#unspoken realstory

[violetspokenstories]

Untold story - Nirbhau, without fear

“ Nirbhau” is what my mother used to say to me in any difficult situation and i always tell myself that everything will be alright in the end. I was born on year 1978 in Alampur, Punjab India. Being the eldest daughter in my family with six siblings three being my own blood related and other 3 step siblings. I held a big responsibility in my family doing every house chores especially after my mother death , I  was  15 years old when my mother passed away. It  was one of the hardest time in my life, I remember crying for months and months in her remembrance and due to at reason I couldn’t complete my education because i needed to support my family and look after my siblings.  However, I still have strong desire to read and write English. My father remarried in 1993, my stepmother treated me like her own daughter although I miss my mother everyday but my stepmother never treated me less than her.

Marriage

I was 20 years old when I first saw my husband Amar Singh. He came to my house with the proposal of marriage, we both were very shy to initiate any conversation that time because both our families were there and although it was an arranged marriage we both were very attracted to each other. I only saw him three times before i officially married him but I felt like he is the one already.At the first sight, i thought he was aloof. He looked very macho with big physique but later on he had a very flirtatious personality which lured me. Coming from a very strict punjabi family we weren't allowed to meet each other that often.

We fell in love after our marriage, he treated me like a queen and never made me feel unlovable. We settled down in Faridkot Punjab and my first son was born in 1998 September we named him Gaurav Singh. When i had my first child, everyone was very happy and delighted especially my brother-in-law and mother in law since he was the first son ever born in my in-laws family.  Gaurav is loved by everyone, he is a very quiet and obedient son. He listens to me the most and although all my children are equal I always feel like he has more pressure and responsibility than my other child's so, I feel a bit pitiful for him. My second child was born in 2000, Amrit Singh. He is the naughtiest kid of them all and especially adored by my husband. The whole house was filled with tricks and mischief veness by him and would simply hide behind husband back afterwards. My husband and my second son had the bond like Batman and Robin hood partner. One time Amrit pulled a prank on my mother-in law but at that time he couldn’t hide behind my husband because my husband is also scared of my mother-in law. My last child was born in 2002, Jaskaran Preet Singh, he is the most hardworking and studious son and took care of me the most. I lived the happiest days of my life with my loving husband and my three sons as a housewife I looked after my kids my entire marriage life while my husband worked. Then one day a my friend of mine came to my house to  discuss some work in Hong Kong and invited me to work there. Coming from a poor family with  all three sons studying and  with my husband being the only breadwinner it was hard  to meet the end costs. Therefore,  I was interested in the work and after discussion i decided to take in the offer and with the help of my husband i started preparing to work as a domestic worker in Hong Kong. Then my visa application was completed and i came to Delhi through bus and flew to Hong Kong.

Turning point of my life

My employer husband came to pick me up at the airport on 13th March 2016 and dismissed in 15th May,2016 , he was really nice as he treated me as his own sister. It was 9 in the morning when i arrived in my workplace and they told me to rest on the first day. Although i was homesick but i tried to pull myself together to work hard and support my family. Everything was going okay and until i asked for my salary. My employer Sumani Kaur would tell me she would pay me after 6 months of working. During the whole 2 months of working for her family she didn't give me any rest day and without my consent she said she send $10000 rupees to my family back in India through Western Union which later convert to $1,200 HKD and my family received this amount two times. So i had no income throughout work there. Whenever i asked about my full salary, she starts getting violent and act rigorously and physically hit me. She assaulted me twice, one in my foot with a stone and another punch in abdomen area but i didn’t attacked back. I told myself if i work hard for my family and then i can go through 2 years and earn some money for my family however I told my family about this matter of abuse. One day she send me to her sister's place to work and while taking care of the younger kid i forgot a small bag which had tissues and bottles in the bus. When i came back to my employer home she shouted at me before going to work and asked me to leave the house before she comes back. As she required me leave i left the house and stayed with Minnie a  friend in Tin shui wai which i knew her because we are from the same village.

