"Neerja"

Neerja sat on a chair at one of the village safe houses and immediately gave off a calm and quiet demeanor. She barely said a word, except to fill in gaps as the manager at the shelter helped tell her story. Her husband died three years ago, leaving her and her small daughter without any source of income. Six months later, her brother-in-law attempted to rape Neerja and her daughter. She managed to get away from him, but she felt extremely unsafe. Neerja attempted to lean on her mother-in-law for support, but she did not believe Neerja. She told her that her son was a good person and would never do something like this. Her in-laws began to treat her differently.

She was referred to the village safe house as she did not feel safe in her home. She felt her brother-in-law would attempt to harm them once again. While in the shelter, she started her counseling and empowerment training to grasp what had happened and what resources were available to her. She was able to pursue legal action with the help of the safe house. He was jailed for a little less than one year and was released as he knew many people in the police and government systems. Neerja was provided two goats under a project with the safe house. As she started to tend to them, she made enough money to buy five more. She has been tending to them daily and has started to make a living to provide for her daughter and herself in this way.

Neerja’s story shows us that there can be new beginnings and success. She started with nothing and can now financially take care of herself and her daughter’s needs. Nonetheless, she says that she still fears for her life as her brother-in-law lives in the same village, and he has attempted to harm her again. The people in Neerja's village spoke to her brother-in-law so he may realize the harm of his actions but the conversation was unproductive. He refused to take accountability for his actions and claimed that he did nothing wrong. While this has been unsuccessful, Neerja has maintained a supportive relationship with the safe house and the community in her village. Neerja no longer feels anxious and depressed and has a better grasp and understanding of what has happened to her.