Against All Odds
Over the years, many of the survivors we work with all over India have improved their lives. Here are some of their touching realities.
Anupama
Anupama greets people with a warm smile, one that is usually hidden under a scarf and large sunglasses. But these accessories are not a style statement – they cover up a distressing story that began when she was just 13. A stalker, 12 years Anupama’s senior, would follow her sister and her around, often throwing things at them to catch their attention. Fed up of his constant harassment, Anupama complained to her family – and her brother went over to the man’s house to insist that he stop. Unfortunately, this was a catalyst to something much worse. It made the man so angry that he snuck into the sisters’ bedroom one evening, and threw acid at the two of them. Anupama bore the brunt of the attack, while her sister escaped with burns to her stomach. Sadly, Anupama’s face, chest, and arms were disfigured beyond recognition.
Mamta is a bright, cheerful woman. She has a certain light in her eyes, even as she speaks calmly of her arduous journey so far. Her ordeal began at 21, when she was urged to marry a man who later turned out to be abusive – physically as well as mentally. And when she became pregnant with her first child, she felt like she owed it to her unborn child to keep him safe, and so wanted to terminate the pregnancy. Pressure from her husband meant that she was made to give birth to him despite her reservations. Things went from bad to worse when her husband used their son to manipulate Mamta and her family, demanding money and locking her out of their marital home. It was when she was staying at her parents’ house that she was attacked by her husband with acid – an assault that claimed one half of her beautiful face.
Mamta
Gulnaaz
Gulnaaz is an iron-willed mother of three, but she struggles with even the most basic chores at home, relying heavily on the help of those around her. However, she wasn’t always this dependent. In fact, for the most part of her life, she was a self-sufficient woman who did things her own way. This is best illustrated by a story that both defined and derailed her life. At the age of 43, she decided to make a life for herself by opening a beauty parlour in her house. Unfortunately, the leaders of the village saw this as a sign of rebellion, and threatened to harm her if she didn’t shut her business down. Still, she bravely persisted. However, two weeks later, the village heads stormed into her house and attacked her with acid, leaving her disfigured, dejected, and in immense pain. Her husband stayed by side, joining the police force to earn more and fund her medical expenses – but he can do little to alleviate the pain she feels every single day.
After losing her mother at a young age, Kanta was forced into marriage when she was only 10 years
old. At age 17, Kanta gave birth to her first child, a beautiful baby girl. However, Kanta’s husband
desperately wanted a boy, and the arrival of a baby girl angered him. This is when the abuse began.
When Kanta became pregnant a second time, her husband told her ‘all will be well if you give birth
to a boy’. When it was revealed that she was carrying another girl, her husband had a fit of rage, and
physical and verbal abuse followed.
It wasn’t until her eldest daughter was 7 that the first acid attack occurred, in 2015. Furious that the
man she thought she loved could do something so horrible to her, she attempted to get justice for
herself. Unfortunately, no law enforcement officer took her seriously or looked into her case with the intent of pursuing justice. This situation of not being taken seriously by people in positions of
authority is a recurring pattern in Kanta’s ongoing ordeal.
What sets Kanta’s story apart from many other survivors, is that she has still not escaped this hell.
Her husband, her mother-in-law, her husband’s brother, and her own sister have made her life
miserable. They live free of all the consequences of taking away this woman’s quality of life, when
they should all be locked away in jail for abetting and perpetrating mental abuse inflicted on Kanta.
Not only do they deny her food and basic necessities, they even threaten to burn her entire body if
she tries to seek help. Despite these threats, a determined Kanta has attempted to take them to
court, but many of the officials do not believe her and her husband never shows up to court on the
stipulated dates.
Kanta