It all began when Sabatina James turned 15 years old. The teen's parents did not approve of her adopting a Western lifestyle after they moved from Pakistan to Austria. When Sabatina's mother discovered she had pecked a boy on the lips after reading her diary, the mother beat her and called her obscenities. Her parents then tried to force Sabatina into an arranged marriage — a practice that can be as tragic as child marriage — to her cousin when she turned 18 years old. They took the teen to Pakistan, and when she refused the marriage, they left her there. Sabatina, feeling helpless, agreed to be wed so that she could at least go back home to Austria.
When her parents realized that their daughter had no intention of going through with the marriage, they threatened to kill her.
“’The honor of this family is more important than my life or your life. That was a direct threat on my life,'” Sabatina told Newsweek. “It sounds extreme, but it happens. According to the United Nations, 5,000 women and girls are murdered around the world each year for ‘shaming’ the family by acting in ways deemed disobedient or immodest.”
Scared, Sabatina fled. She slept in a shelter and worked in a café. Every day, her parents would show up to harass her, threaten her, and eventually cause her to lose her job. With the help of friends, she was able to flee to Vienna. It was there that she changed her name, identity, and converted to Christianity. Today, the brave woman works with others like her, helping them escape forced marriages and the threats put on their lives just for being women.
See more of her incredible story below, and please SHARE if you think Sabatina is one brave hero!
