The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on all our lives. But for many black, minority ethnic, asylum seeker and refugee women living in Scotland, Covid-19 has presented new urgency to challenges and exemplified issues long-encountered.
Saheliya is an organisation that supports women and girls in the Edinburgh and Glasgow area. Many of our service users are isolated, depressed and experience racism and other discrimination; inevitably some are also survivors of forced marriage, in-law abuse, honour based violence, and of female genital mutilation (FGM).
Under lockdown there is an increased risk to their safety and wellbeing. Between the beginning of April and end of June 2020 we contacted over 1100 women from more than 50 different backgrounds regularly in 14 community languages.
Shruti JainShruti Jain works in public health and is Chairwoman of Saheliya.
To find out more about Saheliya and support our work visit www.saheliya.co.uk. All donations go directly towards supporting black, minority ethnic, asylum seeker and refugee women and girls in Edinburgh and Glasgow to access vital services.
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Pass the Mic
Pass the Mic works with women of colour who are experts in their field – educators, academics, researchers, campaigners, policy-makers, community activists, writers, workers, carers and many more.
It aims to make a tangible change across media in Scotland by increasing the representation of women of colour who participate in it, and by improving how women of colour and the issues that impact them are talked about.
For more information on Pass the Mic, click here.
