West Midlands region, Oldbury town, UK: Nearly 40 civil rights organizations have strongly denounced the brutal sexual violence against a Sikh woman in Oldbury, West Midlands, on September 9.
According to police reports, the woman was physically attacked at around 8:30 a.m. on Tame Road by two white men in what is being described as a racially motivated crime. The victim also alleged that one of the attackers hurled racist abuse and told her to “go back to her country.”
In a collective statement, groups representing South Asian, Black, migrant, and refugee communities said they were “shocked and outraged” by the incident.
Organizations such as Sikh Women’s Aid, Indian Workers Association (GB), Shaheed Udham Singh Welfare Centre – Women@theCentre, UK Indian Muslim Council, Sikh Socialists, India Labour Solidarity (ILS), Hindus for Human Rights UK, and Shaheed Udham Singh Centre in Birmingham were among those who endorsed the statement.
The groups emphasized that misogyny and gender-based abuse are deeply tied to racism and white supremacy. They highlighted that similar crimes against Black and other racialized women often go unreported, or survivors are dismissed and not taken seriously.
The statement also criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government, accusing it of enabling far-right ideologies. “By pandering to the far-right and promoting narratives that blame migrants, this government continues policies that worsen violence and discrimination,” the organizations declared.
West Midlands Police confirmed that one suspect was taken into custody on September 14, five days after the attack. No further arrests have been made to date.
The signatories further condemned the lack of government response, noting: “It is disgraceful that, as of now, no government minister has expressed concern or issued a statement condemning this horrific act in Oldbury.”
Community leaders within the UK’s Sikh and Indian diaspora have also spoken out. Dabinderjit Singh of the Sikh Federation (UK) told the media: “We await politicians across all parties to denounce this racist and sexual assault, where a young Sikh woman was violently beaten and subjected to abuse. Such attacks must never be tolerated.”
He added that the assault happened in broad daylight on a busy road, which makes the silence of political leaders even more alarming.
The organizations closed their joint statement by pledging full support to the survivor: “We stand in complete solidarity with the victim and commend her bravery in reporting this terrible act of racial and gender-based violence.”
