"My brother was so angry with my 'bhabi' advocating for my education that he beat her right in front of me"

From 25 November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to 10 December (Human Rights Day), the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world. This year’s theme is to “End Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work”. These 16 days we will be sharing the stories of our very own ‘Siyani Sahelian’ (Wise Friends) who have faced violence and freed themselves through education. There are many more like them but they are faceless; these have come to the forefront due to their deeds and images.

My elder brother and I lost our mother a long time ago. After some time of her passing, our father got remarried and my brother moved out. My step-mother did not take kindly to having to take care of children that were not hers, and so I was forced to move out as well and went to live with my brother. 

My brother never went to school and earns his livelihoods through manual labour. He forced me to stay at home and take care of the chores, being strongly opposed to the idea of me going to school. I begged to go to school but he threatened me to drop the topic altogether. My ‘bhabi’ (sister-in-law) was sympathetic towards me and often took my side. One day, she decided to ask her husband (my brother) directly to send me to school. Her efforts were met with violence: my brother was so angry with her advocating for my education that he beat her right in front of me. That shut both of us up.

Recently, ITA’s Siyani Sahelian team was conducting meetings with community members in the vicinity of my house. I heard about the meeting and about the program from neighbours who were in attendance. Recognizing the opportunity, I approached one of the influential women in my neighbourhood and confided in her about my desire to learn and the situation at home. She promised to talk to my brother but he still refused. She started telling my brother about the other girls in the neighbourhood that were enrolled in the program and shared their example with him frequently. After about a month of my brother constantly being told to enroll me, he gave up and gave me permission to study. I have now restarted my education with the belief that I will change societal the mindset against girls’ education. I will especially try to end violence against women through my education.

*Note: Names have been changed to protect the identity of the mentioned persons.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA)