Athula* is from Sri Lanka originally but has lived in England for the last few years. She does not have a strong command of written English and her preferred method of communication is Sign Language.

This client was being forced into a marriage by her parents. There were a number of reasons why Athula was unhappy with this marriage but when she tried to argue against the marriage, her parents abused her physically and stole her phone. They also forced her to proceed with wedding arrangements, such as buying clothes and sending invites, and they even booked a date.

When RAD’s advocate met with Athula for the first time; she was really scared – she expressed all her feelings and worries as she was able to communicate directly with the advocate, which reassured her. With Athula’s permission, the advocate contacted the Forced Marriage Unit for advice which then asked that Athula report to the police directly. The police offered Athula a place at a refuge but she rejected this option as she felt she would not be able to communicate in a hearing environment with no communication support so she made arrangements to stay with her friend. RAD is currently working with her to secure a permanent place to live, in a borough away from her family where she will feel safe.

^{*not her real name, photo posed by model}