The origin of this project lies in the shocking arrest of two young men for sexual harassment in the local community. New Routes became aware that recently resettled migrants needed clarification of the legal frameworks around sexual abuse and gender relations in the UK.
Since then, the Terrence Higgins Trust and a Domestic Abuse Change Coordinator have helped run separate workshops for women and men at New Routes’ centre in Norwich to address these issues. The Terrence Higgins Trust training programme was originally intended for English-speakers, so New Routes and Terrence Higgins Trust were keen to tailor it specifically for those from diverse cultures.
The workshops have been funded by Norfolk Community Foundation. The research project and conference (July 2019) was funded by the University of East Anglia’s Impact Accelerator Fund, as part of the UEA UNESCO Chair programme.
Over the past year, participants’ and trainers’ views on, and experiences of, the workshops have been explored through participatory research to identify the tools and approach that would support participants’ broadening of attitudes and understanding. The workshop guidance is the result of those discussions and presents the methods, materials, principles and findings from the project.
Read about our intern’s experience of the conference, here.