By Jennifer Valliant | Communications Specialist
Sophea was born into an abusive family. Her mother was violently abusive and her father was passive. Perhaps thinking he was saving her, Sophea’s father sold her to a family friend when she was four years old. Sophea says, “If my father thought he’d saved me from cruelty, he was wrong. The woman who took me was even more cruel than my mother…I was not allowed to go anywhere and didn’t have enough food to eat…I tried to run away from her many times but each time she would catch me, beat me up and bring me back to her house.” Sophea was then sold as slave labor from one family to the next for many years. One day a man came to the house she was in and talked about a dormitory 10 kilometers away and invited her to live and study there. Sophea explains, “I didn’t dare say anything, but in my heart I was planning a way to escape and go to this dormitory. That night, I stole one of the children’s bicycles and cycled as fast as I could.” As it got later in the night, a group of people told her that it was too late for someone her age to be out alone. The group contacted the village chief who allowed her to stay at his house. The family she ran from found Sophea and wanted to take her back but the village chief refused because he knew they were abusive towards her. A few weeks passed and the village chief was able to contact someone from Hagar. Sophea arrived to Hagar soon afterwards.
Sophea was never allowed to go to school though she desired to learn. Since escaping the family who enslaved her and coming to Hagar, she embraced the opportunity to start school. Commune Chief Chhun says, “She’s a successful student and I’m so happy to hear that she’s giving back to the community, helping empower girls like that little girl, hurt and abused, that she used to be.”Sophea started her senior year in University back in September of 2016. She has tried to volunteer to help in community outreach-helping disadvantaged children in the villages. Sophea says, “My passion to help girls like me has become stronger…I dream of opening up a shelter for girls who experienced abuse, like me.”
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