PCC to attend 'March to End 'Honour'-based abuse
26.09.25 - Merseyside
Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, will join communities across the region on Saturday 27th September for Savera UK’s annual March to End Honour-Based Abuse (HBA), a powerful event raising awareness of harmful practices and celebrating community resilience.
The march, now in its fourth year, is part of Savera UK’s 15th anniversary celebrations and will be led by Nazir Afzal OBE, former Chief Crown Prosecutor and Patron of Savera UK. Nazir is a nationally recognised legal expert and social justice advocate, known for his work tackling child sexual abuse, violence against women and girls, and HBA.
Emily Spurrell, a long-standing supporter of Savera UK, will march alongside event partners including Zonta UK, reaffirming her commitment to ending HBA and supporting survivors.
The march and speeches, which are part of Savera UK’s 15th birthday celebrations, will be followed by Culture at the Bombed Out Church, a FREE event featuring a host of performances from community partners. The latest additions to the line up include an uplifting performance from Wavertree Community Gospel Choir, and interactive storytelling sessions from Hend Badawy and Raneem Soliman from Hadi Badi, delivered in partnership with Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF), which will take place in the storytelling tent at 1:30pm, 2:30pm and 3:30pm.
Already announced are performances from Katumba, Movema, renowned drummer and percussionist Felix Ngindu, Sattvika Arts & Cultural Centre, MD Productions, Dee Sign BSL Choir, and Pagoda Arts.
There will also be poetry readings by members of the Savera UK Youth Collective and the charity’s clients, survivor stories, an exhibition of artworks created by Savera UK clients and community members, a free henna station, and a charity raffle and a ‘guess the name of the teddy’ game, with all monies raised going to Savera UK to help the charity continue its vital work.
The “March to End HBA 2025” and “Culture at the Bombed Out Church” are supported by march sponsors, Maria Fogg Family Law, festival supporters, FPC and Helplines Partnership, venue partner, St Luke’s Bombed Out Church and longstanding campaign partner, Zonta UK, with whom the march was first established in 2022.
Under the theme ‘Culture is Beautiful: No Excuse for Abuse’ the events seek to raise awareness of the issue of HBA and harmful practices including forced marriage, FGM, conversion ‘therapy’ and spiritual abuse, among others, and how these forms of abuse can easily be missed due to lack of recognition and understanding.
It also aims to separate these forms of abuse from culture or certain communities, defining them instead as a collection of abuse characteristics and a violation of human rights that can affect anyone regardless of culture, background, gender, age, sexuality or disability.
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell said: “I’m amazed by the growth of the Savera UK March year after year. It’s not only a powerful platform to raise awareness of ‘honour’ based abuse and harmful practices, but also a celebration of community, collaboration and resilience. This event gives a voice to survivors and shines a light on the vital work of Savera UK and our wider support services here in Merseyside.
“Tackling ‘honour’ based abuse is one of eight key priorities in our Violence Against Women and Girls Delivery Plan, with a clear focus on raising awareness across professional networks and communities, improving access to specialist support, and removing barriers to reporting.
“I’m looking forward to marching alongside our communities for the fourth year in a row with a firm message that abuse will never be tolerated, and together we will continue to build a safer Merseyside for all.”
Nazir Afzal OBE said: "I feel incredibly privileged to be involved with Savera UK, an organisation that stands at the forefront of tackling harmful practices, particularly in the area of Honour-Based Abuse (HBA). The charity's work is vital because it offers a specialist, culturally competent approach to supporting those who are at risk and works tirelessly to raise awareness of these often-hidden forms of abuse.
“I fully support Savera UK's mission because it not only provides immediate safety for survivors but also works to challenge harmful norms within communities. The festival event exemplifies this beautifully, by separating culture from abuse and celebrating the true richness of cultural heritage, while rejecting practices that harm individuals.
“Over the past 15 years, Savera UK has made tremendous strides in raising awareness and supporting victims, but there is still much to be done. The next 15 years must focus on further community engagement, educating younger generations, and strengthening preventative work.
“Savera UK's unique approach of working in and with communities, rather than imposing external views, allows for more sustainable change and a deeper understanding of how to address these issues in culturally respectful and effective ways."
Dianne Jeans, Area Director for Zonta UK and Ireland, added: "Zonta UK is proud to once again be partnering with Savera UK to raise awareness of HBA and harmful practices.
"Zontians are travelling from London and Scotland to join the march on Saturday 27th September, and help Savera UK mark its work over 15 years, building an important organisation that provides support and advocacy on these critical issues.
“Zonta is an international organisation which works with the UN globally to address all forms of violence against women. Violence against women and girls remains the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violation in the world.
“In many societies it is an unfortunate daily experience for women and girls. In the UK it is being called a national emergency. Violence is happening at all levels, in all areas of our society. The time for all of us to act – men and women together is now."
Afrah Qassim, Savera UK CEO and Founder, added: “We are honoured to be joined at our march this year by our patron Nazir, who is not only a leading voice and trailblazing legal expert who works, as we do, to end all forms of HBA and harmful practices, he is also a steadfast supporter of Savera UK from the very start. He became our Patron shortly after our establishment and has always believed in our mission and advocated for our work, which we are always grateful for.
“We are also pleased to once again be joined by the Merseyside PCC, who for many years has worked with us in partnership as we aim to end HBA and harmful practices in the region. As well as a celebration of culture, our event on 27th is a celebration of what partnership working, collaboration and working together with communities can achieve. We look forward to welcoming as many people as possible and hope that even more people will join our mission to end HBA and harmful practices.”
As well as the March to End HBA and Culture at the Bombed Out Church on Saturday 27th September, there will also be a special free awareness session on Modern Slavery relating to ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) on 16th October 2025, and a free online event for professionals on Wednesday 10th December 2025 ‘HBA and Harmful Practices Happen Here – Responding As A Frontline Professional’.
To find out more about “Culture is Beautiful: March to End HBA & Culture at the Bombed Out Church” visit: https://www.saverauk.co.uk/culture-is-beautiful/