“Exploitation of Sikh students” to be addressed with national gathering

A series of viral incidents exposing the exploitation of recent Sikh migrants in the UK has led to a meeting being organised in Southall (West London) for this Sunday.

The meeting held collaboratively between community group Sikh Youth UK and educational outlet Basics Of Sikhi at the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall Park Avenue Gurdwara will revolve around what issues the migrants – who are mainly from Punjab and on student visas – suffer with, and what can be done by the general Sikh community to support them.

The meeting comes after several videos showed the migrants being exploited by employers and landlords, with one even displaying a man being violently abused whilst held against their will. Another showing a young Sikh woman stating she was being groomed into prostitution also sent shockwaves through the community. NOTE- Due to possible legal implications and to respect the privacy of those that suffered, Sikh PA will not be sharing the actual videos.

This past weekend a protest was held outside the home of an employer that was involved in one such incident, with 100+ people gathering to demand action. During the protest UK community figure and respected activist Jaspreet Singh called for a return to traditional Sikh leadership and decision-making decisions to help the community deal with such issues and provide support for those being targeted.

The issue of exploitation of “Sikh students” is not new. Earlier this year several Sikh orgs collaborated to create a “Punjab International Student Support Network”. You can hear Jaspreet Singh talk about this through an interview with BBC WM Radio we arranged earlier this year.

Sikh Press Association Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh said of the issue:

“It is well known that recent migrants are vulnerable to exploitation due to lack of awareness of their rights, particularly those on student visas who rely on universities and employers to ensure their stay in the UK. It seems this issue is getting worse as the cost of living crisis deepens, with more examples of exploitation and abuse doing the rounds in Sikh circles through social media.

“The national meeting in Southall this Sunday aims to bring the Sikh community together to support those being targeted, with basic actions to be implemented that will help keep those that are vulnerable to exploitation safe.

“It is important to note that this is not simply a UK issue. Sikh communities in the USA and Canada have also highlighted and worked against this issue. The Naujawan Support Network in the Ontario area of Canada is a particularly clear example of the community action being taken to tackle this problem, and it seems inevitable similar organisations will be set-up in other Sikh diaspora populated areas.”