Meet Dhriti*, a 22-year-old Nepali woman.

Dhriti grew up in poverty and received limited education which left her with few options for escaping the restrictions and reality of her life.

A marriage proposal seemed like the best way out, however Dhriti could not have foreseen where this marriage would leave her.

What should have been a path to freedom and opportunity left her exposed, abused, betrayed, victimised, and enslaved for the most outrageous reason.

Dhriti had no choice but to flee.

Here is Dhriti’s story in her own words.

My name is Dhriti. I am 22 years old. There are eight people in my family, and we always have struggled to make ends meet. I studied at school till Class 5 and after that I stopped going because we could no longer afford it. I stayed at home. During that time, I received a marriage proposal, but I declined. Instead, I chose to find a way to educate myself. I found work in a nearby city and managed to complete my education to a Class 7 level.

I was working at a small hotel. Most of the customers behaviours and their intentions towards me were not good. I could clearly sense that. I felt very unsafe whenever I was at work. So, I left the job at the hotel and went home to my family.

One day, one of my cousins came over and he told my father that he was willing to help me complete my education and even send me abroad for work. I didn’t want to go, but eventually my father persuaded me to.

When I got to my cousin’s house, he didn’t help me in my studies at all, but instead, had me look after their 10-year-old child and their grandmother. I had to take care of them and do all the household chores.

10 more months passed. I received another marriage proposal but this time as I was tired of living at my cousins and being treated poorly. I wanted more from my life than to be a slave.

I decided to get married. Initially, the marriage was good but later when my husband’s brother married a more educated girl, everyone in my husband’s family started treating me in a different way.

I was given all the manual labour to do like cutting grass and gathering wood because I was uneducated.  The educated sister received favourable treatment. Even my husband mistreated me and did not pay any attention to what was happening.

Life continued on this way for another six months and then my husband decided to go abroad for work and after that I was not allowed to go out of the house at all. I was always made to work and started getting skin problems. Ugly, painful blisters and rashes would appear. My mother-in-law started ostracising me because of my skin problems and even tried to kick me out of the house. When I told my husband about the illness and how I was treated at home I was blamed for being HIV positive and told to leave the house before he would return. I was worried so I went to the hospital with my elder sister. After the examination, the doctor told me that my skin problems were due to poor nutrition, and unhygienic living conditions. My husband at this point had been working abroad for two years, meanwhile I was treated badly and not even allowed to stay at his house. I had no choice but to leave. I had no place to go.

I was wandering in the streets carrying a bag, homeless. There seemed no hope. Fortunately, I met a lady I knew from my village. She saw me carrying a bag and asked me where I was going and whether I was going home. I told her I have left my husband and I have no place to go. The lady took me to her home that day and she got in contact with ASSN/ EDM. I had a conversation over the phone with a counsellor and then went to visit them at their office on the border. I stayed with these kind ladies for five days. They offered me a place in their skill’s programme to help train me to be independent. I’m so thankful for their help I don’t know what would have happened if they didn’t help me.  Now I have hope and am learning the skills I need to live a better life.

For women like Dhriti life is hard. Education is the pathway to independence but for many, poverty steals opportunity.

Families struggle with the perceived burden of a daughter and women are often voiceless in the outworking of their own futures.  Even with the desire and commitment to work hard and achieve more, without an education, women like Dhriti often find themselves exploited by those who should protect them.

Thankfully Dhriti was intercepted by a friend who knew of the services provided by our partners at ASSN, who work tirelessly to bring equality and restoration to women in these impossible situations.

We prioritise healthy honourable partnerships in the communities that we work in so the people we strive to serve have confidence in coming to us when they encounter cases like Dhriti .

Our EDM counsellors are compassionate, qualified indigenous individuals / Nepali locals who are fully equipped and resourced to handle difficult situations in a way that enables women who are so very vulnerable to find hope, protection, and support.

Interception is always just the beginning. Dhriti was able to access long term accommodation and began training as a seamstress to develop a skill that will enable her to achieve independence and freedom. Along with this comes small business training and ongoing support and counselling.  Our desire is that Dhriti will thrive when she leaves our program.

Hope begins here – born in partnership with committed hearts that say, ‘Not one more, not on my watch!’

*name changed to protect identity