By Charlene | Services Director
Case Study 1: Nellie, 21 years old
Nellie, a 21-year-old domestic violence survivor contacted WAO hotline at 9.30pm on May 19th, 2020 requesting for shelter. She was afraid to return home earlier in the evening, after being forced by her family to withdraw a police report she made against her husband, for domestic abuse. After a quick assessment to get more information on the case, WAO learned that Nellie was forced by her very own family into an arranged marriage. She was married off on March 14th, 2020, just four days before the Movement Control Order (MCO) - lockdown in Malaysia - was enforced. The abuse started on the fifth day of marriage when her husband hit her on her chest with his head. It didn’t end there as the abuse only got worse.
A day before she contacted WAO, her newly-wed husband had pushed her and pinned her against a wall. He then punched her on her chest and hit her with his hand. Nellie suffered injuries to her head and chin; her hand was bleeding. Her husband threatened to hunt her down and kill her if she tried to run away from him. Fortunately Nellie found the courage to make a police report after going to stay with her cousin in another suburb the next day. She said she found it difficult to leave her abusive marriage as her family was in favour of her husband; they had, after all, arranged her marriage. She couldn’t confide in them and received no support from them either.
Three hours after returning home from her cousin’s, Nellie called WAO to say that she could not leave her abusive marriage and would be uncontactable thereafter, as it was unsafe for her to connect with us. But the following day, she called a WAO Social Worker on duty at 4pm, expressing her intention to leave that night. A safety plan was drawn up and WAO briefed her. She in turn said she would inform WAO when she found a safe time to leave that night. A WAO team on standby did not hear from Nellie that night. We could not call the police either as WAO respects a victim’s privacy and decision as they may not be ready to leave a situation yet.
On May 21st, 2020, a WAO Social Worker on-call received a message from Nellie saying she had a window of opportunity to make an escape but had to leave specifically at 3.30am. She snuck out of her flat, under the nose of her unsupportive mother who was at home. WAO made arrangements for a taxi to wait for her near her flat and ferry her to a WAO Shelter.
On arrival at the shelter around 4.30am, Nellie was seen to be unable to walk and had to be carried into the shelter. It was visible that her leg on one side was completely twisted and was swelling. When probed, she said in order to escape, she had to jump from the balcony of her flat on the first floor. Arrangements were made for Nellie to be taken to the hospital where we were informed that she required surgery having suffered multiple fractures on her four toes. She was discharged from the hospital after a few days and is in safe hands at a WAO shelter where she is cared for and is being assisted with case management.
Case Study 2: Eleana, foreign spouse, rescued by JKM
Domestic violence survivor Eleana, a foreign spouse made a crisis call to Talian Kasih and was rescued by the JKM in early September. She was referred to WAO for shelter and case management assistance. When she was referred, Eleana did not have any valid visa/pass because her husband did not apply any spousal visa for her. Without a proper documentation, she could not have access to any protection mechanisms like lodging a police report and applying for a protection order, as the client feared being detained by the police for immigration related offences.
With the assistance of WAO social workers, the survivor was able to appeal to the immigration department to allow her to remain in Malaysia for the sake of her 3 children. She may still potentially be required to pay a compound. WAO is working on an appeal to waive the compound.
With her immigration status being sorted, the client was able to lodge a police report and get an interim protection order. WAO is also actively assisting the survivor to generate some income by selling cookies that the survivor bakes. With the intervention from WAO, the client finally gained a renewed zeal to keep moving forward towards a life free from violence. She hopes to resolve her divorce, custody and immigration related matters with the assistance of WAO.
Very often, foreign spouses that suffer from domestic violence not only have to worry about their children or escaping the situation but their primary concern also becomes their immigration status as their spouses often use this to threaten them. Just like in Eleana’s case, their spouse who are also the perpetrators refuses to renew their visas making them undocumented thus fearing them to not go to any authorities. WAO focuses on ensuring even foreign spouses are protected in the Domestic Violence Act thus accompanying them to lodge a police report and getting medical check up safely. WAO also engages with the immigration on this matter and tries to support the women as much as possible to ensure she can safely return to her country with her children.
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