A YOUNG woman who has been offered an opportunity to study at some of Britain's most prestigious universities, has appealed against an deportation order that will see her sent to Pakistan, where her father is demanding she marry her older cousin.
The woman, whose identity is being concealed to protect her safety, said fears for her life if she disobeyed her father's order.
She had her bid for asylum rejected in February, as her father did not fit the profile of an abuser, the woman's solicitor Sairah Javed told The Independent.
“She would be returning to a country where her father is seen to be her guardian and is allowed to make every and all decisions for herself; where she would have limited to no freedoms on her own life decisions,” Javed said.
“If she says ‘No’ to the prospect of a forced marriage, there are concerns in relation to honour killings. If he seeks [her] out and calls police to intervene, police will assist him.”
The woman, 23, came to the UK in 2007 when she was 11. She considers herself British and has adapted to the culture here.
Although she does not remember much of her time in Pakistan, the woman said it wasn't a safe environment.
In the UK, her father's abuse was largely mental, rather than physical.
“He was scared of the authorities here,” she said. “He wasn’t physically abusive towards us, he used to mentally torture us.
“He was constantly telling us: ‘You guys will see what I’ll do when we return to Pakistan.’”
When her family returned to Pakistan in 2011, her father locked them in the house. They eventually managed to go back to the UK in 2012, where her mother claimed unsuccessfully for asylum on the basis of domestic violence.
In 2017, the young student made her own bid for asylum.
The woman said: "In Pakistani culture if you don’t obey your father, his honour would be affected,” she said. “They can go to any extent, they can physically abuse you and kill you in the name of honour.
“I grew up here, I want to feel safe, I want to live in an environment where I can make my own decisions.”
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