Jasvinder Sanghera
Jasvinder Sanghera
Jasvinder Sanghera is the founder of Karma Nirvana, a national award winning charity that supports both men and women affected by honour based abuse and forced marriages. A survivor of a forced marriage, Jasvinder is an expert advisor in matters of child, civil and criminal law proceedings, and her work is acknowledged as being pivotal in the creation of a specific UK forced marriage criminal offence in 2014.
I am so looking forward to being a part of the NWR network and doing whatever I can to support its great friendship group.
Jasvinder’s 2021 ‘schedule of talks’ presentation to NWR members drew unprecedented feedback from members who told us they were inspired by her commitment and bravery. We were delighted when she accepted our invitation to join NWR as a patron in summer 2021.
Her memoir ‘Shame’ was a ‘Times’ Top 10 Bestseller’ and Jasvinder is widely recognised as bringing the issue of forced marriage into the public domain. She was appointed Commander of the British Empire in 2013 in recognition of her outstanding contribution for the victims of forced marriage and honour based abuse. Jasvinder’s work is recognised globally. She has been listed as one of ‘The Guardian’s’ 100 Most Inspirational Women in the World, and is a recipient of the Global Punjabi Award.
Recognised as Legal Campaigner of the Year 2014, her successful claim of sexual harassment against a peer in the House of Lords was the first in its 479 year history and has led to an increase in reporting of similar offences, and resulted in significant changes in House of Lords policy and practice and a House of Lords independent inquiry into sexual harassment and bullying.
Jasvinder was born and brought up in Derby. She was made an Honorary Doctor of the University of Derby in 2008, and in 2018 she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Law by De Montfort University, Leicester.