In light of the #MeToo movement, we have seen a number of women coming up with their unfortunate experiences of harassment. However, rarely do we get to hear about psychological trauma faced by adolescent girls from marginalized backgrounds.
The story of Shazia, a grade 6 student from South Punjab is among the numerous other stories that often go unreported. Married off at the age of 13, her abusive relationship only festered her grievances as opposed to resolving them. This is what she has to narrate:
"My name is Shazia. I am the youngest of my siblings. Due to the lack of family resources, my parents wanted their daughters to marry off as soon as possible. As a result, I could not pursue my education further after grade 6 and eventually, I dropped out. I got engaged at the age of 13 and married a year later to a person who turned out to be a drug addict. The marriage was never off to a great start and proved to be an abusive relationship. To make matters worse, when the doctor told me that I cannot conceive a child until the age of 18, my in-laws started physically assaulting me. After years of being ridiculed, my parents finally decided to bring me back home, awaiting an apology from my husband and his family. But that never turned out to be the case. I was soon informed that my husband had settled down with another woman. I rejoined my family and my (ex)husband has never contacted me again."
Siyani Sahelian, a girls education program by Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, met Shazia in October and helped her resume education in collaboration with School Education Department Punjab. The initiative has helped thousands of other dropped out girls like Shazia revive their dreams.
Help us in our endeavors to provide free education for marginalized girls across Punjab and beyond
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