Rescue and habilitation of homeless young women: Shubangi’s Story

Shubangi lost her parents and siblings at a young age, forcing her to live with relatives. Her presence was soon seen as an extra mouth to feed in an already struggling household and made her a target for insults, resentment and abuse.

As financial pressures mounted to breaking point during the pandemic, Shubhangi’s family decided to marry her off, despite her wishes. “As village girls,” Shubhangi recalls, “we are supposed to comply with everything that is asked of us.”

It didn’t take long for her new husband to become abusive. Perceived as having lesser status due to being a woman, even when she tried to speak out, she was ignored. “In our culture a husband has more value than the wife,” Shubhangi explained. “For the relatives, it was always his word against mine.”

Even once she became pregnant, nothing changed. After months of constant abuse, Shubangi finally decided she had to risk escape. She ran away to a railway station, alone and afraid.

At railway stations throughout South Asia, traffickers make a living from exploiting vulnerable runaways like Shubangi. Luckily, local police were able to find her first, connecting her to a Karuna refuge project in Mumbai called Urja that gave her shelter, food and, most importantly, safety.

With the support of the refuge, Shubangi found the strength to do things she once thought impossible. In addition to being welcomed into a safe home with other women, she has been able to receive counselling and assistance with her pregnancy. Perhaps more than that, she has made close connections with other women, many of whom are survivors of experiences just like hers.

In fact, they recently celebrated her 20th birthday — the first birthday celebration Shubhangi ever had. She even had a cake.

Once her baby is born, and she is back on her feet, she hopes that she can pursue an education — something that was never a possibility for her before. Wherever she goes, she won’t lose the connections she has made at Urja. “Here, I don’t feel that the members are like my family, they are my family.”

Thousands of women have found freedom from violence because of your support — in fact, most recently, Urja has been able to acquire a new, larger shelter space in Mumbai, meaning even more women can now receive safety and care because of your donations. Thank you.