Balloons Released in Memory of Victims ( Published: 14/07/2015)

Greater Manchester Police, Whalley Range 11-18 High School and partners across Greater Manchester are supporting Britain’s Lost Women, the first annual event held by the charity Karma Nirvana and Cosmopolitan Magazine to remember those women and men that have fallen victim to these crimes.

As a mark of respect pupils at the school released 250 balloons to remember those victims. We also developed a short video (found on this page) based on the subject in collaboration with Greater Manchester Police, which was played to students from all across the south Manchester area.

The event saw talks from special guest speakers who are experts in the field of honour based abuse and forced marriage. Chief Inspector Nicky Porter from Greater Manchester Police, who lead on the day, said:

Their lives will not be forgotten and each year we will commemorate for the courage they have shown others, which is what makes events like today all the more worthwhile. By educating this next generation of bright, young pupils we can put an end to this type of abuse and encourage victims to feel comfortable to come forward and report the crime.

Sharon Allen, Senior Child Protection Officer at Whalley Range 11-18 High School, said:

We have been recognised as a beacon of good practice in the area of safeguarding – particularly forced marriage and honour based violence. We have developed our practice over many years ensuring that the wellbeing of young people remain at the very heart of what we do. We are honoured to be the host for the North West’s Annual National Day of Remembrance.

Chief Inspector Porter added:

Being forced into a marriage to simply uphold your families ‘honour’ is no way to live a life. You should have the freedom to make decisions for yourself and by reporting the crime to police we will be able to support you through the process and ensure you are able to live your life without fear.

Cosmopolitan and Karma Nirvana are encouraging people to sign their petition and pledge their support for change. You can sign the pledge and find more information on the national campaign below:

www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/britainslostwomen

See what people are saying about this on Twitter with the hashtag: #dishonourthecrime