As a child, Maja from Central Asia loses her mother. She grows up with her alcoholic father and his new wife, who treat her very badly. Maja says: "Sometimes he sexually abused me. He would say, that he was not sure, that I was his biological daughter. He tried to take my virginity. When he tried that, I ran away from home." For security reasons, we cannot disclose Maja's real name, nor which country the story takes place in.
In the clutches of sex traffickers
Maja manages to stay in a house with two women. "I did not know, that they were bad people. One day when I had been at work and came home, one of the women asked me if, What I would think about sleeping with men, that came to the house. I said ok, and that happened many times. After a while they started offering me to older men. They made money from my body. They kept me inside the house and would not let me go out. When I got the opportunity, I ran away. I couldn't stand having to sleep with older men.", says Maja.
The many faces of sex addiction
Although Maja manages to escape the brothel life, the sexual abuse seems to take on new forms in her life. Maja experiences being kidnapped and raped several times. Maja describes: "One day I got into a fight with my brother and ran away. I was outside and then seven men came and caught me and took me away. They humiliated me and abused me in all these ways, they could think of. But I endured it all, and when they were done with me, they dropped me off at the same place, as They had taken me from." As a nightclub dancer, Maja has similar experiences, but she can't involve the police as she is a runaway teenager. All seems well when Maja gets a boyfriend, but: "One day I got into a fight with my boyfriend and he started forcing me to sleep with his friends and he beat me up", explains Maja.
"...when I saw the people here, I decided to stay...I like it here. The people are really nice." Maja
Shelter stay surprises positively
Maja is brought to the shelter supported by the donors of the Danish European Mission, where she receives help. Maja considers fleeing, as she fears being humiliated and mistreated on the spot, but she is pleasantly surprised: "... When I saw those people, that are here, I decided to stay ... I like to be Here. People are really nice", says Maja. Maja now has a dream: " I would like to become police officer in the future so I can protect defenseless children from such monsters of parents and rapists.”
Women like Maja face difficult circumstances in Central Asia, both because of the region's crisis-ridden and stagnant economy, but also because they lack education, making them vulnerable to trafficking and other forms of exploitation. The Danish European Mission runs the shelter in collaboration with local persecuted Christians who feel a strong call from God to help women like Maja. Every year, vulnerable women find refuge in the shelter. They also receive counseling to restore their self-esteem and job training so they can earn money in a dignified way in the future.
You can help rescue more women from the grip of sex abuse by praying and supporting the 'Vulnerable Women in the Muslim World' project. Thank you to anyone who wants to support this work. Watch the full interview with Maja in the video above.