Karma Nirvana: Inside the Leeds charity making huge strides combating 'complex' cases of honour-based abuse
A Leeds-based charity that supports victims of forced marriage and honour-based abuse has opened up about the huge strides they have made in the “complex” area.
For more than 30 years, Karma Nirvana has been the UK’s go-to charity for people who have had to escape their families, partners or communities after suffering unimaginable perils.
The charity was central to the recent establishment of a universal legal definition of honour-based abuse, which will help guide judges and lawyers prosecuting those who have carried out heinous acts, and allow public bodies to provide better support for victims.
Honour-based abuse is motivated by the abuser’s perception that a person has brought or may bring ‘dishonour’ or ‘shame’ to themselves, their family or the community. The crimes carried out stretch from physical violence and coercive control to female genital mutilation and killings.
Operations manager Anup Manota explained: “HBA is a multiple perpetrator crime, which is key to differentiating it from domestic abuse.
“It can be husbands and partners, but also both parents, in-laws, community leaders and neighbours.
“There are so many dimensions to it.”
He also stressed that honour-based abuse is not specific to any one culture or religion, saying that it can take place within Christian, Traveller, Muslim, Sikh and other communities.
It can also happen within the class structure, he said, such as in cases where those of greater wealth do not want their children working certain jobs or marrying those of a lower income.
Mr Manota said: “There are narratives in the media by certain groups where, sadly, they exploit victims. In our training, we try to deliver the message that it can happen to anyone.”
The charity was set up in 1993 by Dame Jasvinder Sanghera CBE, after she escaped a forced marriage at 15 and lost her sister, who was a victim of HBA, to suicide.
Karma Nirvana became the first specialist charity for HBA and forced marriage victims and survivors in the UK, and it is now the longest-established charity specialising in providing support for people impacted.
Dame Sanghera’s daughter Natasha Rattu, who is now the director of the charity, said: “We are definitely leading on this issue.
“Honour-based abuse can take many forms, and can be complex to identify, but centres around the idea of controlling individuals to make them behave in certain ways or subscribe to certain beliefs.”
Having previously trained and worked as a barrister in Leeds before taking over the helm, Mrs Rattu was perfectly placed to continue the phenomenal work her mother had done.
The charity operated from Derby for years before moving to Leeds in 2010 over safety fears, after their officers were targeted following the release of a book by Dame Sanghera.
Being stationed in Leeds has meant that the charity has been able to address the issue more directly across West Yorkshire, with visits to primary schools, public sector offices and other support centres.
As a result, Mr Manota said that Karma Nirvana has seen an increase in reports in the region over the years.
Mr Manota said: “It’s not to say that West Yorkshire has a problem, but that we’ve got a base here which creates more awareness and additional opportunities.”
It also means they have been closely involved in some high-profile Leeds cases. Karma Nirvana’s campaign to introduce the legal definition centred around the murder of Fawziyah Javed, who was pushed from Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.
Mrs Rattu said getting the legal definition in place was “pivotal”, adding: “For decades, the absence of a statutory definition has contributed to fragmented responses across safeguarding agencies, leaving victims without adequate protection and allowing perpetrators to avoid accountability.
“The #Push4Change campaign put forward a survivor‑centred statutory definition developed over four years in consultation with survivors, legal specialists, frontline services, and the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector.”
Karma Nirvana is also present and active in other parts of the country. While the charity’s call centre and core team is based at their office in Leeds, they have representatives and staff across the country to support victims and provide training.
Their ties to the Government were demonstrated this week during a visit from the solicitor general, Ellie Reeves MP, who Mrs Rattu has previously worked with.
Mrs Reeves said that tackling the rise of Violence Against Women and Girls is her “number one priority” and that the work that Karma Nirvana do is “fantastic”.
She said: “I’ve heard about some of the calls they receive from victims and also teachers, social workers, and healthcare professionals. It’s really important that they can give them that specialist service.”
Mrs Reeves sat with call handlers during her visit, who shared details of some of the cases they receive and the advice they give.
One case involved a parent using a camera to keep track of his teenage daughter.
Mrs Rattu said that the visit was “really positive”, but emphasised that “a lot of work needs to be done”, stressing that only two per cent of reported honour-based abuse cases that make it to the police end up in a successful prosecution or conviction.
She said: “There’s a concern that for a while this has been an ongoing trend and it’s something that we’re keen for the minister’s office to look into and understand why that is the case because those victims won’t feel there experiences are represented in the process.”
Mrs Rattu said that the charity has turned down visits and press visits from those they believe want to “weaponize” and “twist” their cause.
”It’s being sensitive to the communities”, she said. “One thing we’ve always been clear about is that anyone can be affected by honour-based abuse.”
Looking forward the charity is hoping to develop more resources to support victims and inform people about honour-based abuse.
To find out more about honour-based abuse and the work that Karma Nirvana do visit their website.