Having witnessed the consequences of domestic violence first hand - growing up in a home where she and her mother were subjected to abuse at the hands of her father - Jamilya became determined to help women going through the same thing.

We interviewed Jamilya as part of our documentary 'Women Behind the Wheel' You can watch the interview at this link.

Jamilya has dedicated her life to supporting victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence in her rural town of Karakol, Kyrgyzstan. Earlier this year Jamilya was part of a group of people that set up a refuge for women and families escaping abusive relationships.

She currently has three women and six children living in the shelter.

In order to be able to keep the shelter open, Jamilya needs to raise funds for food, maintenance, heating, security and hygiene facilities, and we are trying to help her do this. As well as a home, Jamilya is using the refuge as a space for women to learn new skills – recently running sewing workshops for local women for free.

The women who now call the refuge home have experienced unimaginable cruelty often at a very young age. Domestic violence in Kyrgyzstan has been on the rise for the past few years - more than 100 Kyrgyz women were killed by their husbands in the past seven years, 21 of them in 2020 alone. Thousands of cases of abuse and physical violence go unreported, with women fearing societal pressures and economic implications if they leave their husbands. Others don’t believe police or the courts would help them resolve their problem

One of the women living in Jamilya’s shelter shared her story below. Please be aware this story contains references to rape and sexual abuse.

If you are able to, please donate to support Jamilya’s ongoing work to provide shelter and protection to the women in her local area.