Meraamma, Magullavancha village, Kammam district, Andhra Pradesh, says, “I was only fifteen when I got married. My mother was widowed and felt this was the correct thing to do. My husband beat me regularly. He would drink and visit brothels. Worse still, he would not contribute to the household expenses. I have three girls and my in-laws would threaten to get my husband a second wife so that she could bear them grandsons. I bore all this humiliation silently. I supported the family selling kerosene and petrol on the roadside. One night while I slept, my husband set me on fire and ran out. He pretended to be part of rescue team later and threatened to harm my children if I told the truth. I was so scared that I did not tell the police anything.

I came into contact with the staff of Society for the Upliftment of the Needy (SUN) and they paid for my surgeries. They even helped me set up a small shop. They have filed a police complaint against my husband and forwarded several petitions to the Collector. But the police express their inability to find him. Nothing has come of the petitions either. But we have not lost hope. The organisation has helped me to admit my daughters to a school with hostel facilities. I am learning to live and I will also learn to cope with life.”