Born and raised in Derby, in the UK, Jasvinder Sanghera is the survivor. After running away from home in 1993, Jasvinder has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the issues of forced marriages and "honour-based" abuse and for the rights of victims. Now an internationally recognised speaker, she touches the hearts of audiences across the globe with her emotive story, inspiring others to stand up against such injustices.
Also an expert advisor on child, civil and criminal proceedings, Jasvinder is actively involved in educating the UK police forces on honour-based abuse and forced marriages. In so doing has greatly improved the understanding of police officers up and down the country.
To raise awareness of the damaging effects of forced marriages, Jasvinder published her memoir in 2007, Shame, which was quickly titled a Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller. So too was her second highly acclaimed book, Daughters of Shame, published in 2009. In her latest book, Shame Travels, published in 2012, Jasvinder recounts her journey to India to discover her roots. Due to her unapologetic advocacy, the motivational speaker is credited for highlighting the epidemic of forced marriages in the UK, bringing it to not just the public domain but Government too. In 2014, the UK enforced a law against forced marriages, thanks to Jasvinder’s pivotal work.
In response to her dedication to forced marriage and honour-based abuse victims, Jasvinder has been awarded numerous titles including Woman of the Year in 2007, The Pride of Britain Award in 2009, Cosmopolitan Ultimate Woman of the Year in 2010, Guardian’s top 100 Most Inspirational Women in the World in 2011 and the 2012 Global Punjabi Award. Jasvinder’s most notable award was the Commander of the British Empire in 2013, as a testament to her support and advocacy for victims.
Jasvinder is also listed as an entry in the 2016 edition of the book Who’s Who and in the same year received the International Woman Award for Human Rights from the Italian media. She was awarded Woman of the Year by Leeds City Council in 2018 and in the same year she awarded Honorary Doctor of Law by De Montfort University, Leicester. In 2019 she was awarded the Robert Burns Humanitarian of the Year Award and also the Sikh Woman of Substance Award.
Renowned as a captivating and highly motivated speaker, Jasvinder presents with eloquence, respect and conviction. Speaking to diverse audiences, she focuses her topics on empowerment, specifically female empowerment.
