Shelter for child survivors of abuse in Malaysia

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.