Being a woman cabbie on the chaotic streets of New Delhi is no easy task. Yet, Shanti is a calm, confident, no-nonsense driver at Sakha Cabs—a cab service in Delhi run by women drivers. She says that standing up against the violence in her marriage has been the turning point in her life. “For years I would suffer silently as my husband beat me and abused me.”

Shanti watched the Satyamev Jayate episode on domestic violence that aired in 2012. Women from across the country talked about the torture they faced at home and their struggle. One of the guests on the show was Shanno Begum—a cab driver from Sakha Cabs. Shanti was inspired by her story. “When I saw the episode, it opened my eyes and gave me confidence to deal with the problems in my home. Today I neither suffer silently, nor do I tolerate any injustice being done,” she says.

Shanti’s story is more common than many people imagine but only a few women speak out—either out of a sense of shame, or due to lack of family support. So her decision to fight back against the abuse and build her own life proves that things and situations can indeed be changed and are being changed.