On August 25th Soroptimist in the UK are wearing orange to draw attention to the practice of Forced Marriage, which is recognised as a form of Modern – Day Slavery. What Is Forced Marriage? Forced marriage is when one or both people do or cannot consent to the marriage, and pressure or abuse is used to force them into marriage. Forced marriage is illegal in the UK. It is a form of domestic abuse and a serious abuse of an individual’s human rights. Statistics The International Labour Organisation (ILO)estimates that 15.4 million people around the world are in situations of forced marriages and it is estimated that 84% of these are women and girls. There are three main types of forced marriage: Forced marriage of adults Early or child marriage Trafficking for marriage Reasons for Forced Marriage There are many reasons for forced marriages occur,

Many thanks to Medway and Maidstone Club and Sevenoaks Club for their knitting experts who have created a sackful of knitted Teddy Bears beyond their own projects. These were originally requested by emergency services to comfort children in trauma situations including children in Ukraine and arriving as refugees. The idea was then taken up by East Grinstead Club to offer similar reassurance for children arriving at the “We choose Freedom “ Women’s Refuge, which the East Grinstead Club supports, and the call for Teddies has produced a South East England 3 Club collaboration. All our participants feel this has been a very worthwhile extension project.