Maureen Mguni

My research interests include HIV and Gender, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Migration as well as Mental Health in the United Kingdom and in Zimbabwe. My ongoing PhD study is on FGM, Gender and Social Work- Working Title: "Female Genital Mutilation (FGM/C) in the SE UK: A Narrative Analysis of Professionals’ and of Affectees’ Engagement with Social Work Practice".

I am a Doctoral Researcher and a Technical Instructor at the University of Brighton. In addition to this I am an FGM Consultant and a UK registered Social Worker (Child Protection/Mental Health). My areas of expertise include training, therapeutic intervention and awareness raising around HIV, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Gender-based violence (GBV) and Mental Health in the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. I have experience in designing and delivering sustainable, comprehensive solutions to these challenges, working across the chain of causation.  I have over 14 years’ experience of working with women affected by and at risk of FGM, 10 of those years working with refugees and asylum seekers as an Advocate, Immigration Adviser and Project Manager. In addition to this I was a board member for Refugee and Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, co-founded African Women’s Support Project (AWSP), a domestic violence advocacy service supporting BME women in West Yorkshire and was previously co-opted into the Racial Justice Network, an initiative led by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.