People
Sikh-Briton Crusader Named "Pride of Britain": Jasvinder Kaur Sanghera
TIMES OF INDIA
A Sikh-Briton woman whose campaign helped persuade the British government to move against forced marriages has won a prestigious award that celebrates "extraordinary achievements by ordinary people".
Jasvinder Kaur Sanghera, who runs a charity that works to free people from forced marriages, was presented the Pride of Britain Award at a gala ceremony on Tuesday night (October 6, 2009) attended by a host of celebrities.
Jasvinder is a survivor of a violent attempt to push her into a forced marriage by her parents, who came to Britain from India in the 1950s.
She founded the charity Karma Nirvana in the city of Derby in 1993 to help victims of forced marriages and honour-violence after her older sister Robina committed suicide in 1983 to escape a forced marriage.
Jasvinder was instrumental in galvanizing British politicians to move against forced marriages - the British foreign ministry now has a Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) which receives around 5,000 calls a year from victims, according to a spokeswoman at Karma Nirvana.
Some 65 percent of the cases FMU deals with are Pakistani Muslims, 30 percent are minors and 15 percent are boys or men. Every year, the FMU helps bring back to Britain around 400 people trapped in forced marriages overseas, she said.
Karma Nirvana, which today runs a network of shelters in east-central Britain, deals with around 400 callers every month on its helpline, the youngest being a 10-year-old girl in the city of Leicester.
"Jasvinder herself is looking after the case of an 11-year-old girl at the moment in the northeast of England," the spokeswoman added.
The charity is in the process of setting up its first South Asian male refuge for victims of forced marriage and honour-based violence.
Force marriages are not only a violation of human rights, but are also linked closely to rape, imprisonment and honour-based or 'Izzat' violence, including killings.
Although Pakistanis constitute the majority of forced marriage cases, British police have also dealt with cases from Turkish, Iranian, Romany, Bosnian, Kosovan and West African communities.
The opposition Conservative Party has pledged to ban forced marriages if elected to power at the next general elections due by June 3, 2010.
October 10, 2009
　
Conversation about this article
1: Soni (London, England), October 10, 2009, 12:07 PM.
Good going. May God give you the power to fight against injustices. God bless you!
2: Balbinder Kaur (Sunderland), October 10, 2009, 12:39 PM.
Well done to Jasvinder Sanghera! She is doing so much good for people in the face of such adversity. I hope and pray she goes from strength to strength.
3: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), October 10, 2009, 1:02 PM.
We should not only salute the Jasvinder Sangheras of this world, we should also rue the world that creates the need for Jaswinder and destroys young women like Robina. This world will not change until men and women are equally committed to the change. And this is not a matter that should wait. Thank you, Jaswinder.
4: Harinder (Bangalore, India), October 10, 2009, 1:39 PM.
Sikh girls are doing us proud: Most recently - 1) Jasvinder Kaur Sanghera; 2) Anarkali Honaryar. Is it fair for people to kill their daughters who are turning into jewels as compared to their sons who are turning to drugs?
5: Jagbeer Singh Khalsa (Birmingham, U.K.), October 13, 2009, 9:11 AM.
"The opposition Conservative Party has pledged to ban forced marriages if elected to power at the next general elections due by June 3, 2010." Please keep in mind that both parties will do EVERYTHING to secure votes. Especially the Conservative Party is not known to endorse issues of ethnical minorities in Britain, so let's be very cautious with our expoectations. Britain is far from being a democratic country - please keep in mind that THE SUN publicly endorses the Tories, therefore manipulating public opinion as the strongest issue-oriented daily newspaper.
6: Gurinder Singh Johal (Amritsar, Punjab), November 16, 2009, 11:01 AM.
Jasvinder Bhen ji, you are a valiant warrior and doing a great job. The Guru is with you!