Polly Harrar | |
---|---|
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Women's rights activist |
Years active | 2008–present |
Known for | Sharan Project |
Polly Harrar is a British women's rights activist who assists women who have been the victims of forced marriage and honour crimes. She is the founder of the Sharan Project, a member of the Forced Marriage Unit Partnership Board, and a partner of Comic Relief's Our Girl campaign.
As a young woman, Harrar left home after having experienced 'cultural conflict' with her family.[1] In 2008, she began supporting women from South Asian communities in the UK and has become an expert on forced marriages and honour based violence.[2] She is regularly quoted in articles about honour based violence affecting the UK's South Asian communities.[3][4][5]
In 2013 she was nominated for the Asian Women of Achievement Award.[6] In 2015 she received the Community Spirit award in the GG2 Leadership Awards.[7] In 2016, she was awarded the Points of Light award by UK Prime Minister David Cameron on International Women's Day for her work.[8]