Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Shiria Khatun elected as Shanaz Network Vice Chair

Emdad Rahman: Tower Hamlets Councillor Shiria Khatun has been elected as the Vice Chair of the Shanaz, Network, the first national preventing violent extremism network for women across England & Wales.

The East India & Lansbury Ward Councillor was elected by the fellow members of the body during an election in Leicester.

She said: “The Shanaz Network has been established to break down barriers and will encourage women to play an active part in the Government’s Prevent agenda. The Network will provide a platform for the group to participate as equals in decision-making around the development of policy and strategy, in an area of policing which impacts directly upon them. I am grateful to have the support of my colleagues and I hope to repay the faith shown in me by working with them to drive the network forward.”

The Shanaz network, opened by The Home Secretary, the Right Honourable Theresa May, in March 2012  was initially started up by a female Asian Detective Inspector and has now become a constituted body. Project Shanaz has been developed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Prevent Delivery Unit (PDU) to understand the perception women have about Prevent activity and share how local police forces have overcome obstacles to engagement. This area of work was also highlighted by the comprehensive study carried out by Universities’ Police Science Institute at Cardiff University (UPSI) in 2010, which assessed the effects of policing in delivery of the Government’s Prevent strategy in the Muslim communities of Britain. The report highlighted women as a hard to reach group of people in local communities.

The Network’s objectives include; work to address ideologies which terrorists use to recruit people to their cause; work to support those who may be vulnerable to radicalisation, and work to strengthen institutions which can play a role in Prevent. The Shanaz Network will report on and review progress through an online community forum. The Network also quality assures guidance on how to engage women in this area of policing, which can be used by police forces across the country.

In May 2006, Khatun was first elected as a councillor for East India and Lansbury ward. Soon after getting elected, she was appointed by the former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone as his adviser for Transport for London.

She was previously a Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and has also served on the Scrutiny Committees researching on underage drinking in the borough.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey give the adviser to former Mayor etc, etc to rest. it really has been flogged to death, it's time to make it into horse burgers....and digested! When one plays up one detail to oblivion it's quite obvious there's nothing else coming.