June 2013. Rukhsana* bears signs of the incessant torture she endured – physical and mental – at the hands of her husband and in-laws. Her children, a son aged five and a two-year-old daughter, also suffered. Immediately after the wedding, Rukhsana found out that her husband’s only business was gambling, while she was forced to serve as a maid in privileged parts of the city.

Finally, when the abuse escalated, Rukhsana made her escape from her hometown, her two children in tow.

Pakistan is a country where domestic violence against women and children is all too frequent. Experts believe that internal trafficking of women is also on the rise. “There are no laws, no rules covering this issue. There is mass confusion between internal trafficking, cross border trafficking, and human trafficking,” says Benyameen, coordinator for the Bonded Labor, Internal Trafficking Project at the International Labour Organization.

For more information on campaign work to support those effected by violence and trafficking in Pakistan please visit the website of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

*Name of the person has been changed to protect identity

Film courtesy of Tribune Express Pakistan