Gender Equality Cambodia Project #5863

Healing for Victims of Assault and Trafficking

by Lotus Outreach

Project Report | Aug 21, 2023
Pov's Story CW: Sexual Assault

By Raksmey Var | Country Representative

CW: Sexual Assualt, Domestic Violence

CTC provides residential housing, counseling and support, legal assistance and eventual reintegration services to female survivors who have experienced domestic violence, trafficking, sexual abuse or exploitation. The program works to ensure the wellbeing of survivors as they heal and process their experiences, and eventually reintegrate back into their communities.

Providing individual counseling sessions and facilitating group discussions and activities to empower young survivors of physical, sexual and/or psychological violence (including battery and rape, incest, sexual exploitation and sexual harassment) to process their traumas, regain confidence and find their sense of self;
Enabling women and girl survivors to shed their sense of shame and guilt, often related to abuse and sexual exploitation in Cambodia, and to clearly see themselves as survivors, not victims.
Offering legal support to survivors who are pressing charges against the abusers.
Facilitating the return of female survivors and their relatives to their home communities or other places they choose to go through community and family assessment, reintegration and follow-up visit.

Pov is one of CTC's most recent clients. Her story contains sexual assault and physical violence.

Pov is 14 years old, studying in the 7th grade. She is the second child of 4 siblings. Her parents separated in 2020, and Pov and her siblings stayed with their mother, but in 2021, her mother decided to go to Thailand for work and the 4 siblings went to live with their father. At first things were okay, Pov was enrolled in school and doing well. But then Pov noticed her father changing, and he frequently cursed her and her siblings.

One night, Pov had returned from a visit with her relatives, when her father asked her to sleep with him. She said no, after which he beat her and proceeded to rape her. He threatened to murder her if she told anybody. She remained silent and continued to live with her father and siblings.

In 2022, Pov's father sold his house and they all moved into a rented room. One day, Pov returned from school and again her father asked her to sleep with him, but she declined, he twisted her arm but nothing more. Some time later, she was getting ready for school when her father approached, ripped off her clothing and raped her again.

After getting back from her job in Thailand, Pov's mother contacted her younger siblings and invited them to come see her at their uncle’s house. At this time, their mother inquired as to whether their father had ever hit them. Her brother said not only did he hit them but he had also raped Pov. Her mother immediately called to ask Pov if she had been sexually assaulted by the father. Pov told her mother what had happened and was taken to the Police Station to lodge a report. After questioning her, the police detained her father and handed him over to the Police so they could file charges against him.

Pov was sent to the Hospital for a forensic exam after which the Department of Social Affairs referred her to our Safe Shelter to receive support and further legal assistance. After the consultation, Pov asked to return home and wait for the court proceedings. The CTC is in close contact with her to provide emotional and mental support, as well as legal counseling until her case is resolved. Thank you for supporting CTC to provide crucial support and resources for survivors of violence and abuse.

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Mar 7, 2023
KL's Story

By Raksmey Var | Country Representative

*CW: Sexual Assault

KL is 14 years old, she is the only child of divorced parents. When she was 3, her mother migrated to Thailand and left KL with her grandparents.

KL recently became the survivor of sexual assault. The perpetrator contacted her on a messaging app where he invited her out to his younger sister’s birthday party. When KL arrived at the party, she realized there was no birthday celebration and she was alone with a stranger. He raped her and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.

Her grandparents didn't know she went out at night. In the morning, they went to her room but she was not there, so they asked the police to search for her. In the afternoon of the same day, the police found her in a house with the perpetrator, who was arrested immediately.

The following day, KL was referred by the Department of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation to the CTC safe shelter and she decided to stay at the safe shelter. Legal staff at CTC gave her legal counseling and support to file the formal court complaint.

After settling in, KL was quite sad, she was worried she would be pregnant. Over some weeks, the counselor built a good relationship with her. Aside from individual counseling, residents of the shelter also participate in group meetings and discussions, workshops, sewing classes, and cooking classes.

With active support from our legal staff, KL's court case resulted in the conviction of the perpetrator, who was sentenced to prison for 7 years, and ordered to pay restitution to KL. Some time after the court case, the reintegration staff conducted a family assessment and KL was reintegrated to live with her grandparents. KL says with the restitution money, she wants to go to beauty school. “My dream is to open a beauty salon shop because I want to earn money to take care of my family members who have been working so hard to take care of me,” said KL.

Thank you for supporting CTC, a crucial resource for survivors of sexual assault and violence.

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Nov 8, 2022
CTC Update: TS' Story

By Glenn Fawcett | Executive Director

Lotus Outreach has supported the Consoling Through Counseling (CTC) program including reintegration and legal services for 18 years. CTC continues to be an essential service, providing a range of residential shelter-based services, including one-to-one counseling, social reintegration and legal support.

During the past year, our legal department has dealt with ninety-six cases. Services include the initial documentation of case details for use in the court along with assistance filing administrative documents and referral to the free services of government appointed lawyers. Children (under 18) continue to be the most prevalent cases of survivors of sexual abuse registered at the shelter and the provision of legal services ensures almost 100% of perpetrators end up behind bars for at least seven and up to 15 years, depending on the circumstances of the case.

16 year old TS* was raped by her step brother and admitted to the confidential shelter in January 2022 where she was provided counseling, psychological and support to pursue legal action through CTC. Her counseling journey has been extremely positive and she is now enrolled as a beauty salon skills trainee, one of two or three Lotus Outreach supports every year through CTC. This is her story:

TS was an orphan and lived with her adopted mother since she was a baby. However, after reaching 8th grade and her adopted mother could not afford to support her and she was given up for adoption again. She was adopted by a family in a municipality not far from her first home.

In 2021, TS was staying with her second adopted mother’s family when her adopted mother’s son forced himself on TS and raped her. When she tried to tell the family what had happened they ignored her. She then told her first adopted mother who immediately reported the rape to the police and the son was arrested.

TS was referred by provincial police Commissariat to the Cambodian Women’s Crisis Centre confidential shelter for services support. She was provided legal assistance and counselling support to file a complaint and establish a court case through our legal assistance facilitation department, after which she decided to stay on as a resident at the CWCC safe shelter.

Her counsellor, Sokni, told us at first TS felt uncomfortable staying in the shelter and was uneasy communicating with other clients, preferring to stay alone and quiet. After several individual counselling sessions, she began to feel better, she joined small group counselling and her relationship with the other clients improved.

After almost 10 months, her court case was closed and the perpetrator was sentenced to prison for seven years.

TS began an LO supported skills training internship in early October. We met her at the Beauty Salon skills training salon for a short interview. TS told us;

“I feel very happy and excited because this is what I have always dreamed of. I have an aunt who is running a salon at Poi Pet. After the training here, I can work for her to get some experience and then I want to open my own salon so I can earn a living using my professional skill.”

TS was happy we were interested in her story and thankful for the opportunity to learn beauty skills. Her tutor told us she was a fast learner and would make an excellent beauty consultant.

Thank you for your support.

*TS is a name given by the author to protect the identity of subject.

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