Neha had initially sought police protection after escaping from her marital home but was advised to return to her in-laws. She expressed feelings unsafe both with her in-laws and with her own family in Satara.
Mumbai: Dr. Abraham Mathai, Founder-Chairman of the Harmony Foundation, shared another compassionate initiative of SEAL Ashram, which has provided a woman who endured terrifying domestic violence with care, shelter, and a second chance at life.
Speaking about a rescue case, he highlighted how SEAL Ashram provided shelter and support to Neha (name changed), a domestic violence survivor referred to the Panvel Taluka Police Station on November 14, 2018. After enduring severe physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband and her in-laws, she arrived at the ashram in a critical condition.
Neha had initially sought police protection after escaping from her marital home but was advised to return to her in-laws. She expressed feeling unsafe both with her in-laws and with her own family in Satara, citing her in-laws’ influence and financial power. SEAL Ashram’s intervention provided Neha with not just immediate safety but a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. Despite being a BA graduate, her own father withheld her educational certificates under pressure from her in-laws, insisting she return to an abusive marriage. Neha’s case highlights the tragic reality where parents sometimes feel compelled to prioritize societal norms over their own child’s safety and well-being. Dr. Abraham Mathai who is also the Chief Patron of SEAL Ashram said that the ashram offers more than temporary shelter—it works to restore dignity and build meaningful futures for those abandoned by their families.
During the initial crisis, Neha’s mother passed away from the distress of her daughter’s situation. Despite this loss and family pressure, Neha remained under SEAL Ashram’s care for several years. In 2024, her brother took her to Pune, believing it could be a new beginning. But within two months, since she was missing the true love and care she experienced, she found her way back to SEAL — the one place where her past couldn’t follow, and where hope felt real again, wrapped in the gentle, steadfast love of her foster father, Pastor K. M. Philip.
Dr. Mathai added that the SEAL Ashram under compassionate leadership of Pastor K.M. Philip seeks to restore broken family ties and reunite residents with their families. However, when the family endangers an individual’s safety, as in Neha’s case, the ashram provides long-term care and community.
In conclusion, Dr. Mathai said that Neha continues to live at SEAL Ashram, working as an office staff and applying her education and skills to its mission. Rather than return to roots that felt alien and unsafe, she has found in the ashram both security and a renewed sense of purpose.
