Background
Khanum was born in Barisal, Partition of Bengal (now Bangladesh), British India. She was named by her father who died when she was very young.
Khanum was born in Barisal, Partition of Bengal (now Bangladesh), British India. She was named by her father who died when she was very young.
Khanum has an Bachelor and Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Dhaka, and a Doctor of Philosophy in History from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Her exact date of birth is unknown because during that period birth certificates were not given unless they were specifically requested. She moved with her family to Charfassion, Dhaka where she was brought up. In the early 1980s, she brought her family to Luton, Bedfordshire, England.
She worked over a long period as a lecturer and later as an assistant professor in Eden Girls" College and the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh.
In 1996, Khanum set up an independent international equal opportunities/diversity management, research and training consultancy. She is a non-executive director for National Health Service Luton.
Since 1983, Khanum has been involved in community empowerment through her work with diverse communities. across the United Kingdom to promote their development and empowerment. She has extensive senior management experience with five English local authorities (Ealing, Tower Hamlets, Bedfordshire, Greater London Council and ILEA).
She is on the boards of several key decision-making and copmmunity-empowerment organisations, including: non-executive director of Luton Primary Care Trust.
Chair of Luton All-Women"s Centre, Luton Multi-Cultural Women"s Coalition, including Luton Bangladesh Helping Hand and Purbachal – the Eastern Sky. Khanum was a government adviser. on issues relating to ethnic minorities. In March 2008, Khanum carried out a research study of Forced marriage, family cohesion and community engagement: national learning through a case study of Luton for the Home Office and Metropolitan Police Service she discovered a growing problem that at least 3,000 young women are the victims of forced marriages in Britain each year.
To support her case, Khanum found that more than 300 forced marriages were reported in Luton each year.
She chairs several community groups in Luton She is on the boards of several key decision-making and community-empowerment organisations, including: non-executive director of Luton Primary Care Trust, member of the corporation and governor of Luton Sixth Form College.