Amara* and her three year old son had moved to the UK from Pakistan to live with her husband and his family.
Amara didn’t speak English well and her new family isolated her quickly. Whenever she had to leave the house- to pick her son up from nursery or go to doctor’s appointments, a family member went with her. The family also listened to all phone calls and would threaten her if she didn’t do as she said.
Amara was made to do all the household chores and sleep on the floor. Her husband was not only threatening to her, but her son, who was also made to sleep on the floor.
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Amara called the police who moved her to temporary accommodation and contacted us. We were able to speak to Amara in Urdu confidentially and found a space in our refuge for her and her son.
As Amara left her husband’s house in a hurry, she had no money or belongings. Upon arriving at the refuge we were able to provide her with emergency toiletries and food parcels.
We showed Amara how to call the police in an emergency and how to report incidents to the police.
We allocated an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA), who was able to put Amara in touch with a social worker. Amara’s IDVA was able to advocate on her behalf and help her do things like register herself and her son with a doctor, complete child benefit forms, make a witness statement and learn to speak English.
Eventually, due to the support she received, Amara and her son moved to Birmingham to be nearer to her brother and leave the abuse behind.
*Name has been changed
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