Proud to Be a Girl: Empowering Girls in Cambodia

Malis is eleven, and loves playing with her friends in their village. Her community is close knit, with neighbours dropping by often. Unfortunately, an older family member took advantage of this when Malis was nine and sexually assaulted her. Malis was referred to Hagar by local authorities, and that’s when our legal and protection officer Sotheary was brought into her life. Sotheary worked closely with Malis to prepare her for court, showing her Hagar’s children’s book about what things would be like and talking her through exactly what she could expect. Sotheary also worked alongside her parents to ensure they had the tools they needed to support her.

After months of waiting, the time came to go to trial. Hagar took care of the practical side of things, organizing transport and snacks for Malis and her parents. When Malis’ perpetrator spoke in court, Sotheary placed a screen in front of him so that she did not have to be retraumatised by seeing him. Malis was afraid when it was her turn to speak, “I was scared, and my heart was beating so fast, and it was hard to breathe,” but she stepped forward and spoke anyway. Malis made it through the day in court and was proud of herself for how strong she was.

A month after the trial, Malis’ counsellor travelled to her province to let her know that her perpetrator had been sentenced to seven years in jail. Malis was so happy, knowing that she didn’t need to fear him any longer because he could not reach her. She says, “I don’t need to worry anymore, I know the perpetrator is in jail.”

Malis journey with Hagar is not only helping her to heal from the trauma of her past but has inspired her for her future. Malis wants to work for an NGO and wants to be just like Sotheary in helping advocate for survivors of abuse