Taking Control

My client is a young Afghani girl who was living with her husband and mother in law.  She is beautiful, smart and wanted to educate herself not only to contribute to the family income but also to feel confident and boost her self-esteem.  She did not realize that her husband and mother-in-law had other plans for her. 

She found herself cooking, cleaning, washing dishes and washing clothes by hand, (she was not allowed to use the washing machine). They did not like her attending the LINC program as they were afraid she would be too educated compared to them. Nothing she did was appreciated and they nagged her constantly. If she came slightly late from school, she would face a barrage of questions and verbal abuse. He began to become physically abusive soon after she arrived. Slapping her on her face, punching her on her back, and verbally abusing her became an almost every day affair. She was not allowed to call home.

They criticized everything, from her clothes, house-hold chores, cooking, cleaning, and when she got pregnant they were ruthless.  They made her wash the walls of the house in her pregnant state.  She had to continue to hand wash all the clothes and clean the floors.  Her husband accused her of having extra marital affairs. No love, extra attention or empathy was shown.  She was never complimented or appreciated for the hard work she did. 

With the money she had made and saved working at a fast food place, she would want to buy something for her baby, and they would tell her she was wasting money, that she was out of the house and not taking care of the baby. 

One day when she returned after meeting a friend, with the permission of the mother-in-law, she was rudely questioned as to why she had come so late.  Later, her husband told her to leave the house, without the baby.  She was so traumatized to have to leave her child behind and when she came to see us the next day, her tears kept falling for fear of losing her child. 

Thanks to BINGO, we were able to find a lawyer for her and she got her baby back in 2 days.  She got a subsidized housing unit within a year, and now she is in school, trying to get her high school credits.  She is a confident, beautiful young lady, who knows what she wants, and has goals to meet.  And she will-