In the picture above is Anna*. For safety reasons, we cannot show her eyes. Anna and her sister urgently need our prayers after all they've been through.
She was just 11 years old when it all went wrong. She had no idea what was going to happen, but that day her mother took her to a party. The party turned into a scary event for 11-year-old Anna. A man suddenly takes her to a bathroom. Here he rapes Anna, who screams for help, but no one intervenes. Not even her own mother! The 11-year-old girl's innocence is taken away in an instant as she is confronted by a vicious man. After the incident, Anna runs to the police. But they won't help her.
A sick world - "crying out" for God
Anna lives in a village in one of the Muslim countries where the Danish European Mission works. She is just one of many young girls whose lives have been traumatized in a very short time. In this part of the world, it is commonplace for girls to be abused. The girls feel dirty afterwards and it's hard for them to get family and friends to intervene against these heinous assaults. It's not easy to be open about such incidents. It's also not uncommon for women to be beaten by their husbands. It's part of a sick culture that "cries out" for God to intervene in people's lives.
After Anna was raped, the mother chose to offer Anna to her clients.
Care and protection
Anna is now 13 years old. She also has a little sister aged 10. Together they have received help through the Danish European Mission's partner. An organization that helps vulnerable women and girls in the area. Anna has told her story to the Christians who work professionally on a daily basis to provide protection, care and psychological help to battered women.
Stamped
For a while, Anna has been comfortable among these Christians. She has received hairdressing lessons and has experienced the positive side of getting away from the village, where neighbors and schoolmates knew her story. Because of the shame, she had also had to leave school. Because everyone seemed to know what had happened. She was labeled as the girl who had been raped.
Back in the dark
After a few months staying with our Christian partner, Anna and her sister had to move to an orphanage in late summer because they were too young to stay at the home for vulnerable women. It was also important that they could continue their schooling. But after just two months, they were also removed from the orphanage because their mother insisted on taking them home. Although the girls have a good grandmother who tried to help as best she could, Anna and her sister are now back with the mother who chose to sell her to men. A place where they face the prospect of a sad and degrading life if things don't change.
Bed
This article is written so you can pray for Anna and her sister. For their lives are in danger of being destroyed by the forces of darkness. Anna is at risk of being sold to one man after another. The latest news is that she has become pregnant by one of her clients.
Will you remember Anna in your prayers?
Support the work of women like Anna now:
Support Vulnerable women in the Muslim world
Project: Vulnerable women in the Muslim world
Danish European Mission supports work that reaches out to vulnerable women in Central Asia. Our partners are confronted with many traumatic circumstances where violence, fear and abuse have destroyed so much for a woman or girl. But in the midst of this, they also see how many women have their lives restored, a new life with dignity. The Danish European Mission thanks you for supporting this work.
*The name is fictitious for security reasons.
