Imagine the excitement of the bride and groom as the bonds between them are solemnized in the nikah. Imagine the joy of the wedding ceremonies leading to the departure of the bride, the rukhsati. Parental faces shine with pride, the bride’s face shines with happiness. Parents who have lovingly protected their daughter all these years, are now to transfer this role to their new son-in-law and his family. Trust, love, respect, honour: these are the bonds of marriage.

Beatings, abandonment, violence: for abusive men, these are the bonds of marriage. Now, imagine parental faces distorted by sorrow and helplessness. And daughter's face disfigured by violence and shame; her life complicated by the loneliness and distance of being far away.

There are many such parents, and many such daughters. Parents who know that a daughter is being abused; parents who suffer, often silently, with the pain their daughters endure. Parents who wish that someone could help.

Most marriages flower into happiness. Women feel the pangs of being separated from their parental home and their home country, and in time, they adjust to their new lives