Farida Khatun, a woman who was found injured and pregnant at a bus stand outside Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in March, delivered a baby girl earlier this week. The mother and baby are doing well.
The 34-year-old, who was found with an injured thigh bone, was rescued by Udavum Karangal, an NGO, and taken to a private hospital for treatment. There, she was operated on for her injury. She was also treated for a psychiatric disorder and taken care of by a gynaecologist, a press note from the organisation said.
Ms. Khatun had told the NGO that she had been lured from Uttar Pradesh with the promise of a job by some men who had then abused her. Udavum Karangal also found out that she was divorced and that her former husband looked after their three children, but wanted nothing to do with her.
“So far, we have not been able to reach her brother directly, but we are trying. There is a lot of stigma attached to mental illness, so we want to get a professional counsellor to speak to him and to assure him that with the proper medication, she can be treated,” said a representative of the organisation.
Farida is now at Udavum Karangal, is able walk independently and is spending her time knitting sweaters for her baby, the note said.
