The Salvation Army has been protecting and caring for survivors of slavery since our early beginnings in the 1880's. Today The Salvation Army provides invaluable specialist support for all adult victims of modern slavery in England and Wales, through a network of safe houses, outreach support and other services to help them rebuild their lives after exploitation and move to living independently and in freedom.

Lima describes her childhood in Bangladesh as perfect. She loved life with her family and made the most of every opportunity offered to her at school, trying out new activities and sports. Lima was someone who always said ‘yes’ to a new challenge. She got top marks in all her subjects but tried particularly hard at science because she dreamed of being a doctor.

When, in her second year of college, her parents arranged for her to marry a man who lived in the UK, she hoped her new husband would allow her to carry on studying, because that was what he had promised her family. He was lying.

Lima soon found that he wanted a domestic servant and someone to give him children, not a wife or a relationship with mutual understanding and respect. She was forced to do all the household chores and forbidden to leave the house, often locked in by her husband. Lima was heartbroken but too frightened and isolated to ask for help. He wouldn’t let her talk to her friends and she didn’t want to upset her parents. Instead she dug deep and tried to make the best of the situation.

Not once did Lima’s husband treat her as a wife, or even a fellow human being. He took from her what he wanted and refused her any freedom at all. When she asked for some money or to go out, he fought with her. Over time Lima’s health deteriorated, especially her asthma which was aggravated by her husband’s excessive smoking.

Then Lima discovered that he was seeing another woman. She spoke to her sister-in-law who advised her that things would improve if she could get pregnant. Her husband was furious when he found out and the attacks got worse. At night he would taunt her in bed by saying the name of his girlfriend.

One day everything came to a head when Lima, anxious and alone, had a very bad asthma attack. Unable to breathe and fearing she would die, Lima called an ambulance. The crew stayed with her for hours to help her recover as she was too fearful to go to hospital. When her husband came home that night he was simply angry she hadn’t prepared him any food. Lima was at breaking point.

So Lima managed to get back to Bangladesh to stay with friends while she planned her next steps. At first her husband reported her as missing to the police but when he realised where she was he sent threats to her that he would hire people in Bangladesh to kill her.

Then one day when out with friends in a shopping mall a man she didn’t know grabbed Lima’s arm and tried to drag her away. She decided to return to the UK where she hoped the police would take her seriously so she asked her friend for money to escape back.

On arrival she told the police what was happening to her and they recognised that Lima had been kept in domestic servitude. They referred her to The Salvation Army who brought her to a safe house hundreds of miles from where her husband lived. Lima is beginning to dream again and her support worker is helping her to look at options to start to study. She would like to be a nurse.

Lima says yes to all the activities on offer at the safe house from outings and beauty nights and makes good use of the gardens, craft room, gym and sensory room. She is turning back into the old Lima who would say ‘yes’ to any new challenge, even skydiving.

Lima is naturally a little nervous about how high the jump will be but is comforted to know she will be attached to a professional.