The Phulkaari

Sikh Women’s Aid has noticed the need for women-led discussion spaces that tackle the root causes of all toxic behaviour that exists in our community and wider society. So this podcast is a place for honest, frank no-nonsense discussion around the root causes of abuse and violence that swathes of Sikh Panjabi women and children are subjected to, this includes some men too.

We wish to recreate the environment of honest discourse and collective healing amongst Sikh Panjabi women and children. We named our podcast after reading about the cultural heritage of the Phulkaari and its role in the celebration of girls.

The name Phulkaari is a silent tribute to our beautiful mothers and their traditions to place honour and value on their daughters. It is time for Sikh Panjabi women and girls to take back control of discussions and strategies that impact our lives and lived experiences.

Join us every second Wednesday at 7 pm, no topic of discussion is off the table. 💜🙏🏽

Co-host

Sukhvinder Kaur

Sukhvinder Kaur prides herself in being a stay-at-home mum and has been active in the voluntary sector as former Director of Operations and spokesperson for a human rights charity. She also served on a national Sikh Body from 2015 - 2018. Here she was one of only three women who encouraged Sikh faith institutions to recognise their duties and obligations towards safeguarding.

When Sukhvinder realised this was falling on deaf ears, she then understood the patriarchal nature of those leading faith-based institutions, where women are used for photo opportunities to advertise gender balance but their needs and concerns were rarely prioritised.

Sukhi is passionate about raising awareness of child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse within the Sikh and wider BAME community. She has seen a sharp rise in faith-based sexual abuse in places of worship & faith settings and has worked tirelessly to shine a spotlight on this issue.

https://www.sikhwomensaid.org.uk/about-us/our-team