Sondos

English teacher, consultant safeguarding trainer (VAWG & honour based abuse), Chair of governors.

[Karma Nirvana @KNFMHBV]

📢 @CPSUK 24/25 stats are out:
⚠️ HBA = lowest conviction rate (48.4%)

1 in 2 cases fail
Victims silenced by shame. Evidence/Knowledge gaps persist.

This is why we need:
🔹 A statutory definition on HBA
🔹 ‘Honour’ as an aggravating feature in sentencing

#Push4Change #HonourBasedAbuse #ForcedMarriage #DomesticAbuse

🔗Article:
https://t.co/Uy60qIWcc9
🔗 Join the campaign: https://t.co/YVeo3dN2kU

[Karma Nirvana @KNFMHBV]

This Mother’s Day, we honour the strength of mothers who break the cycle. 💐

For many survivors of Honour-Based Abuse, becoming a mother brings both pain and power. We hear from women who have made unimaginable sacrifices to choose safety and freedom for themselves and their children.

Their motherhood is an act of resistance. A commitment to not pass on the silence, fear, or control they once endured, and end the cycle of abuse.

Today, we celebrate the mothers who are redefining what honour truly means - love without conditions, protection without pain, and freedom without fear.

Whoever you choose to celebrate this day with, if at all, we wish you peace, strength, and moments of joy 💛

#MothersDay #HonourBasedAbuse #Survivors

[Karma Nirvana @KNFMHBV]

At Karma Nirvana, we understand that leaving Honour Based Abuse is not just about physical safety – it’s also about healing from the emotional and psychological impact of these experiences. That’s why we are launching a specialist free online counselling service designed to support survivors on their journey towards recovery.

This service aims to provide a safe and supportive space where survivors of HBA can access trauma-informed therapy, allowing for individuals to process the impact of their experiences, rebuild their emotional and mental well-being and gain the tools they need to move forward.

We know that many people are seeking therapy, however, safeguarding is a key component of all our work at Karma Nirvana. Our eligibility and suitability criteria is designed to protect individuals from further harm or risk. The criteria for this service is:

🕊️ The individual has experience of HBA or be at risk of HBA
💟 The individual is over 18 years old
🏡 The individual must not be in immediate or ongoing danger, and must not be living with a perpetrator
🚺 This service is only eligible for women. We hope to expand our service to cover other age groups and gender identities in the future

Find out more about our service and apply on our website: https://t.co/UW88jKGXwv

#counselling #HonourBasedAbuse #freecounselling #onlinecounselling

[Payzee @payzeespeaks]

Thank you @sharandhaliwal_ for interviewing me for this piece & continuing to tell the world how the brave women in this article including my sister Banaz were failed by the system. Unacceptable

@IKWRO @NorrisNour @DianaNammi

[Karma Nirvana @KNFMHBV]

Domestic abuse impacts women and children but government funding doesn’t fully protect them.

An estimated 1.8 million children in England experienced domestic abuse in 2023-2024 and while the Monster Who Came To Tea is not a story anyone would read their children, sadly, for many it isn’t fiction.

We’re speaking up with @womensaid to help rewrite these stories.

Join us by signing the open letter here - https://t.co/mzXRH0cXIH

[Sondos @MrsB_NE]

@HRMcCabe @rightsbeacon Well deserved!!

[Sondos @MrsB_NE]

Thanks to @IKWRO for a phenomenal evening and to @PayzeeMalika for my nomination. I am so inspired by the courage and dedication of activists and professionals working in this sector. Thanks in particular to my friends at @KNFMHBV who continue to support me #truehonourawards2025

[Sondos @MrsB_NE]

@SayingNiceStuff @AdoptionUK Look forward to listening Polly

[Sondos @MrsB_NE]

On my way to this important and inspiring event and grateful to @KNFMHBV @IKWRO for the incredible opportunity. #HBA #thepush4change #honourbasedabuse

[IKWRO @IKWRO]

7 days to go until the True Honour Awards! For 10 years, IKWRO has celebrated those who stand against 'honour'-based abuse. This unique event celebrates individuals & organisations challenging harmful practices, & driving change. Stay tuned for 2025 winners! #TrueHonourAwards

[Karma Nirvana @KNFMHBV]

This week, we've released our Media Engagement Toolkit, prepared as part of the project: Survivor-led Advocacy Training for Survivors of Forced and Child Marriage; with funding from the University of Nottingham’s Impact Accelerator Account, in collaboration with lived experience experts from Karma Nirvana’s Survivor Ambassador Panel.

This resource has been developed to support
survivors in their decision regarding if and how they might want to engage in media interviews and/or other activities with the media. These questions might help you decide if an invitation for engagement you have received is something that you want to do, as well as help you think through the circumstances and conditions under which you would like to talk to the media about HBA. It's also a useful resource for journalists and media professionals working with survivors, as it can help demonstrate what common concerns survivors may have about talking about their experiences in the media.

This toolkit would not have been possible without the input, support and expertise of lived experience experts from Karma Nirvana’s Survivor Ambassador Panel. We deeply appreciate your trust, confidence, and collaboration. A thank you to @NottsPolitics @rightsbeacon @ahrcpress and the @UoNPressOffice AHRC IAA for support throughout this project.

View the full toolkit and project reports, as well as our video walkthrough on our website: https://t.co/3ztDhWuooX

#media #survivors #HonourBasedAbuse

[Dr Lauren Eglen @LaurenEglen]

Yesterday we launched our Media Advocacy Toolkit for survivors of HBA and FM to help them navigate media opportunities. Thank you to @KNFMHBV and members of their Survivor Ambassador Panel for their invaluable insights and contributions to the co-creation of this toolkit.

[Sondos @MrsB_NE]

@KingsUgwuanyi @UCLEnglishUsage Please reach out for your next north east one or online! Catch up soon

[Dr Helen McCabe @HRMcCabe]

So pleased that this amazing toolkit for Media Advocacy is being published today! Thanks, as ever, to @KNFMHBV, @NottsPolitics @rightsbeacon @ahrcpress and the @UoNPressOffice AHRC IAA for support throughout this project.
https://t.co/8l8gCtXUqG

[Karma Nirvana @KNFMHBV]

This week, we visited @ASPolice to deliver our specialist training on #HonourBasedAbuse and #ForcedMarriage. Congratulations to the newly trained officers at Avon and Somerset Police!

T/Detective Chief Inspector Claire Millington said: "This training marks a key moment in our journey as a police force to improve our knowledge and response to honour-based abuse"

"We now have the ability to deploy trained experts to reports of HBA and to support colleagues across the organisation to recognise signs of HBA and the risk it presents in our communities"

"Thank you to Rachel for delivering the training, and to Karma Nirvana as a whole for supporting our journey".

Contact us today for specialist training on HBA with Karma Nirvana - https://t.co/rA631GZBgo

#training #police #avonandsomerset

[Payzee @payzeespeaks]

Can you help me my message to the Scottish Government? Please retweet the tweet below 🫶🏼

[Dr Helen McCabe @HRMcCabe]

Lots of scope for #historians to submit evidence to this inquiry on Industrial Transition in Scotland: https://t.co/vJoZiN6JCh. Also for politics scholars, sociologists, and geographers. :)

[Dame Nicole Jacobs @CommissionerDA]

It's harrowing that so many babies are affected by domestic abuse.

We must remember they are victims too and need tailored support.

That’s why all child safeguarding professionals must fully understand domestic abuse so they can provide the right help every single time.

[Sondos @MrsB_NE]

@PayzeeMalika I hear you and I feel you, Payzee. It is simultaneously the most painful and healing experience over and over again.