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Name: Unknown                        Birth Date: 1-Jan-01 Title: Abused Until   the   age   of   5   or   6   I   tolerated   the   physical   abuse   of   my   own   mom   and   after   that   when   my   dad remarried   my   mom   left   me   and   my   sister   and   our   stepmom   started   abusing   us.   We   managed   to   flee   to   our own   mom   with   the   help   of   a   neighbor,   but   God   was   so   unkind   to   us.....we   did   not   know   that   our   mom   was in   flesh   trade   and   she   sold   both   of   us   to   that   neighbor   who   runs   a   massage   parlor.   I   was   11   and   my   sister was   9   years   old.   I   did   not   have   any   idea   what   sex   was,   the   older   girls   used   to   put   makeup   on   my   face   and made   me   wear   skimpy   clothes   and   pushed   me   inside   a   room   where   men   like   my   father's   age   abused   me. In   the   beginning   I   tried   to   resist   but   they   tied   my   hands   and   feet   and   tortured   me   until   I   lost   my   senses. When   I   used   to   cry,   "oh   mom   save   me,"   the   other   girls   told   me   that   my   mom   sold   both   of   us   to   the   parlor owner.   I   never   saw   my   sister   and   I   have   no   idea   where   she   is   now.   I   am   trying   to   get   out   of   my   traumatic past but still get disturbed if anybody touches me when I am asleep. ID: VA-IND-UN-0011
Name: Unknown          Birth Date: Unknown     Title: Darkness I   have   no   idea   who   the   father   of   my   elder   sister   and   me,people   around   us   used   to   discuss   about dissimilarities   between   us,   I   grew   up   with   a   lot   of   unanswered   questions.   My   friends   used   to   make   fun   of me   as   I   could   not   tell   them   what   my   father   looked   like   or   you   could   say   the   concept   of   "father"   was   alien to   me.   Once   my   grandma   came   and   told   me   that   the   father   of   me   and   my   sister   were   different   as   our   mom was   a   call   girl   and   that   day   onwards   my   life   of   darkness   started....I   started   mixing   with   street   boys   and started   taking   alcohol   and   pot...I   was   ready   to   do   anything   for   a   couple   of   bucks   for   my   smoke,   I contracted   sexually   transmitted   diseases.   Once   I   took   too   much   alcohol   and   grass   and   ended   up   in   the hospital...I   gained   consciousness   after   3   days   and   after   my   treatments   were   over   they   brought   me   to   this home   2   years   ago.   Since   then   I   am   clean   and   with   the   help   of   our   therapist   I   am   trying   to   become   a   better human   being.   Though   my   wild   self   does   create   problems   at   times,   now   I   know   how   to   calm   her   down   and am also trying to forgive me mom...maybe I will be able to do so some day. ID: VA-IND-UN-0012      
Name: Unknown          Birth Date: Unknown   Title: Faceless   Since   my   childhood,   I   have   been   suffering   from   asthma.      No   one   ever   tried   to   take   me   to   a   doctor.      My parents   thought   it   would   be   better   if      I   died   because   I   am   a   girl   child   and   they   wanted   a   boy.      When   I   was   7 years   old   I   had   an   attack   of   asthma   and   I   became   very   very   sick.      My   parents   thought   that   I   was   dead   and took   me   to   a      hospital   and   left   me   on   the   terrace.      I   was   almost   dead   when   a   lady   noticed   that   I   was   alive and   she   with   the   help   of   the   polish   brought   me   in   this   home.      Since   then   I've   stayed   here,   I   have   no connection   with   my   parents,   I   hate   them   as   much   as   they   used   to   hate   me.      I   had   my   education   and   I'm working   in   a   hospital   in   the   housekeeping   department.      I   am   yet   to   create   my   identity   so   I   am   still faceless;   whatever   I   am   today   I   thank   my   home   and   my   caregivers   who   gave   me   a   new   life.      But   still whenever I remember those days, I feel like lots of snakes are embracing me all over (on my dress). ID: VA-IND-UN-0013
