TW for forced marriageHow Jasvinder Sanghera, Founder Of Karma Nirvana, Has Saved Thousands Of Women
TW for forced marriageHow Jasvinder Sanghera, Founder Of Karma Nirvana, Has Saved Thousands Of Women (link also TW for honour abuse, suicide)“The seeds of most charities are sown in the soil of personal experience.In the case of Karma Nirvana, the charity that helps women and men who are subjected to forced marriages and honour based abuse, it is extremely personal for founder Jasvinder Sanghera.Most of us cannot begin to comprehend the isolation, hurt, betrayal and fear that Jasvinder experienced at the young age of 14, when she was told in no uncertain terms by her family that she would have to marry the man she’d been promised to at the age of 8, but for the 750 or so people who call her helpline each month, they can understand all too well. Since starting the charity in 1993 - when the authorities knew virtually next to nothing about forced marriage and few questions were asked about the children who would one day disappear from school without any warning – Jasvinder has been awarded an OBE, she has helped thousands upon thousands of women, men and children, and she has got the Prime Minister to back a bill criminalising forced marriage.In fact, let’s use David Cameron’s exact words: “She turned my head on the issue of forced marriage.”“The charity is driven by victims’ experiences of forced marriage, of which I was one,” she says. Aside from personal accolades, Jasvinder has left a legacy in the form of a documentary called Honor Diaries, which has just been released. Featuring the stories of nine women from across the world, it aims to achieve in the US what has been done in the UK - to raise awareness around forced marriages and honour abuse.“Now I’ve gone from not having one or two people who wouldn’t hear what I had to say to an army of people who want to hear about it. It’s great because people are gathering together – the only way you can tackle an issue like this is by making changes.”To find out more about Jasvinder’s work and Karma Nirvana, visit the website or if you are affected by the issues in this article, call the helpline on 0800 599 9247.Read the full piece here -- source link
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