Thursday 14th July would have been the 30th birthday of Shafilea Ahmed. Murdered by her parents in 2003 when she was 17, Shafilea was a British Pakistani girl who wanted to dress and behave like her friends, and to study to become a lawyer. Her dreams were cut short after years of abuse by her parents, which ended in her death.
The 14th of July is now a National Day of Memory, as #WeRemember Shafilea and all other women like her who have suffered abuse and violence through the need to maintain the so-called honour of their families and communities.
Karma Nirvana have organised this annual event. At last year’s Day of Memory people were asked to show their support by tweeting to create an image of Shafilea. This year fathers will share their moving testimonies and experiences of their sons, the lives of whom they believe were cut short by honour-based abuse.
Karma Nirvana have set some challenges for supporters, which we are sharing here:
- Mention at least one victim of honour killing to a friend, colleague or family member
- Encourage all police officers across the UK to wear a Karma Nirvana wristband in remembrance
- Share a blog on the 14th
- Share Jasvinder Sanghera’s book/books with a friend or family
- Display Karma Nirvana’s posters in your local community
- Change your screen saver on all electronic devices to the Day of Memory
Equation will be supporting the day. We regularly deliver training to professionals on how best to support survivors of so-called honour crimes, how to recognise this kind of abuse, and how to work towards preventing it. Our training calendar can be accessed here.
If you are experiencing abuse and need help, find more information here.
If you are in immediate danger, call 999.