18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
By touch in the dark

She grew up with a huge, kind heart! When she was born, her Father wanted to drown her just because she was fat. All through her childhood, she had felt like a burden. She was constantly rebuked and humiliated. The feeling of fear and despair was felt every second in her life. Especially before going to bed and in the morning. When she went to bed, she put on a lot of underpants and pants to delay the seconds of harassment of her own father. I would Wake up early in the morning, lie in bed for hours, afraid to move, so as not to Wake my sister. She knew every crack and point in the ceiling . Any innocent offense ended in beatings, she was beaten by her own sister. But no amount of blows, bruises, or cuts on her body killed her faith in people and love for this world. She did not respond with violence to violence, she was a light in this darkness. This is a true story, just a grain of sand in a vast desert of similar lives. Every year, millions of children suffer from emotional, physical and sexual violence worldwide. If you respond with violence to violence, then violence only increases. Hate will not drive away hate - only love can do it. The darkness will not drive away the darkness - only the light can do it. And it depends only on us whether we will be light or dark!

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Moscow, Russia
Camera: ILCE-7M2
Copyright: © Karina Bikbulatova