Safina’s journey to breaking free from shame and fear

Safina* had already spent four years in an abusive marriage when her husband trafficked her to India and forced her to work in a brothel.

After a year of being tortured by her exploiters, who also threatened to harm her infant son, she managed to escape and return to Bangladesh. 

It has not been an easy road to recovery for Safina. She suffered enormous trauma which manifested in a number of physical and emotional symptoms, causing her to withdraw from society and live in pain and fear for a number of years.

Her initial attempt to prosecute her husband failed as she was too traumatised to provide evidence in court – he walked free.

In 2022, Safina began receiving support from Justice and Care, including life skill development training, help to reopen the legal case against her husband, and a series of psychosocial counselling sessions.

Our counsellor noted that while Safina was initially deeply traumatised and reluctant to engage, these sessions were in the long term transformative as she moved from focusing only on her past, to contemplating her present, and eventually her future.

She was able to break free from her shame and fear, realising: ‘I am a human being as well. I am entitled to life. Nothing I did was wrong. I was coerced, and my husband is to blame.‘

Today, Safina is one of our 20 Champion Survivors who is providing peer-led aftercare to others – showing them that the path to recovery may be paved with obstacles, but it is possible.

The inspiring young women says: ‘I want to assist others who are currently suffering in the dark like I once did.‘

*name changed to protect identity