A Young Woman Needs Protection
Zahra* is only 17 years old. Two years ago, she entrusted her life to Jesus and is part of a house church in our network in Iran. She lives with her mother and her stepfather, who is the imam of a mosque. She kept her faith in Jesus a secret from her family. Every morning, she would get up at five o’clock to spend time in prayer undisturbed on the roof of the house.
One day, her stepfather discovered her Bible in the closet. From then on, he began sexually abusing her and threatened to turn her over to the authorities if she told anyone about it. After a long period of abuse, Zahra fled her home. But her stepfather found her, brought her back, and handed her over to the authorities.
Zahra is three months pregnant. She is being held in a women’s prison and is suffering from heavy bleeding. Despite her critical condition, she is not receiving adequate medical care. Furthermore, women and girls in prisons are frequently subjected to sexual assault. Because of her age and her pregnancy, she is particularly at risk.
Her stepfather denies all allegations and claims that Zahra became pregnant as a result of a relationship with another man. He has disowned her and refuses to take her back. As a result, Zahra no longer has a safe place to go. Her release is further complicated because her stepfather, using his influence within the government, has secured a very high bail amount for her.
