Nina Aouilk was just 21 when she was left for dead, lying in a pool of blood, after her own father tried to murder her in an alleged ‘honour killing’.
Ms Aouilk, who was born in the UK but has Punjabi heritage, told MailOnline how, from age six, she was treated as a ‘slave’ in her own home and forced to serve her relatives.
She says this was because in her culture girls were ‘not needed or wanted’ and were told to stay in the kitchen.
Although her torment began in early childhood, it became significantly worse at age 14 when she says she was brutally gang raped by her father and his friends.
‘My father was the first person to instigate it. They treated me like I was disposable. I was just a girl,’ she recalled.
‘When I resisted, he broke my nose. The others were very violent. They literally left me for dead that evening.’
Ms Aouilk claims that after the alleged rape her father told her she could no longer have an arranged marriage because she was not a virgin and had ‘spoiled herself.’
Nina Aouilk was just 21 when she was left for dead, lying in a pool of blood, after her own father tried to murder her in a so-called ‘honour killing’
The horrific attack followed years of abuse, including a brutal rape, being tied up for days, and having her face forced into her own urine. Ms Aouilk told MailOnline how, from the age of six, she had been treated as a ‘slave’ in her own home and forced to serve her relatives.
‘They robbed me of that little bit of innocent childhood I had. I was never the same person after that day.’
She says that following the assault, her father arranged to sell her to one of the alleged rapists as a ‘sex slave’, under the guise of marrying his son.
‘By the age of 16, they had traded me to one of the men who raped me that day,’ she said. ‘It was a forced child marriage.
‘Money was exchanged, along with gold and other expensive items — in return for keeping the secret and making sure the community wouldn’t find out.’
After the ‘sham wedding’, Ms Aouilk moved in with her new husband and his parents.
During the four years she lived there, she says she was subjected to unimaginable cruelty – including being stripped naked and having her nose rubbed in her own urine.
‘I definitely lived in fear because my father-in-law raped me practically every morning and sexually abused me throughout the day.
‘Sometimes, he would be abusing me while people walked past my room – there was no door on it. My room was under the stairs, next to the kitchen. People in the house knew what was going on, but nobody did anything to stop him.’
Nina says that following the assault, her father arranged to sell her to one of the alleged rapists as a sex slave, under the guise of marrying his son. Pictured: An image of Nina aged 14, taken to send to relatives in India for them to show to potential husbands
Nina said in her culture, girls were ‘not needed or wanted’ and were told to stay in the kitchen.
‘He would strip me naked, tie me by the ankle with a metal coat hanger, and leave me like that all day.
‘The whole family would go out. And if I soiled myself – which I often did – he would rub my nose in the urine and say things like, “you’re a dog”, and “this is why I can’t take you anywhere; you’re embarrassing.”
At 21, Ms Aouilk decided to leave her husband and return to her family after a friend told her things had changed and that her parents would support her.
But sadly, this couldn’t have been further from the truth.
‘When I got home, my father and brother were waiting for me. Someone had seen me getting on the bus,’ she said.
‘They had already agreed that they were going to kill me – because I had brought shame on the family.
‘In our culture, if a girl leaves an arranged marriage, people talk about the parents in a derogatory way.
‘It makes them feel like they’ve lost respect in the community. So, to restore that respect, they draw blood.’
At 21, Ms Aouilk made the decision to leave her husband and return to her family, after a friend told her things had changed and that her parents would support her. But this couldn’t have been further from the truth
‘When I got home, my father and brother were waiting for me. Someone had seen me getting on the bus,’ she said. ‘They had already agreed that they were going to kill me – because I had brought shame on the family.
Ms Aouilk says her father dragged her inside, calling her a ‘prostitute’ as the rest of the family watched.
‘He pulled my arm back and broke it, then they broke my jaw. They kept beating me until I fell.
‘Then my father put his heel on my throat and dug it in. At that point, I felt like I had left my body. I was just lying there like a little rag doll. It was an attempted honour killing.’
‘They only stopped when my other brother came in and said, “Don’t do it here. We’ll take her to India”. Then they all left. I watched their feet walk out. I was in and out of consciousness for days.
‘I was literally lying in a bath of my own blood. I looked like something out of a horror film. I couldn’t move.’
Realising her family planned to take her to India to finish the job, Ms Aouilk knew she had to escape. ‘When everything is broken in your body, it’s your mind that can save you. And that’s what saved me.’
‘My dog came around the corner. I put my hand on her wet nose and whispered, “Please don’t bark. I need to get away. Please don’t do this.” And she didn’t.’
She managed to reach a nearby park before passing out. At dawn the next day, she woke up and stumbled to a taxi rank, where she was taken to the police station.
Initially, the officer seemed sympathetic – until she said the words ‘honour killing’.
He then stopped taking notes and called an ambulance, she says.
‘I think he thought it would be too difficult to prove,’ Ms Aouilk said.
After being treated in hospital, she was taken to a women’s hostel in Kettering.
Over the next three years, she slowly rebuilt her life. By the age of 23, she had launched a successful print machinery business, became a millionaire, and had her first of three children.
Behind the success, however, she had fallen into another abusive relationship – one where she claims her pillow was set on fire while she slept.
Thankfully, she was able to flee that situation – and has never looked back.
In 2023, Nina Aouilk founded the charity End Honour Killings, which works with police to help victims escape forced marriages and honour-based violence.
She says honour-based violence is still happening in the UK, with an estimated 12 honour killings each year.
‘We get messages every day from girls saying they need help. They’ve come home from school, and their parents are trying to force them into marriage. Or they’re being sexually abused by a family member — but they can’t talk about it.
‘We have to educate the boys. We need to teach them not to carry forward what they’ve been taught by their families about girls not holding any value.’
Nina was speaking ahead of National Day of Remembrance for Honour Killings & New Domestic Abuse Act, which falls on July 14.
Daily Mail UK
