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Generations of Asian women who have come to England from their native countries have endured struggles that you and I would find difficult to comprehend.

Armed with a dream of ‘a better life’ and loaded with a small suitcase crammed full of their worldly possessions and memoirs, many come here to live by the side of a new husband they barely know.

The hidden truths of life behind closed doors of an Asian family remain so because of the face of Asian culture and tradition. In the name of society, too many women suffer in silence; abused, neglected and isolated.

A mother’s story

I still see the pain when I look in my mum’s big brown eyes – behind the classically beautiful Indian face, it never really disappears actually. When she’s happy, she can forget, in that cherished moment of smiles and laughter, but it soon returns to haunt her. To me, the lines on her face scream a journey of sadness, helplessness and loss.

‘Surely that breaches human rights? Surely you didn’t stand for that? Why didn’t you just walk away?’ These were just some of the naive questions that came to mind when my mum told me her story.

Recounting her story to close friends, I remember everyone glued to the words leaving my mouth, tears streaming down their faces and then giggles at the happier moments of the tale – a roller coaster of emotions they went through with an ultimate feeling of disbelief at what they’d heard – at an example of what one Asian woman experienced on coming to England.

This was my inspiration for this series – I want to show you a centimetre on the timeline of the lives of so many Asian women who leave their homes and move to England.

The stories of five women

The voices you’ll hear are of women I found living within communities, side by side with the rest of us, in Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Hertfordshire, Portsmouth and the West Midlands. These women have been brave enough to talk to me, many for the first time, about taboo topics that have been affecting an entire population.

Of different religions, they all share one trait. With a little bit of faith, they’ve braved years of hardship by sharing one belief: a pure and eternal faith in God. A bond they all agree has helped them survive the toughest times.

Click on the links below to hear their amazing stories: