Healing with hope
A young survivor reclaims her future
At 13, most teenagers are in school, laughing with friends and dreaming of the future.
But Samira* had a different reality.
At 13, she became a child survivor of sexual abuse in her hometown of Marawi. At 14, she gave birth to a child.
Aisha, a social welfare officer from the City Social Welfare and Development Office of Marawi, handled Samira’s case. She remembers the first time they met: Samira had no idea what was happening to her body.
“She kept asking me, ‘Bakit lumalaki ang tiyan ko? May sakit ba ako? Ano ang mangyayari sa akin?‘“ [‘Why is my tummy growing? Am I sick? What is going to happen to me?’”] recalls Aisha.
Samira was one of nine children1 in Marawi who bravely reported abuse to the social welfare office in 2023. Many more cases of violence against children, such as rape, physical violence and sexual assault, are believed to be unreported.
“We’ve seen a rise in reports. And while that might sound alarming, it’s indeed a good sign,” Aisha explains. “It shows that our advocacy work at the barangay level is helping more people understand gender-based violence, how to report it and why speaking up matters.”
Since joining the social welfare office in 2016, Aisha has witnessed how stigma discourages survivors from coming forward.
“May mga taong nagsasabi ng, ‘Kasalanan ng babae,’ at ang ganitong klase ng panghuhusga ang naghihinto sa ibang biktima na lumapit,” [“People say things like, ‘It’s the girl’s fault,’ and that blame keeps others silent,”] she says.
When Samira and her aunt arrived at the social welfare office with medical records in hand, Aisha knew they were determined to secure justice for Samira and her child.
Aside from helping her prepare for the case, Aisha was determined to support Samira. She enrolled Samira in the DAKILA Program2, a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Social Services and Development that provides qualified solo parents with a monthly subsidy of ₱1,000 (US$ 18), along with other benefits such as health insurance, groceries, and priority access to capacity-building and mental health support services.
Aisha credits the training she received from UNICEF, which was funded by the European Union, for giving her the tools and confidence to support Samira. She was among the first batch to complete the Specialised Training Course on Child Protection and Case Management, an intensive, three-week course for social workers handling cases of violence against children.
“I learned a lot. But the most useful part, which I get to apply every day, is case management. It taught me how to tailor interventions to meet the unique needs of each child,” says Aisha.
Together with her child, Samira now lives with her aunt, Naima*, in a municipality far from Marawi. Naima serves both as a guardian to Samira and as the primary caregiver to her child, who has recently taken his first steps. Samira has gone back to school, and has returned to helping her cousin sell ginger and sibujing (a native shallot-like vegetable) in the market on weekends.
“Gusto kong makatapos ng pag-aaral at maging isang nars para maibalik ko ang kabutihan na ipinakita sa akin ng aking auntie, mga magulang at lahat ng sumuporta sa akin,” [“I want to finish school and become a nurse, so I can give back to my aunt, to my parents and to everyone who supported me,”] says Samira.
“We may not fully understand the long-term impact yet, but what we know is that we are now well-equipped to provide the best stream of support for her,” Aisha says. “I just hope that more social workers can access the same quality training I did— because it truly makes a difference.”
*Names have been changed to protect identities.
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN UNION-UNICEF PROJECT
With funding from the European Union, UNICEF is working with key agencies and ministries in the BARMM to strengthen community resilience, increase coverage of essential services, and promote child-friendly family and community behaviours in the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and Bukidnon. The project supports maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health, nutrition, water, and sanitation services; early childhood education and basic education services; child protection/social welfare systems; and child-friendly provincial and municipal planning and investment for children’s rights and reduced disaster risks.
UNICEF supports the delivery of the Specialised Training Course on Child Protection and Case Management, which aims to equip registered social workers involved in child protection and gender-based violence work with the knowledge and skills required to effectively deliver protection services in diverse settings and adapted to the context of BARMM. This project is part of the European Union’s long-term support to building lasting peace and promoting inclusive development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