Name: Unknown Birth Date: 1-Jan-93 Title: Handicapped God   did   not   make   me   willingly   because   he   forgot   to   give   me   my   left   hand,   left   eye,   hair   and   legs.   I   was born   in   a   dark   and   shabby   locality   of   the   city   where   people   visit   only   after   sundown.   The   most   interesting thing    was    that    inspite    of    my    severe    handicap    there    were    people    who    wanted    to    buy    me    for prostitution.Since   my   mom   got   no   help   from   my   dad(?),   she   had   to   fight   very   hard   to   put   me   in   a   home   for special   children.   There   I   was   prey   to   some   of   the   older   boys   and   girls.   They   may   be   handicap   but   their physical   hunger   was   more   than   the   able   bodied   people.   One   of   the   boys   was   very   shy,   he   was   nice   to   me and   taught   me   how   to   protect   myself   from   those   boys   and   girls.   He   gave   me   some   chili   powder   and   I   used to   throw   that   at   whoever   wanted   to   come   near   me.   It   worked   and   I   slowly   fell   in   love   with   him.   His handicap   was   less   than   me   and   we   decided   to   get   married   someday.   I   am   19   now   and   staying   in   a different home, learning how to operate Xerox machines to become self sufficient. ID: VA-IND-UN-0014
Name: Unknown          Birth Date: Unknown Title: Justice I   am   from   Santhal   community   (Tribal   community),   very   backward   and   poor   community.   I   cannot   remember my   parent’s   faces;   my   guardian   was   my   elder   brother   who   was   ruthless   and   very   very   unkind   to   me.   He got   married   and   started   living   separately.   I   used   to   beg   from   our   neighbors   for   food   when   I   got   hungry and   they   never   gave   me   food   instead   I   got   abuse   both   mental   and   physical   .   Nobody   ever   loved   me   or cared   for   me.   I   used   to   steal   food   and   money.   I   still   remember   one   winter   morning   when   I   wore   my cousin’s   pants   and   they   punished   me   by   shaving   my   head   and   once   I   put   on   my   sister-   in-law’s   ankle bracelet   and   they   bit   me   so   hard   that   my   bone   broke.   I   put   a   nice   frock   on   my   doll   to   hide   all   my   marks and   brushes   of   my   body   and   mind.   Whatever   good   and   nice   things   has   happened   to   me   it   happened because   of   my   constant   fighting   for   justice.   I   don’t   have   any   friend,   I   can’t   share   with   anyone   except   my counselor I can cry in front of her only.                  ID: VA-IND-UN-0015        
Name: Unknown        Birth Date: Unknown Title: Pieces I   do   not   know   who   I   am?   I   have   been   broken   into   too   many   pieces….I   tried   to   put   together   some   of   the pieces   and   I've   lost   some   forever…so   I   don't   have   any   face,   I   could   see   but   my   fear   still   dominates   me   so   I can't   revolt   against   anyone.   I   try   to   love   myself,   try   to   take   care   of   myself   but   I   have   nothing   underneath my   dress,   people   have   snatched   everything   from   a   helpless   girl...but   I   will   keep   trying    to   find   out   my   other pieces and will complete my puzzle.                                      ID: VA-IND-UN-0016         
