Every woman has the right to live with dignity and without discrimination. They have a right to be treated equally in society, regardless of their background or where they come from.
In our run-up to International Women’s Day, we bring to you stories of the women and girls we work with who are fighting for their rights despite the odds stacked against them. We share these stories as a reminder that there is still a long way to go but we are on our way.
Today we bring the story of Suhana, who fought her way through various obstacles to exercise her right to development. Suhana deserves to grow into whoever she wants to be. Her story inspires us to not give, despite the struggles we face in our lives.
Suhana came to our Naunihal Children’s Home when was 14 as a child in need of care and protection. Previously, she had been living in a different child care institution as she was an orphan but had to leave from there due to unfortunate circumstances. She was used to living in institutional care yet found it hard to adapt to her new setting. She would often get into fights with other residents and was referred to our in-house counselor. The counselor felt that the child could be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and recommended psychiatric help. The psychiatric doctor recommended Suhana to take medication but she was quite reluctant. Instead, she insisted on working on her behavior on her own along with continuing the counselling sessions. The team agreed and with time, they witnessed a positive change in Suhana. She started developing as a leader at the facility, often participating in activities related to music, writing and art. With her will power and consistent psycho-social interventions, Suhana adjusted well in Naunihal.
However, there was still a part of her life that unsettled her. At the time of Suhana’s admission to Naunihal, there was no record of her family in her case file. The Prerana team tried to gather more details on her family with the help of the police and managed to trace her father. Meetings were arranged with her father where she would ask him many questions about his life and her mother but her father never gave her any convincing response and eventually started to avoid meeting her. Gradually, she began to understand that she could not let this affect her growth and development. She continued to work hard in school, scoring well and also participating in extra-curricular activities. She also simultaneously pursued courses in music and art, to enhance her skills.
Suhana got self-discharged last year and moved to an aftercare facility. She has cleared her 10th grade and is now pursuing education in science in Junior College. She has come a long way from who she was when had joined the facility. Speaking of her journey, she shares that “if children focus on their goals there are a number of opportunities available outside and girls need to prioritize the things considering their safety by all means and then the world is there.” Suhana is creative, outspoken and is also actively working on personal development. She was faced with various struggles very early in life, but she managed to overcome them.
Suhana has the right to development, and she is trying her best to grow to her best potential.
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