‘I had 72 slugs in me’ Mehtab (Banda, Uttar Pradesh)

W hen I was 3-4 years old I remember we did not have anything to eat. My mother used to be unwell and father did not earn well. He used to beat me and my sisters and mother. Even close relatives tried to sexually abuse us. We were eight sisters in all, so when we were around 15-16 they married us off. I thought we would get a better future after marriage. But at my in-laws’ place they did not give me food to eat. I used to cook for 14-15 people, but at the end nothing was left for me.

Somehow, my husband and I tried to save something for us and our children. We had one girl and one boy. We got the girl married to close relatives. We asked them about dowry. They said we do not want anything from you. Still, whatever we could we gave to our daughter.

On the very first day after marriage they started complaining: “We thought you will put the house in our name”. We told them that we do not have that capacity. So we brought our daughter home. They never came to take her back. They also filed a false case saying our daughter had stolen stuff from their house.

They were afraid that we would win the case and they may have to return the jewellery and car we had given. They threatened to kill me.

I was going to the toilet outside the house one day when they tried to stab me from behind. I managed to run free from them. Later they shot me with a countrymade revolver and fled. I had 72 slugs inside me. I survived but have no money for an operation. They keep threatening us that if we do not take our case back they will kill the whole family. My son-in-law has already made two attempts to murder me.

‘Lucky to survive’ Sapna (Delhi)

I was in 11th standard. My younger brother was injured in an accident so I started working part-time. One day I went to the wedding of my first cousin. His brother-in-law saw me and proposed. He was ten years older. I was studying at the time and needed money for my brother’s medical expenses. I declined; he persisted with his proposal. He used to hit me at times and also threatened to kill me. But I kept refusing.

On August 7, 2013, I was returning home in the evening. He came up from behind on his bike with his cousin and splashed acid on me. I screamed in pain for help but no one came forward. There were two policemen standing nearby. Instead of helping me they started questioning me... who are they? Why they have done this? I called my parents. It took them 20-25 minutes and then I was taken to hospital.

In the hospital I told my cousin his brother-in-law had done this. He said not to file a case and to tell the police that I didn’t know the attackers.

We will get you treated, he said, and get you married. He said it would bring a bad name to the family. I started thinking about it. But if I let him go he might ruin some other girl’s life. I was lucky to survive. Only my hand and a bit of my face got burned. I told my mother the story. She said we are with you.

The culprit is in custody. He was arrested 23 days after the incident. There is still pressure from my family. Till now I have had only one surgery.

Girls have the right to live their way and marry the person they like. Life has not changed; for me looking beautiful is not to do with outer beauty.

‘Mad with pain’ Maya (Banda, Uttar Pradesh)

“M y sister and I were married off at a young age. She was two-three years younger than me. My in-laws were putting pressure on my family to send both of us together. But my sister was too young so my family did not. After three years of marriage I delivered my first child at the age of 15.”

“My brother-in-law used to beat me up. He used to say if you can’t bring your sister then you sleep with me. One day when I was pregnant with my fourth child my brother-in-law started beating me with a stick. I fainted. I wanted to file a complaint. But my husband was not in favour so I went alone to the police station and filed a case.”

“Finally, my sister was sent. I used to work in the farm and she in the house. She was just 13. He used to hit her a lot. I sent the information to my family.”

“Two days after this, he thrashed her the entire night. Next morning, brother-in-law burned my sister with a kerosene lamp. My sister was nearly mad with the pain. I was pregnant but somehow managed to take her to Panna. She spent seven days in the hospital. After 18-20 days I delivered my fourth child. My brother came and took me with him. After that my in-laws filed a false complaint accusing me of stealing silver and gold. My father tried to help but he couldn’t do much.”

“Later my family also disowned me and it’s been 12 years now. My oldest daughter is married. Now I’m staying with my younger son and I want help other women in my situation.”

‘I will shoot you’ Antimadevi (Pateri village, Satna, Madhya Pradesh)

A ntimadevi is a 38-year-old widow, a mother of four whose husband died of tuberculosis in 2011. On February 5, 2014, she went to the market to buy some household things and medicine for her child.

“The shopkeeper kept me waiting for a long time stating that he had to serve other people before me. He made me sit on a bench in his shop. Once he had finished with other customers he starting shutting the doors of his shop.”

