Malappuram: An attempt to rescue a young woman, who sought help from the authorities claiming that she was being forced to undergo conversion therapy to 'cure her of homosexuality', failed after her family forcibly took her away.
Dramatic events unfolded at Chullikkod near Kondotty when the staff of NGO Sakhi and a team of police went to Afeefa CS' house after she sought help from authorities against the torture at home.
She approached the authorities a week after she told the Kerala High Court that she chose her parents over her lesbian partner Sumayya Sherin.
The team, along with the representatives of Vanaja Collective, an NGO that works for the rights of LGBTQIA+, went to Afeefa's house on the direction of the Women Protection Officer. They attempted to shift Aeefa along with her mother to One Stop Centre.
"We don't know where they took her. The police are investigating that," the Women Protection Officer said.
The police also said the family has shifted the girl from their home. Kondotty Sub Inspector K Fathil Rahman said they do not know the whereabouts of the girl at present.
In her complaint, Afeefa claimed that she was being tortured at home and was forced to undergo the 'therapy'.
The team that went to Afeefa's house faced violent protests and the family was unwilling to send the woman along with them.
"The mob was violent when the Sakhi staff and a few police personnel went to the house of Afeefa. They vehemently objected to the intervention of the authorities to help the girl. According to our information, the family had forced her to withdraw from the relationship with Sumayya," Gargi H, secretary of Vanaja Collective said.
Sumayya told Onmanorma that she does not know where the family has shifted Afeefa. "At present, there is no inquiry on and we have not approached any authorities to initiate legal action," she said.
On June 19, Afeefa told the high court that though she had been living with Sumayya for some time at Puthencruz in Ernakulam, she did not wish to continue the same and that she was now residing with the parents of her own volition.
She gave her statement in response habeas corpus petition filed by Sumayya.
Sumayya had claimed that Afeefa was abducted by her family.
(Sakhi is a feminist NGO that focuses on the empowerment of women, engendering governance, the safety of women etc.)
