Yasmin Khan is the National Advisor to the Welsh Government and Founder of the Halo Project, an award-winning national charity that supports Black and minoritised victims and survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and hidden harms including forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and honour-based abuse. In her role as Director at Halo and its umbrella organisation, Tees Valley Inclusion Project, Yasmin has supported over 2500 Black and minoritised women, many with children, move from situations of untenable violence to leading independent lives free from harm.

As a strategic leader and partnership builder, Yasmin proactively liaises with key partners including statutory service providers such as the police, social services and health, education, and housing providers, to ensure the necessary safeguarding is in place to protect victims and reduce risk. She also holds a plethora of senior advisory roles and proactively highlights service gaps, identifies potential improvements and opportunities with respect to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Yasmin also continues to create change in her role as National Adviser to the Welsh Government on issues on Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence, where she provides expertise on how most effectively to implement the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015, and works directly with victims, survivors, and stakeholders to shape and inform improvements in the way services are planned, commissioned, and delivered.

Unafraid to crack on, shift the dial, and make real impact, Yasmin also authored the first-ever super-complaint detailing the systemic failures of Black and minoritised sexual abuse cases by police forces across England and Wales. The report, Invisible Survivors – The Long Wait For Justice, contains case studies, victim experiences, expert witness statements, academic research, and the experiences of specialist Black and minoritised staff working in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector collectively highlighting specific barriers for reporting sexual abuse within Black and minoritised communities. Through the report, Yasmin is committed to driving forward positive change for victims and survivors and provided key recommendations for this improvement.

Yasmin has a well-respected reputation throughout the international community, with a clear focus on facilitating successful change management through strategic knowledge and understanding of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. She has worked with diverse communities, particularly women, in addressing inequalities in the field of employment, education and training and sits on the Board of Governors at Teesside University, where she has portfolio responsibilities for standards and safeguarding.

A staunch supporter of collaboration and multi-agency working, Yasmin established a Strategic Community Partnership to provide support for victims and survivors of forced marriage and honour based abuse across the North East of England, where her pioneering programme of work across the Tees Valley resulted in developing the first Forced Marriage/HBV case scrutiny group across the UK. Yasmin has also been brought in as an expert panel member on Domestic Homicide Reviews where she identified honour-abuse was present and has been involved in Parliamentary briefings to discuss procedures and policies to stop early childhood forced marriages and violence against women. She is International Ambassador for the HARM (honour abuse research matrix) Network, where she commissioned research into ‘Honour’ abuse, violence, and forced marriage in the UK, exploring police cases (incidents and charges) and specialised training.

Yasmin has a wealth of experience in the field of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and as such, held the position of Chair of the Strategic Independent Advisory Group for Cleveland Police and CPS NE Race Scrutiny Group, as well as being a Trustee for Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation. Yasmin also successfully led a multimillion pound European programme, EQUAL, where she promoted a cultural shift in the housing sector and helped mainstream employment programmes for Black and minoritised people within Europe and the UK.

Among Yasmin’s accolades for her unwavering commitment to make change, she holds the Citizen of the Year and Mayor’s Award, recognising her contribution to Diversity and Inclusion, and the 2018 Tees Businesswomen’s Inspirational Award in recognition of her ambitious work within Teesside, a place she is proud to live, work, and represent.

Yasmin continues to provide innovation and better outcomes for victims and survivors through her work at Halo Project, in Welsh Government and throughout her community; by addressing issues and inequalities in inclusion, safeguarding and service provision, to amplify victims’ voices and eradicate abuse across all communities.