpetrator programmes as part of Oxfordshire’s new Family Solutions Plus service, funded by Oxfordshire County Council. This podcast has been made possible by funding by the Thames Valley Police Crime Commissioner.

In today’s episode, we are going to be talking about Gender-power dynamics and Socialisation within diverse communities. We are in conversation with Imran Manzoor of Breaking the Silence.

This episode covers topics of a sensitive nature including childhood abuse, trauma, domestic abuse and faith abuse.

This podcast is age-appropriate for 16+

We talk about body image and the pressures of social media. We are joined by Darius Smith and Dr Sita Madaan, along with our OAC colleagues, Dot and Nesreen. Does social media influence the way we look at our own bodies?

Darius's blog - Victoryforyou

Trigger warning: this episode covers topics of a sensitive nature including bullying. This podcast is age-appropriate for 16+

We talk about “honour”-based abuse and forced marriage from men’s perspectives and are joined by Matt Mahmood-Ogston, Dr Maz Idriss and Lucky Roy Singh.You’ll hear lived experiences and how these led to the speakers’ campaign journeys.

Naz & Matt Foundation

ManKind

Karma Nirvana

Albert Kennedy Trust

Forced Marriage Unit

Elm Foundation

Men and Boys Coalition

The Harm Network

Articles & Books:

Abused by the Patriarchy: Male Victims, Masculinity, "Honor" - Based Abuse and Forced Marriages by Maz Idriss

Take a Walk in My Big Indian Heels: Mr Singh's Diary by Lucky Roy Singh

Trigger warning: this episode covers topics of a sensitive nature including references to suicide and domestic abuse. This podcast is age-appropriate for 16+

In this episode, Oxford Against Cutting's hosts Monica and Kate are joined by campaigners Hoda and Hibo. They will be talking about female genital mutilation, also known as FGM, and the education which needs to happen around it. You'll be surprised to hear the myths which are associated with this harmful practice too!

Please note that this episode covers topics of a sensitive nature including explicit descriptions of FGM.

This podcast is age-appropriate for 16+

In this episode, Oxford Against Cutting's hosts Monica and Kate are joined by campaigners Payzee Mahmod and Sunny Angel, along with Oxford Against Cutting colleagues, Sobia and Rubie Marie. They'll be talking about "honour"-based abuse and forced marriage. You'll hear their traumatic experiences and how they're driven to campaign against it to ensure other girls don't suffer.

Show notes can be found on our website