On the 14th of July, the Commissioner attended the Karma Nirvana National Day of Memory conference to remember those who have lost their lives in the name of Honour and to celebrate 30 years of Karma Nirvana.
Karma Nirvana was founded by Dr Jasvinder Sanghera CBE, after she escaped a forced marriage at 15 and tragically lost her sister to Honour Based Abuse. In 1993, Karma Nirvana became the first specialist charity for victims and survivors of Honour Based Abuse in the UK.
The conference was well attended by Government officials, parliamentarians, policy influencers, frontline professionals, local authority officials, and domestic abuse specialists and survivors.
Speakers included:
Jasvinder Sanghera
Natasha Rattu
Mayor of West Yorkshire
Jess Phillips MP, Shadow Minister for Safeguarding
Bringing the conference to a close, the Commissioner said: “Together, we have a duty to protect and safeguard those most vulnerable and at risk of so-called honour-based abuse. Today, as we commemorate the lives tragically cut short in the name of so-called honour, let us reaffirm our commitment to learn and do better to support those who need us to do our job as best as we can”.