Refuge for abused women in Malaysia

Seema is a 33 year old Malaysian woman who came to WAO in July 2017 due to being abused physically, psychologically and socially by her husband for past 13 years. Seema has been educated up to secondary level and has working experience in a factory. While working with heavy machinery in the factory previously, Seema lost two fingers in a work accident and since then her husband had not allowed her to go back to work. She has four beautiful children who have been brought up in such a violent household. Her children would often mimic the father's violent actions onto each other. They would even hit other kids until someone got injured. 

Seema says she finds great difficulty with her children because they are fast learners and they have picked up the father's violent behavior assuming it is normal and have started either hurting each other or others at school. She has been too afraid to leave her abusive husband because of the fear that he may find them and abuse her and her children more. One day, her husband and her had a heated arguement while the children were in school. The arguement turned physically abusive when her husband took a helmet and started beating her with it. He beat her up so severely, that she even broke her jaw. He then asked her to go to the hospital by herself on that day and report it as a motorcycle accident.

While the doctor was examining her, he realised that her bruises did not look like a motorcycle accident, but instead physical abuse. After much interrogation, she admitted what happened and the hospital called WAO for assistance. Our social worker managed to go to the hospital and take Seema to our women's Refuge for shelter. On that same day, the children's school was transferred, because Seema was in fear that the husband may kidnap the children from school. 

Currently, the four children are attending a different school and receiving shelter from the Child Care Centre (CCC). Seema has managed to find a job as a retail salesperson in a boutique. Seema has left the women's Refuge but has managed to find accomodation close to the CCC where her children are. She often visits her children and take them out on weekends and school holidays. Her children are receiving Play Therapy from WAO.

Seema is so relived that she sought help from WAO and managed to find a safe space for her and her children. Though she endured such severe abuse, she found the courage to empower herself by leaving her abusive husband after 13 years. WAO will continue to support her psychosocial well being by giving her counselling and supporting her children in the CCC while her court case is still going on.