Women from Islington who are working at the forefront to prevent and tackle online extremism and gang violence have been awarded for their efforts.
The Mayor of Islington Cllr Rakhia Ismail presented women from the Al-Asharaf Community Welfare Association and the Somali Speakers Women's Group with certificates at the Jean Stokes Community Hall in Carnoustie Drive, Barnsbury.
They had completed a five-week Web Guardians programme delivered by the JAN Trust - a non-governmental organisation founded 30 years ago that promotes integration and prevents hate crime and extremism through education.
The programme was developed by the JAN Trust's chief executive office and 7/7 London bombings survivor Sajda Mughal OBE after listening to the concerns of hundreds of women and mothers.
It was built on the notion that women, as trusted anchors within the family unit, are best placed to deal with the problem. It teaches how to identify and why online radicalisation and gang grooming occur and also how to tackle the problem by speaking with children about how to safeguard themselves online.
Cllr Rakhia Ismail said: "I would like to thank JAN Trust for running this invaluable programme in Islington again this year. It has been a pleasure to award the Islington Web Guardians champions with their certificates for the efforts they have made over the last five weeks.
"I am sure that they will take what they learnt here into the wider community making Islington safer for us all."
Ms Mughal, who quit her job as head of recruitment at an investment bank after the 7/7 bombings in 2005 and went on to focus on counter-terrorism at the JAN Trust, said: "Over the past decade I have seen first-hand the impact this programme has had. Ensuring women, mothers and communities have the knowledge and skills to protect their children and their communities from the danger posed to them online. This knowledge helps families and communities before it is too late."
One mother who completed the programme said: "We're here because we're concerned about our children, but what we have learnt here means we can protect our children as well as spreading the information to other families."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here