16th July 2025
With the support of many of our survivors, colleagues, friends and sector partners, we share this message with the world and remember all lives lost to Honour Based Abuse.
On the 14th July 2025, Karma Nirvana held its 11th National Day of Memory at Leeds Civic Hall, bringing a day of powerful remembrance, reflection and collective action in honour of those we have lost to Honour Based Abuse.
The Day of Memory was created in 2014 following a joint campaign by Karma Nirvana and Cosmopolitan magazine, supported by over 125,000 petitioners. Officially recognised by the UK government, the day falls on the birthday of Shafilea Ahmed, a bright, courageous young woman who was murdered by her parents for bringing perceived “shame” on her family. Her story, echoed in the lives of many others, is one of strength, agency, and injustice.
As Shafilea would have turned 39 this year, we gathered once again to remember her and all those who should still be with us today. Their lives mattered. Their names must be spoken. And their legacies must drive lasting change.