After experiencing severe abuse, severe neglect and rape, 16-year-old Selina* sits quietly in front of me and tells her life story. Even though Selina's relatively short life story is packed with tragic events, she still has the energy to smile and be a good hostess in the interview situation. I was recently traveling in Central Asia (for security reasons we cannot mention the name of the country), where I visited the shelter supported by the donors of the Danish European Mission.
Selina, like so many others, experiences the divorce of her parents. When Selina is seven years old, her mother presents her with a choice: "Do you want to live with your dad or do you want to live with me?" I said I wanted to stay with my dad, and my mom still hates me for that", says Selina. After some time, Selina's father dies and she is forced to move home to her mother, who has five children with her new husband.
The horrors of childhood
Selina's life with her mother and stepfather in the village is heavily influenced by neglect and repeated abuse, and there is a lot of drinking at home. Selina recounts: " When I was a child, my mother held me and I fell down and broke my arm, but they gave me no treatment. Later on, my stepfather beat me up and my arm broke again. My foot also broke. So now my arm is all wrong. Now it hurts even if I put it under the cold water. The doctor has said that if I want to put my arm back in the right place, it has to be broken and put back in place, but the operation is really expensive."
Selina also tells me about one of the countless other incidents where her stepfather has been angry with her. One day, Selina's stepfather pushes her into a two-meter deep toilet hole, tied behind her back, and leaves her there. Selina explains: "He tied my hands, my feet and my mouth so I couldn't move. I fainted. My grandparents found me four days later and took me to the hospital". Selina is refused to live with the rest of the family inside the house. She is relegated to an existence outside the locked door in more than one sense.
Discarded, alone and raped
Selina's mother and stepfather want to get rid of Selina, so her mother leaves her in the city and says: "I don't need you anymore, so now you can live your own life. My mother told the villagers that I had died and she started collecting money for my funeral", says Selina. Street life is tough for Selina and she is raped twice, but to this day she still can't talk about it, even though it's been two years since it happened, because it hurts too much. When the police find Selina, they bring her to the shelter supported by donors to the Danish European Mission.
Selina is made the scapegoat in her own rape case
Selina can identify the man who raped her and the shelter's lawyer is taking him to court. Selina's mother shall appear in court as she has custody of her daughter. In court, Selina's mother defends the rapist by putting the blame on Selina: "This is her own fault. It's not his fault. She's bad and naughty and that's why this guy has done this to her.", reports one of the shelter's employees. Selina's mother and the judge, who has been bribed by the rapist, force Selina to say it was her own fault and the rapist goes free.
Selina today
Selina has now lived in the shelter for two years, the first year of which she constantly ran away. When Selina came to the shelter, which Danish European Mission donors support, she could neither read nor write, but today she reads like a second grade child. She loves learning new things and has a dream of going to school. Emotionally, she is the equivalent of a seven-year-old child, as she has experienced extensive neglect. One of the shelter's employees says about Selina: "When she came to us, she was really closed. She had shaved her head because she wanted to look like a boy. She refused to wear dresses and she still refuses to wear dresses. The counselor works with her to accept her body, but it takes time. Now she can talk and she can laugh. When she came to us, she was really angry." It's only recently that Selina has started to open up to her mother, says the shelter counselor. The counselor praises Selina for the development she has undergone over the past two years. Selina loves to cook and says that her food is popular at the shelter. Selina dreams that one day she can make a living selling and producing samosas (a samosa is a small crispy package of dough with stuffing inside). She has developed her very own version.
Every day, young women like Selina receive help and find new hope at the shelter supported by Danish European Mission donors. The women also receive job training, counseling, legal and medical assistance, and shelter in the project.
The project is run by local Christians who are persecuted themselves, but who have a strong calling to make a positive difference for those in need in their community. In collaboration with other NGOs and the authorities, the shelter also works to prevent domestic violence and human trafficking through their educational work. You can help rescue young girls like Selina from tyranny and degradation by supporting and praying for this work. Thank you for supporting this important work.
* The name Selina is made up for security reasons.
