A heartbroken family have gathered in Leeds to remember their beautiful mum who was murdered by the man who was once supposed to protect her.
On September 24, 2020, Abida Karim was murdered by her husband Sajid Pervez. She was 39 years old and she left behind seven children, the youngest just six years old at the time of her death.
Today at Whinmoor Cemetery in Leeds, a special memorial was held so the children could give their mother the send-off she deserved. Sawaira Sajid, Abida's eldest daughter was 20 years old when her mum was killed and she has now legally fostered her younger siblings.
Sawaira described how this was the only way that she could keep the family together after they tragically lost their mum. She explained that at the time of her mum's death they were not told about her funeral service until a few hours before it was about to start.
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Sawaira said: "Not only did we lose our mum in the most tragic way imaginable, but we were never allowed to properly say goodbye. This has added to the deep pain of losing our beautiful mum."
To honour their mother's memory, the children planned a special memorial service in which Sawaira and her siblings, as well as family and friends, took the time to remember Abida.
The memorial took place at 3pm and Sawaira and the family arrived on a horse-drawn carriage before laying flowers and taking solace at their mother's grave.
Sawaira gave a short speech dedicated to her mum and then members of the family gathered to release balloons high into the sky in honour of Abida.
Sawaira grew up witnessing the controlling and bullying nature of her father and said she always feared he would murder her mum, ever since she was five years old.
Sajid Pervez pleaded guilty to murder and was told he must serve at least 22 years in prison. There in an ongoing Domestic Homicide Review into Abida Karim’s death which is due to be published by Leeds City Council later this year.
Established in 1993, Karma Nirvana is a leading charity working towards changing attitudes and increasing protection for victims of Honour Based Abuse and provides the National Honour Based Abuse helpline for those in need. Karma Nirvana have been working with Sawaira and her family throughout this difficult time.
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