Kanitha is 17 years old and was born in Cambodia. When she was very young her parents got a divorce and Kanitha moved between Thailand and Cambodia with her mother as her mother looked for work to support them.
During one of their stays in Thailand, Kanitha’s mother met her stepfather. Kanitha’s mother hoped that she could rely on him but sadly, this was not the case. Her new husband was an abusive alcoholic who was aggressive and violent towards Kanitha and her mother.
The violence got even worse as time went on and Kanitha’s stepfather tried to rape her. Kanitha’s mother decided to send Kanitha to live with her aunty in their hometown of Battambang in Cambodia. However, not long after her arrival, Kanitha’s uncle tried to rape her as well.
This time, the attempted rape was reported to the local authorities but Kanitha decided not to lay a formal complaint against her uncle. This is when the Commune Committee for Women and Children (CCWC) and Banteay Srei Organisation referred Kanitha to Hagar.
The first thing Hagar staff did was find Kanitha somewhere safe to stay. There were still concerns about Kanitha’s safety and her family didn’t want her around so Hagar organised for Kanitha to be placed in a loving foster family.
While living with this foster family, Kanitha felt safe and received counselling, medical care, case management and food from Hagar. Kanitha loved her new community and learnt a lot from her foster family.
After Kanitha had been with her foster family for just over a year, her biological mother received help from Hagar to build a house and moved back to Battambang to start a small business. Hagar’s case management team decided that it was time to reintegrate Kanitha back into living with her mother and worked with both Kanitha and her mother to make sure they had all the support they needed. Now, Kanitha and her mother are happy to have a warm and safe house.
Kanitha now lives a life full of freedom and independence. She loves school and gets good grades and has big dreams for her future.
“I have a dream to become a teacher in the future so that I can educate the young children in my community,” Kanitha shares.
Kanitha is truly an example of what the long-term love and support of Hagar donors and staff can achieve in a person’s life. Together, we have seen transformation!
Hagar pursues the highest degree of care and protection for each of its clients. To protect the identity of our clients, names have been changed and images do not necessarily represent the individual profiled.
Help us transform lives
Donate now
By partnering with Hagar, you’re supporting survivors to heal from the trauma of severe abuse. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.
Help us transform lives
Donate now
By partnering with Hagar, you’re supporting survivors to heal from the trauma of severe abuse. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.
Help us transform lives
Donate now
By partnering with Hagar, you’re supporting survivors to heal from the trauma of severe abuse. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.
