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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