A young girl once faced a difficult choice between being imprisoned at home or trapped in an arranged marriage. Her courage led her down a remarkable path.

By the age of eight, her family had already planned her marriage. When she turned 14, she saw a picture of her future husband for the first time—a much older, short-statured man.

At 15, Jasvinder Sanghera found herself locked in her room by her family for refusing to accept the arranged marriage. She became a captive in her own home. As the youngest of seven sisters, she witnessed her elder siblings being forced into marriages. Most of them were married off before turning 15.

Each sister followed the same pattern: removed from school, sent to India, brought back to the UK married, only to endure physical and emotional abuse from their husbands. When it was Jasvinder’s turn, she stood her ground.

Her parents, unwilling to accept her defiance, confined her at home after taking her out of school. She was not allowed to leave her room, except for short trips to the bathroom. Her meals were served in her room.

Jasvinder’s life was strictly controlled by her parents, who only permitted friendships they approved. Despite this, she managed to secretly develop a relationship with a family acquaintance. They communicated through her bedroom window, with him reading her lips in the evenings. Determined to be together, her boyfriend began saving money.

One day, he told her to pack, and Jasvinder prepared two suitcases, lowering them out the window using sheets. She just needed the perfect moment to escape.

The front door was briefly left open and unattended, and Jasvinder seized the chance to flee. She and her boyfriend relocated to a new city. Even though her family tried to harm her, Jasvinder missed them.

She called her mother to say she was safe and wanted to return home, provided they agreed to cancel the arranged marriage. Her mother’s response shocked her: “Either you return home and marry who we say, or you’re dead to us from this day.”

For 35 years, Jasvinder didn’t receive a single birthday card from her parents. Now a mother of three, her children never met their grandparents. After her sister Robina took her own life at 25 due to abuse in her arranged marriage, Jasvinder resolved to take action.

Despite the abuse, their parents insisted Robina endure it as her duty, to control her husband’s temper. Tragically, Robina set herself on fire and died.

Moved by her sister’s fate, Jasvinder founded Karma Nirvana, an organization dedicated to combating forced marriages.

Thanks to her efforts, arranged marriages were made illegal in the United Kingdom. According to the BBC, Jasvinder’s organization has helped over 50,000 people. Now a grandmother, she considers breaking the cycle of abuse for her kids and future generations her greatest achievement.

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