Sreyneang (nickname), a 21-year-old woman from the Poreang district, Prey Veng province. She is the second child in the family, with six siblings. Her family is struggling to survive and is in debt as her parents do not have steady jobs and frequently fight each other. The parents got divorced and remarried.
In 2008, when Sreyneang was about 6 years old, her family decided to migrate to work illegally in Thailand as fruit collecting workers along with other relatives. When she was 10 years old, Sreyneang started to work in Thailand with her parents to generate additional income. In 2018, she returned home with her family.
In 2018, Soeun Sinath, who knew her father, often visited her family and talked to them about high-paying job opportunities in China. This man persuaded her father to send her to work in China and promised that she could call her family at any time, and after working there for a year, she would be allowed to visit Cambodia once a year. With her parents’ consent, she decided to go to China with a broker, hoping she could help her family and her mother.
The broker has prepared everything for her. Upon her arrival in China, the brokers forced and threatened her to marry a Chinese man, and if she did not agree, she had to pay back all the money they paid to bring her to China. It was a worse situation in her life to live with that Chinese man; that is, she was not allowed to contact her family and was forced to work without pay and do all the household chores, and he was very violent towards her.
“This Chinese man always used violence against me and restricted my freedom by locking me in the house. He also forbade me to use the phone or contact my family. He forced me to work, and he got all the money. I do not know how much I was paid. I felt terrified and missed my family, especially when I was beaten and hurt. I wish I had not come and tried to find a way to escape”
After living with that Chinese man for about two years without having a child, Sreyneang reached out to another broker to find a way to return to Cambodia.
Although the broker arranged for Sreyneang to travel illegally through the Vietnam border to return home, she ended up being sold again to another Chinese man. It got worse this time. Besides often abusing her and forcing her to work for nothing, he also forced her to have sex with him all the time.
In June 2022, police arrived at her workplace, arrested her, and sent her to prison for five months as an illegal immigrant. She was sent to Cambodia by the Cambodian Embassy in China in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans, and Youth (MoSVY).
In November 2022, the MoSVY referred Sreyneang and the other two survivors to Hagar for assistance. Hagar was placed with the other two survivors to stay at “Home of Love” for urgent support, and they received a warm welcome from the generous and professional Hagar-trained foster mother.
“I thought my life is over. I lost hope and freedom, and no one cared about me. I lived in fear for over four years. I now feel safe and warmly cared for by the Home of Love Mother. She gave me what I really needed most in my life. I love her like my mother. I was so lucky to meet such a good person and the Hagar staff who supported me and encouraged me to leave the past and think about my future”
During her stay at “House of Love”, she underwent medical checkups, received nutrition, clothing, and other hygiene items; counselling; police interviews; family identification; and connected with her family. She was very happy to be back in Cambodia and felt safe to stay with her “Home of Love” mother, who gave her all her needs: love and care.
In late November 2022, after assessing her family situation in collaboration with MoSVY and local authorities, she successfully reintegrated back into her family. Sreyneang was very happy to reunite with her family and relatives. Hagar continues to support her while she is with her mother. This includes counselling and case management services, monthly food assistance, and other necessities for living.
However, things only looked good at the beginning and began getting worse. She felt that her mother did not care much for her, only for money. She did not know what to do or where to go if her mother put more pressure on her. With the support of Hagar, Sreyneang is currently employed as a service staff member at a restaurant in Phnom Penh. She feels happy and confident now that she has a job and can help her family. Her dream is to have her own business and family one day. Hagar’s staff are working with her to come up with a clear plan for achieving her dream.
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.
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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.
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.