My Story

Nannayya and Lakshmi got married, but he strongly believed in male heirs and only wanted sons. However, Lakshmi gave birth to girls instead. Nannayya resorted to physical abuse towards Lakshmi due to this, and he also stopped providing for the family. Lakshmi worked as a street sweeper to make ends meet. Despite her efforts, Nannayya's alcoholism and abuse persisted, affecting both Lakshmi and their children. When Lakshmi had more daughters, Nannayya's frustration grew, leading to threats of sending the girls into bonded labor. Lakshmi, unable to support the family alone, sent her older daughters to her mother's house. Despite her protests, Nannayya continued to pressure Lakshmi to have more children. When she gave birth to another daughter, Suvarna, Nannayya was furious, leading to an increase in the abuse and threats. Lakshmi, desperate for help, approached the IGP social worker, pleading to save her daughters. Despite efforts from the social worker, village volunteers, and elders to explain the value of girls, Nannayya remained uncooperative. It was only when the threat of the consequences of violating child labor laws that Nannayya agreed not to send the girls into bonded labor, which unfortunately would have been where the girls would have ended.