"Glasnaya" project tells story of Chechen woman escaping from domestic violence

The Chechen woman, who had resisted years of violence from her husband and father, has managed to leave the republic and Russia with her four children, the "Glasnaya", a social media project which fights gender stereotypes and defends women's rights, has informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has repeatedly described the fates of women-natives of Northern Caucasus, who decided to run away from domestic violence practised in their families. In October, the story of four sisters from Dagestan sparked broad resonance: the young women, whom Russian border guards refused to let into Georgia, said that they had been beaten up at home and forced to marry. After the intervention of human rights defenders, the sisters were able to leave Russia, but they are still threatened by their relatives.

Khava, a 45-year-old Chechen woman, told the "Glasnaya" project how she resisted family violence.

"In Chechnya, I encountered the first harassment ... Once I was alone with my uncle in a room. He played with me, put me on his knees and rubbed me against his genitals. I was afraid to tell someone about it," the woman said.

Trying to get rid of pressure from her father, Khava went abroad, and then to Chechnya, where she worked in a non-commercial organization. The father did not leave attempts to return her home; and she married her "boyfriend", although she did not have feelings for him.

According to Khava, her cousin was killed by relatives because of her extramarital relations.

Shortly after the birth of her second child, Khava's husband started beating her. The woman unsuccessfully tried to find protection from her relatives and get a divorce, but they urged her to give birth to more children. She tried several times to escape from her husband and once managed to get to Tbilisi, but through the efforts of her relatives she returned home and was subjected to even more severe beatings.

Now, Khava has found a job in her new country of residence and is renting housing where she lives with her children.