Surviving sexual violence - Lulu's story

Lulu was living a normal life in her home country, before torture destroyed her life. She managed to escape with her children and arrived in the UK. She felt lost and traumatised, but she found purpose again by joining the Women’s Group.

Lulu comes from a country where sexual violence is used to destroy women’s lives. She says, “In my tradition, a woman who is raped is a banished woman. You can’t talk about it. You have no dignity left. You feel guilty for what happens to you. But I was a victim. I understand that now”. 

After her traumatic experiences, Lulu wanted to die, but she had to keep going, for the sake of her children. She had to get better. Starting with repairing her relationship with her body. “If you saw what I looked like before, you wouldn’t recognise me. I looked like I was 70. I struggled to see my own body. I didn’t look after myself. Today, I try to look at my body. I look after myself.”

Before she found Freedom from Torture, Lulu was walking a lot to exhaust her body so that she could fall asleep at night and try to stop the nightmares. “I had no direction. Today I have a direction. Because I have therapy. Your donations save people like me. Now I go to therapy, I talk, I let it go, I go home feeling more free”. 

I know it’s going to be a long journey. I still have trauma,  but I feel safe. I feel home. I can talk again.

Alongside therapy, Lulu joined the Women’s Group at Freedom from Torture. Being surrounded by women from different backgrounds who are all trying to move on with their lives has been so important for Lulu’s healing. She says it’s like a home, a family. 

“In the group, we feel loved. We treat each other with respect and admiration. People take us as we are. The atmosphere, the physical touch...It has so much value. For example, last week I had some bad news. I was sad, I was not well. I came to the group and I forgot. We talk, we eat, people ask you how you are, we lift each other up... When you feel home, you can forget about your worries.” 

Lulu knows healing will be a long journey, but she is so proud of her progress – even sharing her story would have been unthinkable a few years ago. She wants you to know that your support truly changes lives. Thank you.