A woman who was pulled out of school and lured to Pakistan to get married has spoken of her ordeal.

She returned to the UK thanks to the work of the Forced Marriage Unit but has now returned home to her father after graduating with a Masters Degree.

Figures published by the Crown Prosecution Service showed there were no successful prosecutions under a specific forced marriage offence in 2015/16, after its introduction in 2014.

Victims have often been reluctant to criminalise their families.

Whilst at school, Razia (not her real name) was caught smoking at school and told by her father he was going to take her to Pakistan for good.

“I didn’t want to go to Pakistan. I knew I would never return to the UK. I was desperate,” she said.

“I took an overdose. I took loads of paracetamol’s on my 16th birthday.

“I collapsed in the living room and an ambulance had to be called. I would rather have died than be sentenced to living in Pakistan.”

Razia endured an arduous journey at the tender age of 16 when she was forcibly pulled out of her school in Yorkshire and lured to Pakistan by her father.

Razia says that she witnessed a similar pattern with her older siblings, who were subsequently married soon after arriving in Pakistan.

“My older sister was married off at a young age, and when she had kids, my parents forced me to stay at her house and do the baby’s night feeds. I was only 11-years-old.

“The teachers picked up on it straightaway and got social services involved. But my dad would lie to them and tell them everything was okay.”

When Razia made an attempt on her life, her parents were in Pakistan leaving Razia in the care of her father’s brother.

“My parents were more concerned about the shame of my actions and what I was going to tell social services rather than my health.”

Razia’s father returned after a week, and spent three days trying to convince Razia to go to Pakistan. Unknown to Razia he had already purchased her flight ticket.

After three days, Razia’s father tried a different tactic. He lied to her and said her mother was seriously ill in Pakistan.

“My dad knows I have a weakness for my mum. When he said my mum was ill, I agreed straightaway.

Before agreeing to go to Pakistan, Razia’s father showed her a return ticket to Pakistan, leading her to believe she would return to the UK in two week’s time. “I had no reason to doubt my dad. I saw the dates on the ticket.”

As soon as they arrived in Pakistan, she said her father’s demeanour changed almost instantly.

“He started being verbally abusive and shouting at me.”

Razia said it was only when she attended a wedding with her family that she found the opportunity to use a mobile phone.

“One of the guests had left their mobile phone charging and I quickly grabbed the phone and rang my school.

“I got through to reception and in a phone conversation that lasted 12 seconds I told them that I am in Pakistan against my will and that I was afraid that I would never be able to come back to the UK.”

The school informed the police and the Forced Marriage Unit who alerted the British embassy in Pakistan, which took action.

Razia’s father was told that his daughter had to be brought back to the UK by a designated date otherwise he would face legal consequences.

Having returned to Yorkshire, Razia spent a year at home and says she barely left her bedroom.

Because social services and the Forced Marriage Unit kept a close eye on the family, Razia was permitted to return to school for fear she may ‘create more drama’ with the authorities.

“I left school being one of the loudest most extrovert students. I returned as one of the quietest. The last year had a detrimental psychological impact on me.”

“On the first day of group work, I burst into tears. My brother would drop by and collect me from school.”

“He would throw my files across the road and hit me and say I had ruined the family.”

Despite having returned to school, familiar patterns soon emerged at home.

Another one of Razia’s sister got married and as a result, Razia was told she would have to leave school to help with the domestic chores.

“I knew exactly what was going to happen. I had all the numbers of the Forced Marriage Unit. I rang them and told them that I wasn’t being allowed to study.

“They told me my options, one of which was to leave home. I was told to pack my belongings and put them in carrier bags and hide them outside.

“The next day I went to school as normal, but they picked me up in an unmarked car from school and collected my bags.

“They then drove me straight to Blackburn to a women’s refuge called Humraaz.

“I was so scared but I had to take this step out of principal to ensure the same thing didn’t happen to my two younger sisters.”

Although Razia was in a safe environment, she says she self-harmed as a means of dealing with the emotional pressure.

“I used to cut myself. I didn’t know how to handle everything. But as soon as my key worker found out, she helped me.

“They realised that I like to write poems. She told me that every time I felt the need to cut myself, I should express myself through poetry instead. Even today they have my poetry on their walls.

“Humraaz helped me, guided me and supported me more than their job required them to do.

“I believe I would have taken my own life if it wasn’t for Humraaz.

“They told me to fight for my right to an education. They taught me to believe in myself and to survive. Because of them, I returned to education and today I have a Masters in Law.”

Razia returned home and says that the dramatic course of events led her father to change his stance. “On the day I graduated he was really emotional and took ages picking the right tie to wear with his suit.

“I am the first person in the family to get a formal education and he was actually proud of me.”

“I would love to come back to Humraaz and help other women, but I am not strong enough emotionally just yet.

“I want to get married at some stage, but I have been through so much. I am not ready.

“I feel I lost my childhood and had to grow up too quickly.

“As gruelling as my journey was, it has made me the person I am today.

“Humraaz has made me this person.”

Firoza Mohmed, service manager at Humraaz, said: “An exceptionally talented young girl with high morals desperate to complete her education turned to self-harm as a coping mechanism. “Challenging the shackles of cultural honour her parents and community were bound by has caused her enormous pain and lost years but with her determination for change she has proved herself and we at Humraaz are very proud of her achievement.

“Our staff at Humraaz support women and children who have experienced all forms of Harmful Practices to deal with the trauma and move on with their life free from abuse. We would advise any person going through difficulty to seek help and speak to someone.

“You can contact us by calling 01254 674312.”