Afterwards, my employer allegedly told my husband back in India that i am living with a characterless girl and brainwashed him with lies that i also have a boyfriend here and started spreading this absurd rumours about me to the whole village. My whole life was torn apart when own my husband started getting suspicious of me and stopped talking to me.

My whole life was shattered into pieces as he was far away from me and it killed my emotions everyday as he refused to talked to me, we ourselves remained silent. This started when I filed a case complaint against my employer with the help of Leo and Minnie. Minnie knew about my situation back in India and later on she used me. I thought Minnie was my friend until then i realized she was a selfish person who only lend her help because she borrowed money from my husband and only helped me as an act and didn’t pay back the money. There is only one thing i am grateful for Minnie, that is meeting Leo and Nami. Leo helped me to find a  shelter and lodge a case against my ex employer. 

I stopped staying with Minnie after a year and with the help of Leo, I met Nami. I was relieved she could understand my language and communicate well, after knowing my interest in English she taught me basic English and showed me the way to labour court, immigration and shelter and how to travel around Hong Kong. She is like a daughter i always wished to have, Leo and Nami is like my saviour whom I am very much thankful for and with Leo and Nami’s help, we proceed the criminal case as well as labour case. In Hong Kong, I couldn’t trust anyone but these two reminded me that there are good people too.

I had to stay in Hong Kong due to the case process but situation back in India was getting worse every day as my employer's father-in-law lives nearby my house in India started to threaten my husband and my family to kill them if i did not return back the case against his son and daughter in-law. As of my information, he came to my house 3 times in India to verbally threaten to kill him and also threatened me to kill me if i come back in India sooner or later. Things got worse and my husband's health was getting poor everyday due to this issue and started getting stress and soon he was found dead.

In that moment everything changed, i still get flashbacks of that moment and it still shatters my soul. My husband was found dead on 9th March 2017 at 7 a.m India time zone, he was found near the river area. On that day, i became a widow with backlash of characterless name attached to me. Everyone blamed me for his death even my own three son stopped talking to me. My husband brother reported to the police about my husband’s death but the police didn't investigate the case thoroughly and just said it was a natural death. But i can vow, my ex employer had something to do with it as they threatened to kill him several times and came with weapons but nothing came out as in India bribery is very common i still don't believe in the police. On my husband’s grave memorial some random person asked  one of my neighbour if i am in India yet and he is looking for me and asked him to contact him immediately if i do so. As my case was still pending i couldn't come to India even in my husband’s death. God has given me such fate that I couldn’t meet him even in his last breathe, perhaps i will meet him after death. 

 My youngest son informed me that it is dangerous to come back to India at that moment i felt a sense of danger for myself and my family because i already had a doubt on my husband death because before his death, he was last seen at 3 am drinking with my sons then my husband left home at 4 am the he meet a women nearby on 5 am on the streets in normal state but his body was found dead on 7 am along the river side. I had a sense of realization that i cannot lose this fight against my employer and  if i die no one  will feed my kids and who will take care of them. As a mother i feel restless everyday in worry of my children are safety. My ex employer kept spreading false rumours that i have a relationship with another man in Hong Kong and that caused my relationship with my in laws is in a very bad state and they hate me now because they think i was the reason my husband died but only I know how much of sorrow i have been through. Even my own three sons don't talk to me properly anymore, only my youngest son talks to me. All these worries made me worried and not return back to India because i know my life and my children’s life is in danger however i want to live happily with my sons over here in Hong Kong and settle here. Currently my eldest son is looking after my other 2 sons in India now and i am here in Hong Kong still ongoing in the process of case to fight against my ex employer. I miss my husband everyday and if i could return back in time i would’ve never come to work in Hong Kong but i will fight and i am determined to win against the ones who did my family and me wrong. I believe god is looking after everyone and everyone has to pay for their sins one day. This is my life story and how it turned out to be this way. Thank you to everyone who has ever helped me in this journey and will continue to support me.