Ambara Hashi Nur

Chairman of Somali Women Organisation in Denmark

Welcome

Welcome to the Somali Women Organisation in Denmark (SWOD) website. The organisation was established in 1993 by a group of somali women in Denmark.

The organisation was brought to light after the arrival of many somali women refugees in Denmark in 1990's. they recognised that it was necessary to have such a organisation, who can take part of the cases arround integration.

Ambara Hashi Nur who is one of the somali women who established the somali women organisation in Somalia before its collapse.

INTERNATIONAL DAY ON ZERO TOLERANE TO FGM

7th of February 2011.

In order to prevent FGM we have to focus on building bridges between
Europe and Africa as it is important to involve societies from both
continents in the fight against this harmful traditional practice. We,
in Europe, have to work together with the women and girls in African,
who have already undergone circumcision – they are the real
professionals. We also need to involve men more actively, especially
young men, as they are the future husbands and fathers.

If we stand united across the continents and across the genders,
together we can save the women and girls who are in danger of
circumcision and achieve a zero tolerance towards FGM.

The problem so called honour crime whether they occur in Europe or in
other regions constitute acts of violence. FGM has been carried out
for more than 4000 years in some parts of the world predominantly in
Africa but also elsewhere. Twenty-eight of the 53 African countries
practise FGM

The three of the ten large citizenship groups applying for asylum in
The EU today come from African countries where FGM is practised. FGM
is perpetuated with in some families in migrant communities from
Africa as we as in parts of the Middle East and Asia predominantly
Indonesia and Malaysia.

There are also reports that procedures that constitute FGM in all but
name are carried out by cosmetic surgeons operating in Europe. In
January 2004 there was an outcry when health authorities in Florence
accepted proposal from an Italian gynaecologist who wished to perform
a light version of FGM to satisfy traditional demands from African
mothers. The doctor argued that a medially supervised out of the
child’s genitals was preferable to the child being subjected to
traditional methods or being taken overseas for the procedure.

Such medication of FGM however is widely condemned. Although it may
reduce some of the risk during the procedure itself, it does not take
accou8nt of FGM as a serious denial of the rights of girls and women
to physical integrity, health, freedom from discrimination based on
gender and protection from violence. It also does not take into
account the future psychological trauma the victim my well suffer,
especially as she reaches the age of sexual activity marriage and
childbearing.

Within migrant communities, traditional practices harmful or not take
on extra significance because they become important markers of
cultural religious and ethnic identity. They are therefore even more
difficult to dislodge. Moreover those who know that harmful
traditional practices must be stopped-, lawyers, policy-makers,
government authorities and others may be wary of speaking out against
these practices for fear of being labelled as racist or unsympathetic
to migrant communities-This is particularly the case of FGM because it
is relatively easy to hide away and people can thus turn a blind eye
to it.
To success and challenge:

FGM has become a topic to be discussed among the African and European.
Leaders of the communities should speak out explicitly against FGM:
They have to say to FGM.
Hundreds of information meetings and home visits should car by the key
figures from the community.

<Immigrants and refugees from high risk countries should informed.



midwives. Family doctors must be trained and educate FGM.
To give special information and attention to newly arrived refugees.
To increase FGM knowledge among professionals.
To continue prevention programs with law enforcement.
To promote cooperation and building bridges between Africa and European.

With warmly regards

Ambara Hashi Nur
Vice President EuroNet
Græsvangen 179
8381 Tilst

ambaronur@gmail.com
www.somaliwomen.dk

Powerpoint - Ambaro's speech - 27. october 2010 (new)

Female Genital Mutilation in Europe and Africa - Seminar the 27th Of October 2010, Aarhus DK (new)

2006 presentations 

Organisation of the project

Daphne Project Review December 2005

Project rewiev Holland - nov 05.doc

Short presentation of activities, agreements and participants concerning
the IFT-I-IN Daphne Project - 1st of October 2005

Iftiin project - download here

More about IFTIIN project

What is circumcision?

