Stop Violence Against Women in South Asia

Content Warning: Includes themes of sexual violence 

Pragyawati lives in Doha, Uttar Pradesh, with her two children. Her husband's work as a migrant labourer provides the family’s only income, but takes him away from the family for months at a time.With male violence posing a huge threat to women in India, Pragyawati has always been concerned about the risks of staying on her own in the house with her children.  

While her husband was travelling for work, three men climbed through her open bathroom roof and raped her. After they had left, she went into a deep state of shock, however, she managed to get word to her husband. As he was so far away, he sent his brother take Pragyawati to the police station and report the crime. Due to the men having their faces covered she could only identify one of them, which meant the police couldn’t act on the rest of the perpetrators.  

As news spread of the assault, Pragyawati became isolated from her community. The stigma towards female survivors of sexual violence is high. This impacted her mental well-being greatly and she began to feel hopeless. 

A support worker from our project, the Maitri Network, heard about Pragyawati via the newspaper and approached her and her husband to offer support. They received therapy to work through the trauma of what had taken place and legal help to begin court proceedings. 

With two of the men still free, fear of reprisals have stalled the case. The Maitri Network are still working alongside Pragyawati to seek justice. Though this is a complex case, the support workers are determined to continue their support of Pragyawati. We will keep you updated.  

Thanks to your support, women who are victims of violence get the therapy they need to heal and seek the justice they deserve. 

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