Silent Night, Unholy Night Refugee Stories [Paperback]

Listen, you're like a ball. When I kick you against the wall, you'll just bounce back to me, Sara's husband, Mohammed barks at her. Mohammed is an Imam or religious leader in Saudi Arabia. One night he returns home, kicks Sara out of their matrimonial bed, and announces he has married a second wife, Hiba, a 16 year old childbride. When Sara has the audacity to react, he manipulates her into thinking she is somehow at fault. Sara is a devoted mother of four boys, and yet, she is compelled to flee Saudi Arabia and leave her children behind. She can no longer tolerate the physical and emotional abuse to which she has been subjected throughout her marriage. Sara is not alone. Silent Night, Unholy Night Refugee Stories deals with women from all over the world, including Nigeria, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Albania. These women were compelled to flee their countries of origin due to genderbased persecution. They are refugees who suffered domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, abduction, coerced marriage and human trafficking. There is no state or police protection for abused women in many countries. Violence against women is regarded as a private family matter, and the police will not intervene to protect these victims. Often the society in which they live and their own families do not support them. Raw and riveting, their stories scream out to be heard.