Baitul Zahra has been started by a group of professional people who are working with and facing challenging situations in the minority community, which although are part of all communities but the support that is available is not suited to their needs nor is it a solution to their issues. Some of the issues are:
-Dometic violence – female/male/elderly
-Child abuse/child grooming
-Marriage break do
wn
-Drug addiction
-Rehabilitation of ex-convicts
-Gang culture
-Mental illness/suicide attempts
-Forced marriages
-Forced prostitution
-Religious extremism
The list can go on but also with every issue there are many other issues linked. Language barriers, religious and cultural barrier prevent the right help reaching those that need it. But also when help is provided it may not be the kind help that is a solution rather an alternative from one situation to another. Children in a violent relationship maybe at risk of suffering physical abuse but if they are taken out of that situation they will be moved to temporary fostering and siblings more than likely split up. A young person imprisoned for gang crimes will very easily get back into the gang culture when he/she has nowhere else to turn to as the local community may alienate them for concern of them being a bad influence on the rest of the youth. These are just some examples of problems being faced yet they are brushed under the carpet and we pretend they don’t exist in our culture or community. Furthermore, this project is aimed at being a self-sufficient project which will provide support through workshops, counselling, and open door surgery. The teams will be working in collaboration with the local council, social services, police and various religious centres. Having given a brief outline of the need for this project I should inform you that the building for this project has been purchased and all together this is a £2.5 million project which is already underway. It is the largest venture of its kind in the UK and the most versatile as it will provide a variety of help and support to some of the most challenging issues being faced by minority groups in the UK today.