Name: Unknown Birth Date: 1-Jan-91 Title: Red When   I   was   5   years   old,   I   used   to   earn   my   living   by   cutting   long   grass   int   he   nearby   jungle.   I   used   to   go   in early   morning   and   cut   until   afternoon   and   then   used   to   go   a   long   way   to   the   market   to   sell   those   to   buy rice   and   salt   for   our   dinner.   My   mother   used   to   cook   but   before   she   could   buy   the   rice   and   salt   our   father used   to   snatch   those   couple   of   rupees   (Indian   currency)   to   buy   his   daily   dose   of   alcohol.   Whenever   my mom   protested   she   used   to   get   beaten   and   she   succumbed   to   her   injury   when   I   was   7   years   old.   When   I took   the   position   of   my   mother,   he   took   money   from   me   and   the   beating   continued.   Most   of   the   days   me and   my   two   brothers   slept   with   empty   stomach   and   one   of   my   brothers   died   6   months   later   out   of   hunger. Then   he   drove   me   out   of   the   house   because   I   refused   to   give   him   money.   From   then   on   I   have   been residing   in   one   shelter   home   to   another.   Now   I   don’t   remember   the   past   except   the   color   Red.   I   HATE THAT   COLOR   BECAUSE   MY   MOM   LOVED   THAT   COLOR….WHY   DID   SHE   LEAVE   ME   TO   A   MAN   LIKE   MY FATHER,   HE   KILLED   MY   MOM,   MY   BROTHER…..Now   I   am   21   years   old   and   still   I   think   my   greatest   loss   is the death of my mom. ID: VA-IND-UN-0017
Name: Unknown Birth Date: 1-Jan-00 Title: Sadness I   hate   my   parents   from   the   bottom   of   my   heart.   Not   for   a   single   day   of   my   life   (12   years)   have   I   received love,   good   treatments,   stomach   full   of   food   or   some   caring   and   cuddling   from   them   and   after   the   death   of my   mom   from   my   stepmom.   My   younger   sister   never   understood   me,   my   grandmother   was   always   after my   money   whatever   I   used   to   get   as   a   domestic   help   since   my   early   childhood   days.   I   started   working   full days   in   a   factory   at   the   age   of   5   and   I   still   remember   once   I   got   hungry   and   spent   1   rupee   (not   even   a pence)   on   a   slice   of   bread,   my   stepmom   burned   me   with   a   burning   log   of   wood   from   the   oven   and   my back   had   70%   burn   injury.   When   I   told   my   misery   to   the   hospital   they   arranged   a   shelter   home   for   me. When   my   stepmom   came   to   know   about   it   she   even   tried   to   sell   me   to   a   trafficker   whom   I   managed   to hand   over   to   the   police   with   the   help   of   a   friend.   And   from   that   day   onward   me   and   my   friend,   who   is   an orphan,   we   both   promised   to   forget   our   past   and   start   living   our   life   afresh.   I   want   to   go   to   school,   I   like   to have   loving   parents   but   unfortunately   I   will   get   neither.   I   WANT   TO   MAKE   BIG   DOOR   AND   WINDOWS   IN MY    INNER    ROOM    SO    THAT    NO    MORE    DARKNESS    INSIDE    ME,    NO    MORE    SADNESS,    NO    MORE TORTURES!   I   WANT   TO   WALK   ON   A   WELL   LIT   ROAD   WITH   MY   FRIEND...PLEASE   GOD   HELP   ME   TO ATTAIN MY DREAMS. ID: VA-IND-UN-0018         
Name: Unknown          Birth Date: Unknown Title: Suicide I   feel   myself….like   a   thousand   times   worn   torn   piece   of   cloth….people   used   me   all   possible   ways   they could.   So   every   part   of   me   is   taped…wanted   to   commit   suicide   twice   by   hanging   but   failed,   put   a   piece   of cloth   to   hide   the   mark   of   my   failure….my   hands   are   red,   this   is   the   color   of   my   own   blood....wanted   to   die but    could    not    succeed....I    thank    God    for    that....HE    gave    the    chance    to    recreate    my    life    in    a    more meaningful   way   and   whatever   I   would   be   vulnerable,   I   will   remember   my   doll   and   she   will   give   me   the strength to fight for myself.                                                                        ID: VA-IND-UN-0019
VICTORY AGAINST VIOLENCE INTERNATIONAL - INDIA
STITCHES Womens Iniaitives 28056 Palomino Drive Warren, MI 48093  Phone: 586-873-8034