Child Protection Malaysia Project #22947

Shelter for child survivors of abuse in Malaysia

by Women's Aid Organisation (WAO)

Project Report | Sep 12, 2017
Survivor Story: Nani

By Sagita Paramalingam | Projects Officer

Sessions

Suvivor Story: Nani

Nani was 16 years old when she followed her sister, who was her sole caregiver and who was a survivor of domestic violence, and sought assistance from WAO. Like many girls at her age, Nani appeared to be a circumstances of violence coming from a family where relationships were broken and domestic violence was rampant. However, after weeks of admission in WAO's refuge, and through Play Therapy and counseling, social workers realized that Nani carried a past which was darker than she had revealed initially.

After weeks of building rapport, Nani revealed that she too had endured violence from her abusive brother in-law whom she lived with. Besides the physical violence, whenever he was not satisfied with the chores which she had performed at home, she was also sexually abused by him, and raped repeatedly without ever telling her sister about her experiences. During the course of her abuse, she was frequently locked up and denied food when she refused to succumb to his sexual advances. Nani managed to escape one fine day and ran to her mother's house ( her mother had separated from her father). She then reached out to her sister and they managed to escape together to seek help from WAO.

Throughout her stay at WAO, Nani was assisted by WAO social workers in following up with her police case, where WAO advocated and ensured the case was managed with due diligence, and that resulted her perpetrator to be charged and found guilty and subsequently imprisoned. WAO also ensured that Nani's psychological needs were seen to especially during the difficult period of having to undergo invasive medical screenings to document the rape and sexual assaults she had experienced. As expected, children who experience what Nani experienced often undergo bouts of grief, anger, loneliness and suicidal tendencies.

With WAO's assistance, Nani was encouraged to continuously attend counseling sessions to help her deal with PTSD of being a victim of sexual abuse at such a tender age. When Nani's sister checked out of WAO's refuge, she was then offered a place in our Child Care Center (CCC) to ensure her continued needs were taken care of and that she had a healthy and better environment to study and live a new life. Nani lived in the CCC for two years, completed her secondary education and managed to pass her exams which enabled her to be enrolled in a higher institution despite all the hurdles and challenges she had to go through. WAO is so proud of Nani because she has managed to put all her challenges aside and strive to be the best that she can be.

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Jun 12, 2017
Don't Worry Mommy, I Will Shine.

By Sagita Paramalingam | Project/Fundraising Officer

My future will be bright

Aiman, 12 is the second child out of four siblings who grew up in a domestic violent home. His sisters would often seek him for comfort and security as they have never had a proper male figure in their lives. Their mother was in an abusive relationship for 10 years until she decided to escape with her children, when the abuse became intolerable. She sought help from Women’s Aid Organisation’s for a safe sanctuary for her children and her and stayed in the WAO's women's Refuge. Her children did not attend formal school at the time of the escape for a few months, as their safety was compromised because of the perpetrator.

The children received home-schooling and tuition classes in the shelter to keep them on track academically. Out of the four siblings, Aiman was a very timid boy who suffered severe social anxiety. He would always isolate himself, rarely spoke to the other children but he was a very kind and helpful boy.

After a few months, when Aiman’s mother was ready to leave the Refuge and get back on her two feet, she placed her children in WAO’s Child Care Centre (CCC) till she was financially independent to support her four children outside the shelter. She would often visit her children and bring them home for the school holidays and Malaysian festive holidays. When Aiman first came to the CCC, he was shy and did not perform so well academically in school. He knew he had his UPSR examinations at the end of the year, but he was struggling socially and academically because of the trauma of his past.

As the months past, Aiman never gave up and kept attending extra-curricular activities in school, as well as additional tuition classes to improve his grades before his examinations. He started to interact more with the interns and volunteers who would come to the CCC, and that made him improve his social skills and build confidence.

Today, Aiman who was once a shy and socially anxious young boy has transformed into an active rugby player in school. He is much more outspoken, confident and interacts more with the other children in the CCC. To top it all off, he is a top student in his class in the subject of Science and Mathematics. We are so grateful to have cross paths with a young boy like Aiman, because he reminds us all that no matter what the circumstance or the background, there is always hope for a brighter future.

*Name has been changed to protect identity of the survivor.

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Mar 14, 2017
Moving On

By Sagita Paramalingam | Project Officer

Moving on

The Child Care Centre (CCC) was struck by fire in November last year. On the day itself, the neighbours surrounding the CCC were so helpful and lent a helping hand. They provided the thirteen children and two child minders blankets, clothes and food. They even discussed of where to house these children as the CCC was burnt.

A collective decision was made to house the children and the child minders temporarily at the Refuge. Though they had a roof over their heads and beds to rest, the children were still strongly affected by the tragedy that nearly took their lives. Play therapy which takes place frequently for the children was put on hold because all the items were destroyed in the fire and there was not enough space in the Refuge for it to be carried out. Play therapy was crucial at this moment to these kids because it would be therapeutic and also help them momentarily forget about the tragic incident. The staff tried their best to normalize the children’s lives at the shelter but adapting to a new environment was difficult after such a traumatizing incident.

Moving into the new home

We found a new temporary home for the CCC. The process of acquiring the permit took some time as we had to deal with the town council for approval and also getting consent from the neighbours to join their residential community. The process took roughly two months.

The public and other organizations were very generous and accommodating when they found out about the tragedy that struck the CCC. We received a lot of in kind donations in the form of clothes, food and even furniture. There was not enough space to store all the items. Therefore, we opted for a rented storage facility to temporarily keep all the donations that would be later moved to the new temporary CCC. The children were anticipating the move to the new home.

On the bright side, the previous Child Care Centre will be rebuilt as a part of a corporate social responsibility project led by The Real Estate and Housing Developers Association (REHDA). The new plan of the CCC will have a larger compound which will incorporate a counselling room, play terrace, library, rooms for the child minders and other therapeutic sections such as a herb garden.

We are very excited with this project that has brought people of the same interest to make a difference in these children’s lives. Now, the children from the CCC can go back to normalcy and lead their lives in hope of a better future.

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