A short presentation of the IFT I IN project in Denmark The Somali Women Organization in Denmark have just started the project IFT I IN (“Enlightment” in somali language). A project that we are carrying out in collaboration with our partners from Federation of Somali Associations in The Netherlands (FSAN) and Islington Training Network (ITN) in the UK.The objective of the project is to empower the ethnic women, promote their health and thereby prevent FGM and other lifestyle-related diseases and to promote the women's knowledge, attitudes and capability to make radical changes in their life-conditions thereby promoting "equality in health" among ethnic women in Europe. The project is  buttom-up, as the beneficiaries themselves are the project-holders. Fairly new empowerment tools such as Forum-theatre, drama, music and comics will be used in order to reach the beneficiaries and the public in new ways. Appreciative Inquiry will ne used as a method for empowering the women. This implies that the participants interview each other in order to identify their personal succes-stories. These stories will be discussed in small working groups. With help from professionel artists, small theatre plays/dialouge-theatre and other cultural performings will be developed.We believe that all people bear succes stories and these contain the potential for development and that development happens on the basis of positive experiences. More specific the activities will involve : With help from professionel artists, small theatre plays/dialouge-theatre and other cultural performings will be developed on the basis of the personal succes-stories. The productions will be performed to the public and selected target groups. We will tour our own countries with our productions - starting debates and changes on local level. Production of comic-strips in each country. We will present the comic strips to the public and selected target groups in many towns. Initiatating debates. Establish and maintain a projekt website. Invite EuroNet partners to DK from The Netherlands and the UK in order to share experiences with them and to get new inspiration Building up a close co-operation with Danish and ethnic media’s in order to market the campaign and our activities. The Somali Women Association has been taking part in 2 projects under Daphne and has gained a lot of experience from this. Therefore we have great confidence in this project and are more than ready to begin the hard work.Thank you.

Trans-national meeting in the Steering Committee of Daphne project ”IFT-I-IN” - Trivselshuset, Bispehaven - 5th of August, 2005 12.00 Attendants: Marina D’Arco, Assisting coordinator, Islington Training Network (ITN) Ambara Hashi Nuur, Chairman - Somali Women Organization (project-coordinator) Lotte Jensen, Project assistant Informal start meeting, presentation of Marina D’Arco from ITN (Islington Training Network) A working plan for all three international groups is presented. Maryam Mursal (MM) will visit all three cities for intensive group training. MM will send her in-voices to the Danish steering group. Marina, Ambara and Lotte went through the budget making sure that all economical circumstances are agreed on. International Group Meetings (group attendants) Marina proposes that the steering committee give the group attendants a kind of pocket money in stead of a whole accommodation when the groups are to visit the other cities. Receipts are probably necessary. Every three months all receipts are to be collected and send to the steering Committee in Denmark together with a written report of the progress in the project. Quarterly reports will be sent to the Commission. This is not written in the contract from the Commission, but we think it is a good idea to keep them informed. 13.30 Attendants: same as already written + Louise Møller, Health Council, The Municipality of Århus Christine Kousholt, Health Council, The Municipality of Århus Marina D’Arco gives another short presentation of ITN in London. Marina plans to contact “Forward”, which is a well respected organization, hoping that they will help her gathering the women’s group. The daily project leadership will be shared between Marina and her manager (Toyin Fagbemi). 16.15 More attendants: Zahra S. Naleie, coordinator, Federation of Somali Associations in Netherlands, FSAN. Maryam Mursal Isse, singer and performer. Inge Vittrup, Aarhus County Zahra arrives from Amsterdam. She represents FSAN Zahra gives at brief presentation of FSAN. 25.000 Somali people live in Holland. FSAN is a central organization – a platform for 30 members (minor Somali organizations). In Holland most Somali people is still practicing circumcision, but speaking of it has been more common the recent years. Maryam Mursal Isse is given a brief presentation of the project. She agrees on leading maybe one meeting a month (workshop) in London and Amsterdam. Zahra finds that a brutto group of 20 people is too many. She finds that gathering 15 persons should be enough because her (and Marina’s as well) experience is that drop outs is 30%. Maryam will train the group, but some one else should set the frame. Zahra want’s to arrange workshop-weekends where Maryam can come as an instructor. But beforehand a frame/script is needed. In London it is difficult to find relevant rooms for practicing but ITN probably has a room that is usable. Proposal: Making a script group in DK including Maryam Mursal and Ali. The group will create a frame/ script for the performance in Amsterdam, London and DK. The three groups are free to change the content, but a script provides a working base. Comic Strip: Following possibilities were discussed All three city-groups print their own comic strip (budget is then parted). One comic strip is written (probably in DK) and is sent for printing and translation in London and Amsterdam Comic strip language: Mostly English – also Somali and probably Dutch and Danish. NB! The comic strip was only brought briefly into the discussion – it will be a special project in the autumn of 2006

 

 

 

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