Despite Reunited With Family, Traumatized Woman Returns to SEAL Ashram
Neha finds safety, dignity and work after escaping years of abuse
Pune: In a heartwarming instance, SEAL Ashram has provided a scared woman with terrifying domestic violence, a loving shelter and a second chance at life.
The story goes back to November 14, 2018, when Neha (name changed), a domestic violence survivor, was brought to the Panvel-based NGO Social and Evangelical Association for Love (SEAL) Ashram by the Panvel Taluka Police Station, near Mumbai.
After enduring severe physical and emotional abuses heaped on her by her husband and in-laws, she arrived at the ashram in a critical condition.
Neha had initially sought police protection after escaping from her marital home in Raigad district in Maharashtra but was advised to return to her in-laws.
However, the traumatized woman expressed her feelings of being unsafe both with her in-laws and with her own family in Satara city, near Pune, citing her in-laws' influence and financial power.
SEAL Ashram's intervention provided Neha with not just immediate safety but a renewed sense of purpose and belonging.
Despite being a BA graduate, her own father withheld her educational certificates under pressure from her in-laws, insisting she return to an abusive marriage for the sake of protecting his family reputation and honour.
During the initial crisis, Neha's mother passed away unable to bear the distress of her daughter’s situation. Despite this loss and family pressure, Neha remained under SEAL Ashram’s care for several years.
However, one day in 2024, her brother took her to Pune, believing it could be a new beginning. But within two months, she found her way back to SEAL where she felt protected and cared for by her foster father, Pastor K. M. Philip, founder director of the SEAL Ashram.
Today Neha continues to live at the SEAL Ashram, working there as an office staff and carrying out its mission of love for the less fortunate, the lost, the least and the last.
“Neha's case highlights the tragic reality where parents sometimes feel compelled to prioritize societal norms over their own child's safety and well-being,” Dr Abraham Mathai, former vice chairman of Maharashtra State Minority Commission and chairman of Harmony Foundation, a Mumbai-based NGO, told Deccan Chronicle.
“After listening to her tragic story, Ashram has adopted Neha, restoring her dignity and to lead a meaningful life,” he said.