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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