Woman from Dagestan tells about her victory over domestic violence

The girl from Dagestan named Mika has managed to escape from her family, where she was subjected to violence, freedom restriction and was forcibly married at the age of 17; it follows from the podcast "Freedom (not) just around the corner."

The new podcast episode released on September 19 is the final one of the series of episodes dedicated to the problem of domestic violence in Northern Caucasus, the authors of the podcast have explained. In the podcast, the young woman from Dagestan Mika, 25, told her story to Svetlana Anokhina, a human rights defender and journalist.

Mika told that she was abused by her father; she was forcibly married at the age of 17; she was also forcibly deprived of her freedom of travel and was not allowed to leave the house. In 2019, she turned to Svetlana Anokhina for help. Svetlana helped her to evacuate. "She didn't run away from beatings, she ran away to live. The strength and thirst for life that this girl has is inspiring me," Ms Anokhina tells about Mika.

Anna Yusupova, a co-author of the podcast, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that Mika's story is both indicative and unique. "It's indicative because this is not the only story about domestic violence. A forced marriage, restriction of freedom (even of movement!), beatings – this is what many women are facing in Northern Caucasus, which is confirmed by numerous reports of human rights organizations. This story is unique in how Mika lived through it. Her will to life and to freedom, her inner strength are amazing. Mika was kept locked up for six years after she divorced and lost a child. She was constantly beaten up, but despite it, she dreamed of living a full life. And she fled with a box of books; she had planned her escape for six months," Ms Yusupova has explained.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 19, 2022 at 08:49 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.