BIOGRAPHY HAMEEDA LAKHO
Hameeda Lakho (1964) was born in Pakistan. At the age of four she came to the Netherlands, together with her mother and sisters, under the terms of family reunion. Shortly after that her father announced that their mother and youngest sister had died in a car crash. Actually he had them deported to Pakistan. Years of terror, humiliations, isolation and abuse forced Hameeda to flee the house at a young age. Little by little she succeeded in building a life of her own. After high school she attended fashion academy and thereupon she had various very different jobs. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Rijswijk, The Netherlands. After thirty years she found her mother back. She wrote three bestsellers Hidden Bars, Broken Circle and Hitting Home. Rights were sold to prominent publishers. Hameeda Lakho received a royal honorary medal as a Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau for her outstanding achievements.
In 2000 Hameeda’s first book Hidden Bars was published, the true, gripping story about her shocking childhood between two cultures. She wrote it in cooperation with copywriter / journalist Magda van der Rijst. In this book Hameeda tells openheartedly about her struggle to find her own identity and self-esteem, while living in a culture that suppresses the ambitions, rights and freedom of women. With passion and insight she describes the search for her mother. Hameeda takes the reader along on colorful trips to her native country and manages to fix the broken circle of her own mother- and daughterhood with humor and hope.
Hidden bars received a lot of attention in the media. Apart from interviews on television, there were lots of favorable reviews in daily papers and glossies. Rights for Hidden bars are sold to prominent publishers in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Estonia. In The Netherlands more than 150.000 copies were sold.
In 2002 Hameeda’s second book was published, Broken Circle, in which she tells about her lost family ties, her expectations and her search for unconditional love. Finally Hameeda gets permission from the Justice department for the coming over of her Pakistani family. What was supposed to become a climax in her life, turns out to be a reunion with very mixed feelings. Unexpected cultural differences disturb the fairytale. The bond between mother and daughter she desired so deeply is virtually non-existent, and Hameeda is subjected to great pressure.
In November 2005 her latest book appears, Hitting Home, in which Hameeda for once and all brakes with the taboo that child abuse is still under. In an open and penetrating way she writes about the painful consequences of a violent, loveless childhood, and the influence it has on the rest of your life. As a child she had to forget her feelings and be invisible in order to survive, but as an adult she had to learn to live and love all over again. Hitting Home is the moving testimony of a strong woman and her will to survive. With this book Hameeda Lakho wants to draw attention to the worldwide victims of child abuse, hoping that their voices will be heard. Courageously she describes her search for herself and shows how there is hope under all circumstances. Once again it’s a gripping and personal book, that will leave no reader untouched.
In November 2005 she took the initiative for the foundation of Stichting Geheim Geweld, that aims to signal the consequences of child abuse and make them a subject of discussion.
Honors and Awards
On April 30th 2009 Hameeda Lakho received a royal honour, granted by Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands, as a Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau. The award was given for her outstanding achievements. The mayor mentioned her personal dedication, vision and qualities and the greater importance for the world.
In 2000 Hameeda’s first book Hidden Bars was published, the true, gripping story about her shocking childhood between two cultures. She wrote it in cooperation with copywriter / journalist Magda van der Rijst. In this book Hameeda tells openheartedly about her struggle to find her own identity and self-esteem, while living in a culture that suppresses the ambitions, rights and freedom of women. With passion and insight she describes the search for her mother. Hameeda takes the reader along on colorful trips to her native country and manages to fix the broken circle of her own mother- and daughterhood with humor and hope.
Hidden bars received a lot of attention in the media. Apart from interviews on television, there were lots of favorable reviews in daily papers and glossies. Rights for Hidden bars are sold to prominent publishers in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Estonia. In The Netherlands more than 150.000 copies were sold.
In 2002 Hameeda’s second book was published, Broken Circle, in which she tells about her lost family ties, her expectations and her search for unconditional love. Finally Hameeda gets permission from the Justice department for the coming over of her Pakistani family. What was supposed to become a climax in her life, turns out to be a reunion with very mixed feelings. Unexpected cultural differences disturb the fairytale. The bond between mother and daughter she desired so deeply is virtually non-existent, and Hameeda is subjected to great pressure.
In November 2005 her latest book appears, Hitting Home, in which Hameeda for once and all brakes with the taboo that child abuse is still under. In an open and penetrating way she writes about the painful consequences of a violent, loveless childhood, and the influence it has on the rest of your life. As a child she had to forget her feelings and be invisible in order to survive, but as an adult she had to learn to live and love all over again. Hitting Home is the moving testimony of a strong woman and her will to survive. With this book Hameeda Lakho wants to draw attention to the worldwide victims of child abuse, hoping that their voices will be heard. Courageously she describes her search for herself and shows how there is hope under all circumstances. Once again it’s a gripping and personal book, that will leave no reader untouched.
In November 2005 she took the initiative for the foundation of Stichting Geheim Geweld, that aims to signal the consequences of child abuse and make them a subject of discussion.
Honors and Awards
On April 30th 2009 Hameeda Lakho received a royal honour, granted by Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands, as a Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau. The award was given for her outstanding achievements. The mayor mentioned her personal dedication, vision and qualities and the greater importance for the world.