Sexually abused at seven years old and married at ten, Mamtha never knew a day apart from abuse until she found a home at Tasalli.

​

At seven years old, just as her family's new life in a new city began, so did Mamtha’s sexual abuse. It was at that age that her oldest brother began abusing her on a regular basis. With her mother nearby as a protector, Mamtha was able to speak out, and the brother was sent out of the country to find work.

​

This protector, however, was vulnerable herself. Eventually, Mamtha’s mother fell sick. Mamtha dropped out of school to become her primary caregiver, but continued medical neglect and abuse from Mamtha's father meant that in spite of Mamtha's care, her mother’s health declined rapidly and she passed away. In the wake of her mother’s death, Mamtha’s older brother returned, and Mamtha was yet again subject to devastating sexual abuse and rape.

​

She was ten years old. Unable to cope with such abuse, Mamtha decided to take her own life by drinking poison. She was found just in time, and after two months of treatment she was released from the hospital back into the hands of her abusive family.

​

No one protected her. No one loved her. She was scared and alone.

​

It wasn’t long before Mamtha’s father remarried. Her stepmother didn’t want Mamtha in the house, and arranged for her to be married to a fifty-seven-year-old man she had never met. Within the first year of marriage, Mamtha was pregnant and had her first child. She was only eleven years old. Mamtha thought having a child would make her husband love her; however, her husband continued drinking and leaving home for prolonged periods of time. Mamtha was trapped, locked in the home, given no food, and forced to continue serving his family.

​

She had another son three years later, and remained with her husband and his family for the next eleven years. She survived pain, heartbreak, and multiple suicide attempts. She approached the police multiple times regarding the abuse and other crimes committed against her to no avail.

​

Finally, Mamtha approached a women's organisation, and was referred to Tasalli. She came to stay with us, and is receiving holistic counselling, support like a family, and legal assistance to file for divorce. She has started computer training—a dream of hers—and writing poems, in English and Urdu, about her life as a creative and therapeutic outlet.

​

The challenges for Mamtha are still many. She struggles with despair. Her constant question is, "Why? Why me? Why have I endured so much? Why should I go on living?" It breaks her heart to have left her children, especially since her husband has not been cooperative in allowing them to visit her. Slowly, however, the dreams are outgrowing the questions. At Tasalli, Mamtha’s ultimate dream is to stand on her own feet and make a living for herself so she can support her children.

​

Everyone told Mamtha she was dead to them. She was abused and abandoned by everyone who should have cared for her. 

Today Mamtha has found a caring community. She is learning tangible skills to choose the steps she wants to take. Today she is free from abuse.

​

*pseudonym