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Nadja, 29 years old, Berlin (Germany)

"I was born in Berlin to Syrian immigrants. As a child, my father beat me in fits of rage, so my grandparents took me to Syria, where, at the age of 15, I was forcibly married to a man I'd never met. That same year, I gave birth to my first child. My husband treated me exactly the same way my father had. I decided to run away while pregnant. I ended up in Turkey, where an international human rights activist helped me return to Germany.
As soon as I gave birth, my family threw me out onto the street; to them, I was the embodiment of shame for running away from my husband. Almost immediately, I was lured into prostitution and a little later, into drug use. One of the girls suggested I try it, to make sleeping with clients less disgusting. I quickly lost that job too, because I was using so much and was practically unconscious.
I live on the streets. The places I walk are very dangerous. Recently, a dealer threatened to smash my head in because I owed him 10 euros.
Now I have nothing, no belongings, no documents, no health. I can barely walk like an old woman. I am just drained from the inside. But I still can find some resources to smile when the sun is shining."