“When I protested, he abused me and said, ‘Now you are under me, I can do anything and if you shout I will shoot you. He dragged me inside and raped me. I started screaming so he kept his hand on my mouth. After some time I managed to get away. When he saw me running he shouted that I had stolen something from his store. There was a policeman nearby and I went with him to the police station. The inspector wouldn’t take my complaint but told me to come the next day and register my statement.”

“When I went the next day, again no one recorded my statement and I was asked to come the next day. On the third day they recorded the statement. Now the shopkeeper is in jail. My in-laws supported me. They helped me with the complaint. The man is said to have tried to physically abuse his own daughter. Even villagers support me.”

Antimadevi says he is in Banda jail and she wants him to be imprisoned. She is against any attempts at what is euphemistically described as “mutual understanding”.

‘He threw acid’ Meena (Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh)

M y surname was Gupta before marriage but it’s Soni now. I am from Lucknow but I was married off to a man from Chitrakoot district at 16. That was 25 years ago. My husband was a TB patient and he didn’t have a job. At one point I decided to get a job because we didn’t even have money for meals. My husband was against this. My children were starving; I had no other option. So I found work at Mahila Samakhya in Chitrakoot and my husband stayed away from me for three months.

After three months, he came to stay with me. In 2002, I was a reporter for a local newspaper, Khabar Lekhiya, in Bundelkhand. I often left early and returned late at night. My husband was not happy with this and accused me of having an affair. He used to say that I was beautiful and people stared at me. He made it sound like as it was my fault that people stared at me. Not a day passed without us fighting over this issue.

More than once he tried to strangle me or hang me by the neck. I never told anyone, but I also could not leave because of social taboos.

After 12-13 years of this marriage, on June 30, 2004, my husband threw acid on me. Later he tried to commit suicide, and died in the same hospital where I was being treated. People say a single woman can’t do anything on her own but I want to prove them wrong by educating my kids to such a level that they find respected jobs.

Killibai (Rajsamand, Rajasthan)

K illibai’s brother-in-law thinks she is a witch. For years he has been terrorising her family. He has ambushed her more than once with axes and sticks, trying to kill her.

Light at the end Lalita (Udaipur, Rajasthan)

L alita managed to break through generations of abuse. Her alcoholic husband (drunk in bed in the background) does not beat her anymore. She is now the one who goes to work with pride.

Destiny’s child Kajel (Jalor, Rajasthan)

K ajel, the fourth girl in her family, was supposed to be killed. Her father expected a boy and told the family, “I do not want to see her face, go and kill her.” The eldest daughter had already gathered venomous plants to be administered when the grandmother rescued her.

Escape from hell Sangeeta (Mumbai)

S angeeta was sold to a brothel at 15 by her unemployed alcoholic uncle for `18,000. Her first client raped her. After an escape attempt, her genital area was stuffed with salt and burned with a glowing iron bar. She finally escaped when her lover baptised her. Today she helps other sex workers through social work.

Taking a stand Gudiya (Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh)

G udiya was ambushed on her way home by the son of a landlord. He beat her, pulled her by the hair on the ground and raped her. Gudiya is not the first woman in the village to go through this, but the first to report the case. Everyone else is afraid of the landlord.

Trapped in shame Maya (Itkhari, Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh)

M aya’s husband cut her nose with scissors in an act of jealousy. The other villagers have forgotten her real name. They call her “Naak-kati” and her husband “Naak-kata”, nose cutter. Still, her husband regularly beats Maya.

A new start Bela (Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh)

B ela, a Dalit, was married as a child. Her husband beat her repeatedly and one day, poured kerosene on her and set her on fire. Bela fought for her life and recovered from her injuries. During her struggle, Bela received no support from her parents. Today, she lives in Lucknow and works as a domestic help.

A fight for love Manju and Kesar

M anju and Kesar do not dare to go back to their village. Both fell in love and lived together with their partners against the will of the parents and the community. They know of many love stories that ended in forced ‘suicide’.

A life of courage Laxmi (Delhi)

A t 16, Laxmi refused the proposal of a 32-year-old man. He took revenge with an acid attack. Laxmi has been through eight operations, is in love with life, and actively involved in generating awareness for acid attack victims in India. She has been awarded the International Women of Courage Award by Michelle Obama.

On her own Shalu (Udaipur, Rajasthan)

O n an October night five years ago, a man molested Shalu on the street in Udaipur. She slapped him and dragged him to the police station. Three days later, after he had been released on bail, he threw acid on her. She has 40 per cent burns, is in extreme pain and has no help, not even from the government.

Alone and broken Rubina (Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)