“Every girl we support has different emotional and psychological needs”
Local officials and Chariya’s family signing off on her completion of the Dream Home programme
The Hope for Justice team in Cambodia have been celebrating reintegration with Chariya*, who has gone back to her family and will live within her community.
The staff gathered the whole team and the other girls at Dream Home to celebrate her success, and to wish her the best for her future.
Everyone at Hope for Justice is so happy that she has now got a job, has learned skills she can use to support herself, and feels responsible for her own work and study – which she had never been able to do when she first came into our programme.
Dream Home Therapist Lim Phanna said: “Every girl we support has different emotional and psychological needs, which need tailored and personalised methods to help them.”
Dream Home is a restorative care facility that provides a home and aftercare programme for teenage girls rescued from sex trafficking. More than 100 survivors have already been given the chance of a brighter future.
Chariya’s room when she is living and working at her new job in the city
When we took her home, we saw that her family was happy to welcome her back and they felt really proud to see her growth and the skills she has learned, which she can now use to support herself and her family as well. Her family, in turn, understand the need to encourage and support her as she goes forward into a new life with hope and ambition.
Chariya used to have a hot temper – but after spending some time in the Hope for Justice programme, she’s learned how to manage her emotions.
It’s such a change from when she arrived with us – her anger issues and trauma from her trafficking experiences meant she was disrespectful and rude to staff, and was not interested in staying in the programme.
But with our careful and caring support, she overcame that negativity. After 17 months with us, she is a more positive and reflective person, who thinks about other people and solves problem in a peaceful way. We are confident that she can overcome the challenges that can trigger issues with her mental health. She has also now completed her vocational training, and is looking forward to a career in the beauty industry, working in salons.
Yun Navy, Case Management Supervisor at Dream Home, said: “Chariya’s success is a good example to the other girls who have been living with her and think of her as a role model. This will make them work harder to succeed themselves.”
At Dream Home, all the survivors have a counsellor or therapist who helps them and encourages them every step on the journey to restoration. Find out more about Dream Home by clicking here.
*Name changed to protect identity
