Safe gurdwaras & safe sikh spaces
We deserve safety!
Our young and vulnerable sangat members deserve safety in Sikh Spaces!
Kaur Voices is committed to working with Sikh Gurdwaras & Sikh organisations to improve the current provisions and ensure that we make EVERY Sikh space safe.
Would your organization like to stand in solidarity with the Kaur Voices to make Sikh spaces safe?
Become an ally and partner to Kaur Voices by supporting the movement to make all Sikh spaces safe.
Click here to become an ally
The #MeTooSikh movement Was successfully launched with immense support, but unsurprisingly, there has been a backlash from the PAnjabi and Sikh community, specifically from Gurdwara management.
We want to take a moment to step back, understand the gravity of what we’re dealing with, and put those that are doubting the movement at ease by informing you all that we have an action plan that we want to implement globally.
We want to preface that we aren’t pushing this movement to bash anyone, but there has been a lot of suppressed pain the community has gone through that needs to be addressed and prevented from happening in the future.
As Sikhs, we were once the go-to’s when someone was in need of help. Now, we are afraid to talk to one another because of judgement or knowing that no action or consequences will be implemented even when someone speaks up. This needs to end. We need to be the justice fighters we once were.
Since the launch of the #MeTooSikh movement, many women have spoken up about their mistreatments and uncomfortableness in the Sikh community, Gurdwaras specifically. Women have said that they feel nervous to go to Gurdwaras because of how men stare and talk to them. Gurdwaras are supposed to be a safe haven for everyone. Not just Sikhs, but everyone. With these issues in mind, we need to find a way to change this, to implement a system that will stop abuse from happening as soon as possible.
Kaur Voices needs support in creating policies to implement in every Gurdwara (administered by the committee members) and that means taking this all the way to SGPC. It is our job to create the change we want to see and if that means working with one gurdwara at a time, then so be it. Our goal is to help victims professionally, to make sure they’ve healed properly along with making sure the offenders go through the proper channels of reform. We don’t want to shun anyone, but to help them rejoin society with ease, that is our job as Sikhs. We want to work with Gurdwaras and take the correct precautions to make sure our Sangat is safe.
It’s our job now to address these issues and solve them. The truth is, these horrendous acts are happening and we have to stop them. It’s time to break the silence #ChupToro. We’ve gotten into the habit of keeping everything in and not letting anyone know what’s going on. For the gentlemen that are unaware of the current issues and are probably taken aback by all of these stories, it’s because the women only feel comfortable talking to other women. We need male allies just as much as females.
Please stand with us to break the cycle. Use the hashtag #MeTooSikh in solidarity and help us become one #Ekta. Support the movement and show up for victims of abuse in Sikh and Punjabi spaces. When you have a few minutes, feel free to take this survey to help us understand the magnitude of what we’re dealing with. Every submission will make a difference.
Bhul Chuk Maafi
Vaheguroo ji Ka Khalsa, Vaheguroo Ji Ki Fateh