By Joel Stanier | Project Development Manager
Dear friends and supporters,
I hope you and your families are keeping well and safe.
International Women's Day week is giving an opportunity to raise awareness about injustice and gender inequality globally. At TFT we are compelled to draw attention to the injustices of women and girl survivors of physical and sexual abuse in Sri Lanka, and we continue to shine a light and advocate for social and cultural change at the highest possible level.
The courageous stories we share here are heart-breaking and true and modified for palatable reading.
Victims as young as 10 years old, some with babies, are cast out by their families having suffered all kinds of abuse. They are forced to stand up for themselves in court and are then locked up in remand homes and institutions for their 'protection,' losing their right to a formal education while their perpetrators go free. This is the system.
Our Heartbeat Centre in Colombo is now providing an alternative solution to institutionalisation as part of our alternative family and foster care programme and is helping to build resilience in courageous and strong girls, some of who are care leavers, who want to create a safe reality for their own children, and enact their own visions of change.
Isuri's Story
Isuri's parents separated ten years ago and left her in a shop doorway. The owners picked her up and fed her only milk. Her mother claimed her back but ill-treated her. She ran away and drank poison. The doctors saw her fingers moving when she was in the mortuary. She recovered and was sent to prison. A police officer tried to use sexual violence and she bit his hand.
Isuri fought with everyone and tried to escape, and was recently brought to Heartbeat Centre. It has taken time for her to settle down, as she has never felt love or kindness before. She said she is now scared of a future away from the Heartbeat Centre and is determined to work hard towards becoming a policewoman.
Through theraputic exercises, education, and love, we are uplifting the girl's spirits and helping them to overcome their trauma to develop healthy and self-sufficient lives, and keeping them and their children out of harmful institutions.
Domestic violence and abuse cases have risen sharply during the pandemic and there is a growing demand for our services. Together we can give these young women and girls a future, please donate so we can continue our work.
Kind regards,
Joel
By Joel Stanier | Project Development Manager
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