60-year-old Dorcas Olayemi Amusan-Fagborun has been honored with the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) as a community heroine in Bradford community.
Dorcas Olayemi Amusan-Fagborun is the chief executive of Peacemakers International, which supports survivors of domestic violence and abuse.
She has lived in Bradford since 1991, with all her children educated in the city, and was nominated for her services to community cohesion and women and girls’ rights.
Mrs. Dorcas Olayemi Amusan-Fagborun has used her own personal hardship to inspire others and bring a voice to those who would otherwise be silent.
She is a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM) and her experience has provided the basis for much of her campaigning, culminating in the formation of the Bradford-based Peacemakers International charity.
Across the past 40 years, Mrs. Olayemi Amusan-Fagborun has worked to champion the interests of African and ethnic minority communities in Bradford and beyond. Her influence is said to have been pivotal in Bradford becoming the UK’s second ‘City of FGM Zero Tolerance’.
In her words:
“I have a philosophy that nobody will come to me crying and go back crying. I cannot withstand injustice and it does not matter whom it happens to or who the perpetrator is. Seeing many people suffering unjustly, to me, is disheartening.
FGM is very difficult for survivors, and the community, to talk about. Survivors don’t want to talk about it because there is no specialist support.
The practising community is a big community in the UK, making it not easy to eradicate.
Many parents thought they could do it for their children secretly because of taboos attached to it. Many people still see it as an attack on their culture by the Western World.
[On the award], it’s good for the whole of the city, not just me as an individual.
I will continue to make sure that people I come across reach their full potential regardless of their race or ethnicity.”
Bradford’s community heroes who have dedicated their lives to helping others are among those recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
The recipients form a diverse group consisting of people rewarded for their tireless charity and humanitarian work, their commitment to business, politics, and education, and their role in West Yorkshire’s emergency services.
The honors system recognises people who have made significant contributions to public life and excelled in serving and helping British society.
Others receiving the MBE honors in the list include:
- Professor Vincent Gaffney, of the landscape archaeology department of the University of Bradford, who is recognised for his services to scientific research.
- Chief Superintendent Maboob Hussain, for his services to West Yorkshire Police and his charity work.
- Two public officials serving Calderdale: Councillor Timothy Swift, rewarded for this services to local government and regeneration; and Dominic Furby, a former assistant district commander with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, who was praised for his charity work.