Farzana and Babar were a young Christian couple with two children, Sharon and Fariha, who worked in a brick kiln. RAM came to meet Farzana when she attended a vocational training workship hosted by RAM.
Farzana told us that about their situation in the brick kiln. She had come alone to the event because the brick kiln owner did not allow the whole family to go out at a time. They all had to work day and night at the brick kiln, but despite this the loan kept increasing.
When Farzana requested her pay, the brick kiln owner threatened to kill her children. She was also three months pregnant and would only eat once a day if at all. She asked for help to rescue her family and also said that she had a great desire to become a beautician. We promised Farzana that we would try our best to help her.
Later on, RAM was very occupied with the construction of the Sablone House and Shelter. But a little while later we received a call from Farzana that their situation had worsened. She had not eaten in 40 hours and the brick kiln owner was demanding that before he paid them he needed double their original debt.
I decided to help Farzana and filed a petition in the Lahore High Court to recover Farzana. The court ordered police to recover her, but instead they connived with the brick kiln owner to transfer Farzana and her family to a different brick kiln and reported to the court that they had not found her at the brick kiln.
Now the only hope RAM had was to negotiate the matter with the brick kiln because Farzana’s family life was in danger. We negotiated the matter through a political figure in the area and we agreed to pay off the debt which was around $300.
Now Farzana and her family are living and working at the Sablone House and Farzana’s health is much better.
Lack of Healthcare for Pakistani Minorities
The news agency Dawn recently published an article drawing attention to Pakistan’s meager health care system. Aptly titled “My 10 Days of Hell at a Lahore Hospital,” the middle-class author describes the miserable treatment, or rather lack thereof, given to her...
Pakistani women stayed in abusive marriages because Pakistan failed
This article was originally published in Dawn. You can read the full article here. When domestic abuse is discussed on TV and in drawing rooms, people often ask: why didn't she leave her violent husband? Dania endured violent beatings during her pregnancies. But...
Aqsa’s Rescue
Day in and out all she has known is work. In a society where men virtually dictate everything, Aqsa represents thousands of young women with little hope to find a better life. The term “better life” does not mean the same that you and I would think. To a Pakistani...
