I ran away from my abusive family when I was 17 years old (in 2018). I was able to afford to live independently because I have a scholarship to study medicine. My family would not accept my decision to live by myself simply because I refused to continue to be abused by them, so they have continued to stalk and threaten me. I could not report them at the time because they had diplomatic immunity in addition to connections in the government, but now that my father's diplomatic contract has finally ended I am at risk of being forced to return to Kuwait to complete essential documents such as a civil ID, passport, visa, etc. The problem is, in Kuwait the law does not protect me and I will need my father's approval for all of these things, but I am not willing to risk my safety and return to Kuwait. Previously, whenever I needed to complete such documents my parents would try to manipulate me, and at some point they even hid my passport away from me and claimed that the embassy was hiding my passport and they had 'a curfew' on my passport. This pattern of lies, manipulation, and abuse means that even if I return to Kuwait it is unlikely that I will be able to keep myself safe from them or be able to successfully complete my documents to return to study in the UK. I cannot seek advice or help at the embassy due to my father's connections there. I have even tried seeking legal advice and support in Kuwait but did not receive any help.
No one in my family supports me because they all normalise and enable each other's abusive behaviour. They've told me that they haven't done anything wrong, and that they are 'normal'. Some examples of the abuse that they believe is normal include beating their children with a belt, striking their children on their backs with a wooden pole until it breaks, and smashing a hanger on their child's head so hard that it breaks and leaves a dent in the wall. My parents believe that when I cry and ask them to stop hurting me while they beat me up I’m only doing it to intentionally make the neighbours hear what they’re doing. Even when I make sure to keep quiet and cry silently while they hit me it doesn’t stop them, and they keep going until they get tired or hurt themselves. One time my mother even broke her finger. If I go back to them now I can only imagine how much worse the abuse is going to get.
In addition to physical abuse, my father was also sexually abusing me. He would sexualise my body and comment on how nice my thighs are, nearly on a daily basis he would walk in on me while I'm in the shower (the bathroom locks are broken and they even refused to repair the locks when I asked them to), he would walk in on me while I'm getting dressed, and even touch me inappropriately. When I asked him to stop touching me he said, "what's the point of having daughters in this world if I can't do whatever I want with them". It got to the point that I couldn't go near him or turn my back on him because he would use any opportunity to touch me.
Due to the abuse I have suffered, I have been diagnosed with severe depression and complex PTSD, which I am working hard to try to recover from.
I am currently an asylum seeker in the UK to protect myself from suffering further harm in Kuwait. I am taking a gap year this academic year to prioritise my mental health and focus on healing from my trauma, as well as sorting out the complexities surrounding my immigration status. During my gap year, my scholarship from the Kuwaiti government will be frozen, and so I will not receive any financial support. I need to be able to afford to cover necessities such as rent and food to make sure that can live safely. I am currently relying on my savings to cover living costs, therapy, and legal costs of the process.
I feel embarrassed to ask for money and if you can't afford to help I completely understand, but please be sure to share.