By Soph Stephens | Digital Fundraiser
Content Warning: This report contains details of sexual violence and suicide.
Prabhavati was 17, lived with her 5 siblings and was training to be a nurse in a nearby institute. She wanted to dedicate her life to helping others and was excited about the prospect of graduating in the next few years.
One day, she was forcibly taken out of the training facility, by her teachers and was raped. This happened again on another occasion.The teachers used Prabhavati’s love of her job to blackmail her in silence, saying if she kept it to herself, they would provide her a good job in a hospital. Finally, Prabhavati gathered the strength to tell her brother, however instead of helping her, Prabhavati’s brother blamed the incident on her and refused to comfort her.
With no one to go to, Prabhavati felt so isolated, that she decided to end her life. Due to the quick aid of others around her, Prabhavati survived, though with injuries that required medical treatment and meant she was unable to walk for some time.
A support officer from our partner’s project was told of Prabhavati’s suffering by the police and they visited Prabhavati in the hospital. They notified her parents of what had happened, which was shocking and horrifying to them, as they were unaware of the abuse and desperation Prabhavati had faced.
Once known to our partner project, Prabhavati was provided with emergency counselling and the support officer urged her to seek justice through filing an official charge against the perpetrators. Our partners covered all legal fees, which helps so many women to seek the justice they are entitled to.
The court proceedings led to a confession from the perpetrator and Prabhavati could start to rebuild her life. The support that she received from this project didn’t end there. She is continuing to recover, building on her mental health with therapy and receiving an education. Prabhavati’s longing is to go back to nursing, once she is further down the road of recovery.
Thanks to you, women like Prabhavati are heard and supported to take legal action, challenging the extreme violence they encounter and helping create the societal change so badly needed for gender equality. Thank you.
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