Chatting to Kate Middleton today about our work to tackle criminal exploitation in Tower Hamlets.

If this happened anywhere else in the UK there would be disgust, outrage, and action. These attacks and those who carry them out are a stain on our community, and we should have had enough of it by now.

Our Frontline Director Koyes Ali was on a Panel Talk providing insight into the issues of exploitation and giving awareness of the challenges that young people face in the local community. fb.watch/nmkyiqnbmE/

For the past two years, the government has failed to produce an Annual Report on Modern Slavery. They also haven't updated their modern slavery strategy for four years. A robust commitment to action is urgently needed.

This book puts my youth into words that I've never been able to. Coming to terms with who you were/are/want to become is bloody hard. I'd highly recommend it. Michael Magee

Groomed. Coerced... Criminalised. Police Service NI there is legislation for this, why aren't we using it?

On this day in 1977 my grandad was murdered by the UDA. All these years later and these people still exercise coercive control over our communities. We need to have the civic courage to say "enough".

NRM reforms have had a direct negative impact upon the legal protection needed for our young people at Streets of Growth Exploitation doesn't stop just because a Reasonable Grounds Decision says it may have happened, and that's what these reforms expect.

Projects like My Endz from London's Violence Reduction Unit are changing how we tackle serious youth violence. I've seen the public health approach in action. It works. Just as one stabbing causes a ripple effect, one young person's change journey can do the same. theguardian.com/society/2024/f…

NRM and modern slavery act are used to keep young people out of the criminal justice system and see them as victims. The fact that we've never used them for YP from NI means we either don't have a problem with CE... or we're putting victims through the CJS.

I'm sure everyone can agree that it is absolutely great to have CCE high on the agenda in NI. A testament to all involved for pushing this issue, from academics to community leaders.

We at Streets of Growth are honoured to have been selected as a guest at a Roundtable with the Home Office thanks to @londonvru The discussions involved experts working with young people and communities across London, to help educate the government on the issue of violence.

Great trip to Oberstown Children Detention Campus today. Thanks for having us.

"Definitions are something that people spend years debating and never quite get anywhere... I think it’s really difficult to hive off an entire harm type in that way... By the time we’ve all agreed on something it’s moved on. It’s changed.” actionforchildren.org.uk/our-work-and-i…

Another week of tragedy and trauma in Tower Hamlets. At what point do we stop framing this as the individual choices of our children and recognise that the state is failing in its obligation to protect them... inadequate policies and services across the board.

Week began with vicious & barbaric human rights abuse in Bushmills, where a paramilitary crime gang nailed their victim to a fence. Week ends with this article outlining the impact of gangs across the region, 26 years into peace. We call for leadership. belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-…

Not possible without Streets of Growth. Eternally grateful.

No far right street movement in history, whether Blackshirts, National Front, BNP or EDL was ever stopped by government or police who have their own history of racism. They were defeated by people-power, mass counter-protests of everyday people, trade unions, our communities.

It has been a real joy to start sharing some of the insights from my PhD research recently. Side note - I tend to avoid Twitter out of instinct, so apologies to anyone I haven't gotten back to in recent weeks.

“These are familiar state tactics that demonise the dead to deflect from the killing of an unarmed Black man whose identity they did not know. Rather than trying to legitimise Chris’s killing, police should focus on ensuring that these killings end.” theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/o…