Refusing to let the trauma of child sexual abuse pull her down, Sridevi (name changed) successfully chased her dream of crossing the portals of the High Court and donning the lawyer’s gown.
The young woman who enrolled as a High Court lawyer on Saturday was thrilled. She was in her teens when 12 people, including her father, sexually abused her. Within two years, 11 of the accused were sentenced. One went absconding.
Her family and she shifted to the capital city and were taken under the care of the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society. She first stayed at the Special Mahila Shikshan Kendra at Karyavattom, and in 2013, moved to the Nirbhaya home here. It was during her Plus Two that she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in law. A Commerce student, she felt it was a good option for her. After schooling, she moved to Ernakulam to pursue a five-year LBB course.
About what she would tell other abuse survivors, Sreedevi says their experience should never hold them back from aspiring high. There were moments when she felt she could not make it, but support of her family and a whole lot of people such as the staff at the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society and her teachers gave her strength. “Other may not have someone to lean on, but they should carry on and do what they have to do,” she says.
Her mother could not have been more proud, says Sreedevi. Her siblings too are a pillar of support, and her younger sister is thinking of following in her footsteps.
Sreedevi’s journey though is far from over. Working as a legal assistant with Nirbhaya State coordinator R. Nishanthini at present, Sreedevi is appearing for her Master’s entrance examination, and plans to start her own practice. Her dream, though, is to crack the Civil Services examination.
Minister for Social Justice K.K. Shylaja and Social Justice Director Biju Prabhakar also lent her support.
