Faith
Bedfordshire is an extremely diverse and culturally rich county. As a service supporting individuals from a range of backgrounds and faiths, it is imperative that our approach respects the needs and beliefs of all the communities we work with.
VERU Faith aims to showcase organisations operating in this space, while providing tailored support and information.
FACES – Faiths against Child Sexual Exploitation
Our work is all about helping faith communities to be more resilient against child sexual exploitation and different forms of harm. This means we work in and with faith communities, as well as practitioners who engage with them from different sectors.
We aim to raise awareness and help people be equipped to better prevent, recognise and respond to child sexual exploitation. Through interfaith events we work to build cohesion between faith and non-faith communities by developing meaningful partnerships and friendships. We all have common concerns and a cause for action in safeguarding children and young people.
News and stories of child sexual exploitation are often falsely racialised, and we work to address how Muslims and Christians are targeted in particular. We believe failing to challenge this would be a disservice to the survivors of child sexual exploitation and risks allowing fear to divide and damage our communities.
As faith communities, we have a critical role in protecting children and young people, and we’re committed to building resilience within our organisations and our communities by working with families and services that engage with them.