Women's rights in immigrant family.

[Oldfluffy]

I live next door to an immigrant pakistani family off.4 years.

I'm concerned with how they treat their 22 year old daughter.

We talk and I have got to know, that she is not allowed her ID (passport, driving licence) they keep her bank card. She's not allowed a key to the house or to go out without permission from her parents. No friends outside of immediate family. She has recently been allowed to work full time and they take most.of her money for bills, and they drive her to and from work. Her brothers have keys to the house and can come and go as they please. Her parents have told her she can have freedom when she marries.
In my opinion She's being controlled under religious doctrine and cultural obligation.

She would go to the police, but she has no where to go (could she really live in the same house) she desperately wants to keep her job and apart from people at work the only person she know outside her immediate family is her elderly neighbour.

Any advice

What kind of advice are you looking for? Has she told you she wants to go to the police? If so, there might be services who could help her find housing but it can be very tricky.

Otherwise, the Muslim women's network has a helpline that might be a listening ear.

Could she call the domestic abuse hotline? Whilst this is related to her parents not her partner she is essentially being financially abused by not having access to her bank cards and her money (amoungst other things) and they might be able to provide support and advice, and signpost her to the services she needs to access.

Does she want to leave? Because unless she wants to leave there is very little you can do to help. But if she wants to leave then helping her find the resources available to her is probably the best place to start.

This isn't uncommon but it tends to get overlooked for fear of being seen as racist when challenging. Like the Rotherham scandal and 1200 sexual assaults on NYE a few years back.

Southall Black Sisters are a good org to contact.

southallblacksisters.org.uk/about/

They are experienced with supporting women suffering interfamily abuse and coercive control, it’s not just for women being subjected to intimate partner violence.

I’m not from this community but I have acted as a contact/sounding board for a woman in a similar situation to your neighbour and she found that there are a number of under the radar small orgs and networks specifically for women from minority communities and orthodox/conservative religions that the bigger orgs can refer on to (so don’t be put off just because you aren’t in Southall).

All you can do at this stage is suggest she reaches out to a supportive org who will be able to talk her through her situation and lay out her options.

Perhaps you could consider offering the use of your phone/home for her to make a call, or for her to set up an email account that her parents don’t know about?

It can seem almost impossible to call a helpline if you are never home alone and always accompanied when you go out.

I’m glad she has a caring neighbour.

Just to add, there is a list on the site of what they consider to be domestic abuse.

southallblacksisters.org.uk/need-help/what-is-domestic-violence/