It was a Saturday when her father asked for her mobile phone to use.
She hesitated at first but since her phone was the only one being used to pay for cash power, as it had the app installed, she gave it.
Her father told her she would get the phone back once he paid for their electricity.
Their home is located in a village in the Northern Division.
Her father had bought her the phone and also buys the recharge cards.
She asked for her phone on the same afternoon but her father told her the network was not good and he would return it once the payment was done.
But when she still did not get her phone back after a few days, she got upset, which led to an explosion of negative emotions eventually resulting in attempted suicide.
This is the story of a resilient young woman.
She was referred to Empower Pacific by a doctor for counselling support.
The 19-year-old woman completed her primary education in the Northern Division and attended secondary school there for a few years.
She lived with an uncle in the Central Division last year and attended high school but being her father’s favourite child, she started to miss him and her family.
Early this year, she returned to her hometown in the Northern Division and enrolled in a school to complete Year 13 but she was unable to cope.
She had no friends in school and she could not understand what the teachers were saying.
After talking to her father, she left school in the first week of the second term.
The young woman said her father gave her the phone when she left school, adding that he would provide for her every wish.
She said the mobile phone became her best friend when she left school as she used it mostly to watch movies and play games.
It was the fourth evening after her father took the phone to use when she requested him to return it.
“Before dinner, we have a special timetable that we always follow no matter what. Having family prayer at 7pm is a must. We must adhere to it no matter how busy life is,” she said.
“I asked my dad if I could have my phone back and he told me to wait. I was so furious that I couldn’t hold my patience.
“I couldn’t share or tell anyone in my family that I was angry. We had our family prayer and I couldn’t resist or do something about it. I did not even pray or sing a song with my family.
“After we had our family prayer, I told my dad that I didn’t want to have dinner and I wanted to be alone. He told me to sit down and serve them food.”
She waited for her family members to finish dinner, saying that listening to their jokes made her feel no one cared about her.
“My dad told me to prepare some tea. I went to the kitchen, stood there crying but no one could hear me. Suicide came across my mind at that time.”
She said her sister came to the kitchen and made tea for the family members while she was crying.
After being told by her father to clear the dishes, she went to the toilet and drank something that was kept there.
“I couldn’t think of anything else but to kill myself. I drank it and started coughing and my mum came and took it from my hand.”
She was taken to a health centre near her village and then transferred to the divisional hospital where she was admitted for a few days.
“It was early one morning when I had a visitor. She was so kind and she greeted me with a warm smile. I was curious as to who she was and what she was doing on my hospital bed.”
The person introduced herself as counsellor Shivashni Devi Shankar from Empower Pacific.
“After talking to her, I’ve realised what I should do and how to enjoy life. She does help me a lot in my life,” said the young woman.
“I’ve changed to be a better person and learned to trust myself with all my heart. I also learned not to harm myself as nothing comes out of it.
“I’ve learned to think in a positive way. I have decided to value myself and look for a job so I can help my parents and support my two younger siblings.”
Ms Shankar said arrangements were being made for the young woman to return to school and complete her education and get a job based on her interest and skill set.
She said the client had been assured of ongoing mental health and psychosocial support in the future and encouraged to call the Empower
Pacific tollfree counselling helpline 5626 whenever she needed further support.
Our qualified counsellors’ man our 24/7 counselling helpline, which is supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
• AVINESH GOPAL is the media and communications officer for Empower Pacific
