Indian-origin Canadian leader reveals he was sexually abused as child
Toronto: Canada's Indian-origin opposition leader Jagmeet Singh has revealed that he was sexually abused by his taekwondo teacher when he was 10 years old and said it is one of his regrets in life that he kept quiet about the assault.
The 40-year-old Sikh leader of New Democratic Party in his memoir said the abuse took place in 1980s while he was growing up in Windsor, Ontario, the Global News reported.
Singh created political history in Canada last month when he made his debut in the House of Commons, the lower of house of Parliament, as the first non-white leader of a major opposition party in the country.
In his book, 'Love and Courage: My Story of Family, Resilience and Overcoming the Unexpected', he said the instructor - who he only refers to as Mr N - offered him personal classes at his home dojo. He said his instructor has since died.
As a kid, I was so embarrassed and ashamed of what happened, I didn't talk to anyone about it, Singh told the channel.
And it wasn't until almost a decade later that I spoke to another human being about it. The first time I heard the words that it wasn't my fault was something that just cracked open my heart. Singh said he doesn't think the coach was ever charged.
One of my regrets in my life is I didn't come forward when he was alive. Maybe I would have been able to give some closure to other folks and maybe prevent something from happening in the future, he added.
Singh said he hopes his book will help others who have been abused to speak up and realise it's not their fault.
A part of writing this book is a way for me to make up for something that I regret that I didn't come forward (about) and maybe help other people have the courage to come forward if that's right for them, but most importantly, to have people heal, for them to know it's not their fault, he said.
In his memoir, the Sikh leader also wrote about racism and bullying he faced during his childhood.
Singh, who lived in South Windsor from the age of seven to 23, recounted how one boy during recess asked if he was brown because he didn't shower, and how another boy whispered: Dirty. Then he was attacked from behind, he said.
Suddenly I felt my topknot being pulled and then a hard shove knocking me to the ground almost simultaneously, he writes.
Singh said that his family was torn apart by his father's alcoholism. After hitting rock bottom, and after unsuccessful stints at some of the best rehab centres in the world, his father's life was saved at Windsor's Brentwood Recovery Home.
He was elected in federal by-elections held on February 25.
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UK imposes study visa bans on Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, Sudan
London (PTI): The UK on Wednesday imposed a study visa ban on four countries accused of using the route as a backdoor entry to seek permanent refuge in the country, as part of a wider clampdown on the soaring rates of asylum applications.
The so-called "emergency brake" on student visas applies to Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, with Afghans also subject to a skilled worker visa ban following a major surge in asylum claims from these countries.
The move comes as UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood introduces new legislation in Parliament this week, with the visa brake to be introduced via an Immigration Rules change on Thursday to come into force on March 26.
"Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused," said Mahmood.
“That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity. I will restore order and control to our borders,” she said.
According to official statistics released by the Home Office alongside the visa ban announcement, asylum applications by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan rocketed by over 470 per cent between 2021 and 2025 – making them among the most likely nationalities to claim asylum.
Meanwhile, the number of Afghans on work visas claiming asylum now outstripping the number of visas issued.
In what has been described as an “unprecedented step”, the Home Office said it will end sponsored study visas from all four countries and skilled worker visas for Afghan nationals.
“Tough action is required as asylum claims from legal routes have more than trebled since 2021 – making up 39 per cent of the 100,000 people who applied last year. In total, 133,760 people have claimed asylum after arriving legally in the past five years,” the Home Office said.
It said these refugees end up having to be accommodated at the expense of the British taxpayer, with an “above average proportion” of people from the four countries claiming destitution.
“Asylum support is currently costing more than 4 billion pounds a year – with nearly 16,000 nationals from the four countries currently supported at public expense, including over 6,000 in hotels," it added.
According to official data, between 2021 and the year ending September 2025, the proportion of Afghan asylum claims to study visas issued was 95 per cent, applications by students from Myanmar soared 16-fold over the same period and claims by students from Cameroon and Sudan spiked by more than 330 per cent.
The government pointed to its success in reducing student asylum claims by 20 per cent over the course of 2025, but stressed that further action is needed as those arriving on study visas still make up 13 per cent of all claims in the system.
The visa ban announcement comes on the back of Mahmood's announcement earlier this week that asylum status in the UK will be temporary, to be reviewed after 30 months.
