Indonesian singer, actress and author Tiga Setia Gara is asking for help in a viral video where she claims she is on the run from her abusive American husband.
The artist claimed her American husband, James Aaron Tolley, had abused her on several occasions. Tiga had to go through a surgical procedure after one of his assaults, according to the viral video translated by Coconuts Jakarta.
āTo all Indonesians, I want to be honest with you all. The reason why I have a limp is because James (her husband) kicked me in the knee which destroyed my knee, and thatās why I had an operation,ā she said in her video initially posted on Instagram, but has since been removed. āI kept it in, I lied to my lawyer, doctors, because I was protecting my man. I donāt want him to be jailed.ā
On August 29, Tiga posted a picture of herself after going through an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) surgery. She reportedly never mentioned anything regarding the domestic abuse in her post.
The couple allegedly had another fight recently, but after calling 911, the police did not help her and instead blamed her for being an Asian immigrant.
āAnd now we had another fight and he almost hit me. Thatās why I called 911. But you know what happened? Police said it was my fault because Iām an immigrant; Iām Asian. Because I looked dramatic, even though I showed them photos of my injuries,ā she said.
Tiga has lived in the U.S. after marrying her husband last year. Her Instagram account is filled with depictions of a happy married life, but after revealing the domestic abuse sheās been through, the artist expressed she wants to leave the U.S. and move back to Indonesia.
Fortunately, the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago (KJRI Chicago) posted that they managed to get in touch with Tiga, who is currently staying in Dayton, Ohio.
The KJRI urged Tiga to reach out to a domestic violence center. The consulate also added it will give further assistance to the artist to get her out of her current predicament and will help notify authorities to do their part in keeping her safe.
Many people might not know this, but despite our large and loyal following which we are immensely grateful for, NextShark is still a small bootstrapped startup that runs on no outside funding or loans.
Everything you see today is built on the backs of warriors who have sacrificed opportunities to help give Asians all over the world a bigger voice.
However, we still face many trials and tribulations in our industry, from figuring out the most sustainable business model for independent media companies to facing the current COVID-19 pandemic decimating advertising revenues across the board.
We hope you consider making a contribution so we can continue to provide you with quality content that informs, educates and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way.Ā Thank you for everyone's support. We love you all and can't appreciate you guys enough.
