
_ UK Network member, Jasvinder Sanghera welcomed the Vice-president of the European Parliament, Diana Wallace, to visit her charity for victims of honor crimes, Karma Nirvana. The meeting coincided with the announcement by British Home Secretary, Theresa May of the launch of a 12-week consultation period on whether forced marriages should be criminalized. Diana Wallis offered to provide her own submission to the UK government on the issue. Ms Wallis also discussed the next steps for instigating the debate on criminalizing forced marriages with the European Commission. This would follow a public hearing on criminalizing forced marriages in Europe that was held at the European Parliament last June, at which network members, Jasvinder and Ahmad Mansour testified. Diana Wallis is keen to establish EU-wide rules on marriage, which by definition would exclude forced marriage.