A WIFE was so terrified in her unhappy marriage she fled and lived in a park and on the roof of a mosque.

Her plight and that of other of Asian women trapped in marriages has been highlighted by a Manchester charity.

It says foreign victims of domestic violence are being let down by red tape and legal loopholes.

Women from Asian countries whose marriages to British residents break down can be left penniless and on the street according to the Saheli Women's Refuge. The plight of women trapped in forced marriages was highlighted earlier this year following a coroner's report into the death of Warrington schoolgirl Shafilea Ahmed.

Abused

The inquest heard how Shafilea, 17, whose murder remains unsolved, had feared a marriage against her will and claimed her parents abused her.

A new study, sponsored by Oxfam, focused on women from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh who were living in the country after marrying into British Asian families.

Those whose marriages broke down after less than two years faced deportation unless they could show domestic violence was the cause.

But during this appeal process, victims are not eligible for housing or legal support meaning many are forced to choose between remaining in abusive relationships, homelessness or deportation.

The Saheli group, named after the Urdu word for friend, provides emergency refuge to women fleeing domestic violence in the Manchester area.

Case workers interviewed 30 women from across the north west about their experiences.

Many women feared returning to their home country because of the stigma attached to divorce and marriage breakdown and were threatened with destitution or being `sent back home' should they leave their abusers.

- Click on the related story link to read about Shazia Khan's plight to stay in the UK