I read with interest Pragna Patel’s opinion piece about the Sikh court (The world is getting its first Sikh court in London. That’s a threat to women’s rights, 31 May). Southall Black Sisters, the organisation of which she is a founding member, is an important institution in the South Asian community and has been defending women’s rights since it was founded. We are cognisant of Pragna’s concerns, which are rooted in her organisation’s experience.
We agree that religious courts can create safeguarding concerns and that traditionally patriarchal religious and cultural bodies can place pressure on women to comply or acquiesce.
