Refuge from Domestic Violence

"We provide lodgings for women who have had problems with their husband or their families," explained Sima, the head of the Edhi Home in Karachi. "They get food and health care."

21 women are currently living there but they "come and go" Sima said. "Sometimes someone from their family comes to bring them back. The husbands have to sign a statement promising that they will stop the abuse but they rarely stick to it and carry on doing the same. And then the women come back to us again."

Abdul Sattar Edhi is one of the most famous people in Pakistan. His father earned only a modest income and Abdul Sattar Edhi only received primary education. He started a small health dispensary by collecting donations and gave shelter to the homeless. Today, the Edhi Foundation houses 8,000 people.

Violence and abuse

"I am here because of my husband," explained mother-of-three Amber who sought refuge at the Edhi refuge in Karachi. "He is paralysed, deaf and blind. My mother-in-law has always mistreated me and abused me. I had enough of her, and so my father-in-law drove me out of the house."

Amber’s mother died when Amber was small. When her father remarried she was mistreated -- her stepmother did not want her in the house, and brought her to an Edhi Home.

"I lived here for 12 years," recalled Amber. "Then I moved to my sister’s house. My current husband claimed that he had had a sexual relationship with me, which wasn’t true, but I was nevertheless forced to marry him."

No rights

Pre-marital sex is strictly punished in Pakistan, as is adultery. Pakistani prisons are full of women accused of adultery. Amber had no choice but to marry even though the allegations were false. She remembers her forced marriage with horror:

"They tortured me as well as my children;" she recalled. "I never want to go through that again. I want my daughters to have a better future. Once they beat one of my daughters. She lay unconscious in hospital for 12 days. The doctor refused to treat her saying she was dead. I can't go back to such a house."

Amber would like to stay in the refuge for ever and work for Abdul Sattar Edhi. He gives people who have little prospects in Pakistan a chance. He uses his authority to protect women from violence.

"Every abused woman who leaves home because of domestic violence can find shelter here," he said. "Everyone knows my position. No one would dare to go against me. Whenever I call the police they come immediately and protect me from anyone who wants to attack me."