Brides trapped as UK slaves rescued by charity
“They used to call me a slave, say you are here to clean the house." Zoya - not her real name - was a professional woman with a degree and a good job in Pakistan but when she came to Birmingham she said she was locked in her in-laws' house. "They used to say that if I ran away then the police would send me to jail,” she told BBC News.
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She was among women brought to England as brides, then trapped in their homes and used as domestic slaves, a charity in the city said. They were part of 1,000 black and Asian women helped by the group, Roshni, to escape from physical, sexual and emotional harm last year. None of them have returned to their abusers, the charity claimed.
Many of the women helped by Roshni were passed from their fathers and brothers to their husbands who took over the control, Dr Sohail said. "They are left with no identity, no choice of their own, the whole process is controlled by others." The charity said specific funding for the abuse faced by black and Asian women was vital. They are backed by the Smallwood Trust, the National Lottery and the Caring Family Foundation.
Actress Michaela Coel is involved with the Caring Family Foundation. "I’m a supporter of The Caring Family Foundation and the wonderful domestic abuse work they do with such great organisations as Roshni," she said. Roshni said it also worked closely with West Midlands Police and area's police and crime commissioner (PCC) and received funding from the PCC budget.
