From Adversity to Advocacy
Desi is determined to protect Heda and help make sure no other children ever live through the same horror.
Trapped at home because of her disability while her mother went out to work each day, Heda* was just nine when the first man came into the house and sexually abused her.
Today, Heda is 14 years old, but her young life has been filled with neglect, abuse, and cruelty that most would never experience.
Heda deserves to live free of fear, violence and abuse.Heda's challenges began when her mother, Desi*, noticed that something was wrong when she was just a few months old. Heda couldn't move her arms and legs or reach developmental milestones like rolling over. At the health clinic, the doctor informed Desi that there was no solution. The realisation was devastating for Desi, as she understood that their lives in a small, makeshift home in a village with limited resources would be a constant struggle for Heda and their family. An angered Desi’s husband left her and Heda behind, and even Desi’s family stopped visiting them.
Desi had to face the situation alone. She needed to work to provide food, so she took up laborious jobs involving loading and unloading construction materials from trucks. However, this meant leaving Heda alone at home. For five hours every day, Heda had to wait in the house with nothing to do until her mother returned.
Desi worried about Heda being lonely and uncared for all day. But she had never dreamed of the much darker danger her daughter faced.
Heda was just nine when the first man came into the house and sexually abused her. In the following weeks, another four men did the same. After the fifth time it happened, she clung to her mother who was leaving for work, crying and shrieking that she didn’t want to live there anymore. In horror, Desi discovered what had happened.
“She didn’t dare to tell me straight away out of fear,” Desi weeps.
Together, we are changing the world that Heda lives in.Desi knew World Vision was working in their community so she sought for help.
“The community volunteer reported there was a child who had been sexually abused. It made my heart so sad,” remembers Frengky Toga, World Vision’s Sponsorship Officer. “We immediately visited her house and helped her to report what [had happened] to the police.”
The police interviewed Heda and took a statement from Desi. A medical examination proved Heda had been abused and the police sent a formal request for the accused men to attend an interview. But the accused ignored the letter, and the police dropped the case. Desi was devastated, yet there was nothing she could do.
But Desi and Heda were not alone. World Vision connected them with government services that can help Desi to meet Heda’s needs, build a safer house, and tap into new income-earning opportunities. A local government agency continues to closely monitor Heda’s situation and works with World Vision to ensure she is cared for.
Desi is determined to protect Heda and prevent other children from enduring similar horrors. “Because of what happened, I have a passion to protect my child and also other children.”
She joined forces with World Vision to raise awareness among community leaders about the dangers faced by children in their own neighbourhood. They aim to build a stronger community that protects children and understands their rights. These efforts are gradually changing societal attitudes towards children, fostering equality and protection for girls, boys, and children of all abilities.
Changing social norms takes time. But together, we are empowering girls like Heda to shatter the cycle of violence and create a brighter future for themselves and future generations. Join the movement to sponsor a girl by 11 October, the International Day of the Girl.
*Names are changed to protect the identity
