Unbroken: Miriam's story
Miriam* speaks with passion and eloquence, in English as well as several local languages, and when she laughs it’s hard to remember that she is a survivor of a deep trauma that has changed the trajectory of her life.
Miriam grew up in a small rural village. Her family was often hungry and couldn’t afford essentials like clothing, much less school supplies, but Miriam loved school and did all she could to go.
“People here don’t see education as important,” she explains... “Sometimes I wouldn’t go to school for a month or a week. I would stay at home with my parents as I don’t have clothes.”
It was during one of these periods of no school that Miriam changed forever. When she was 12 years old, her mother got sick and had to go to hospital, and Miriam and her siblings had to stay with their uncle. He saw them as a burden and beat them when he was angry.
And then, one day when Miriam was alone in the house, he raped her.
Miriam told her mother and father. Devastated, her mother believed her and demanded justice – but her father didn’t and was furious when her mother went to the chief. The chief also sided with the uncle, who said that Miriam had made the story up.
“So when this man defiled me, after reports to my mother, my mother called the chief, the chief came and told me I was pretending,” says Miriam. “He wasn’t concerned, he told ‘you are pretending and nothing happened there."
So Miriam and her mother went to the authorities and finally were able to report what had happened. But, at news of this, her father threw both her and her mother out of the home and their relatives turned their back on them.
Throughout all of this, Miram not only had to deal with the trauma of being raped but had to learn an awful lesson about what it’s like to be a girl in her community:
“When we speak, it’s as if no one will hear us, so we have to stay with our problems. We feel like no one is concerned, no one loves us, we feel we are nothing.”
With no way to support themselves, Miriam and her mum had to beg for somewhere to stay and food to eat. Seeing the situation, the local government child officer helped Miriam find a place in a rescue centre, which provides a home for children who cannot stay with their families, next to the local school. The rescue centre is run by the government, but World Vision’s sponsorship programme provides psychosocial and trauma recovery support to children there and helps them learn about their rights.
“Sponsorship has helped me so much,” says Miriam, “Because here we can get clothes. Here we can get uniforms. Here we feel so good because here it feels safe.”
Today, Miriam still lives in the rescue centre but also returns home to see her mother, and sometimes her father. The case against her uncle is still proceeding through the courts. But through the horrendous experience, Miriam has become a strong advocate for girls and their rights.
“Now, where I am today as a girl, I can speak. I can speak about the issue and I can help other girls,” she says. “I can see the future now because of how I have been trained and raised [at the rescue centre].”
Miriam supports other girls to stand up for their rights and dreams of one day starting her own human rights advocacy organisation.
Right now, 1000 girls like Miriam are taking a stand against the threats and barriers they face, just because they are girls. Will you stand with them? With your sponsorship gift of $xx a month, you can help a girl and her community build a future where every child lives free from fear.