“There are people who don’t understand that girls have rights. They don’t know what abuse is, and about the laws that should prevent them from doing what they do. What happened to me was bad. But I am now stronger.
“Though the man who came into my room that night is still free, I am hopeful that someday he will be in prison and pay for what he has done to me.” Julianna, 13, from the Philippines
Julianna lives with her mother Linda in San Francisco, a rural town in the south of the Philippines. Her mother earns a living for them by cooking and selling traditional snacks.
Julianna is a promising student. Her daily routine involves going to school, doing housework and selling food with her mother.
Her life took a disturbing turn when she and her mother agreed to stay in the house of some relatives during a family funeral.
One night a distant family member crept into a room where Julianna was sleeping and sexually assaulted her.
She told her mother what had happened and, although her relatives tried to dissuade her, Linda went straight to the local police.
“It was not easy for me to tell my mother,” says Julianna. “Minutes passed before I told her about the incident because I was so shocked.
“I cried at first but when my mother wondered what had happened. I slowly told her everything.
“Before that thing happened I lived a very happy life, at peace and comfortable, very close to my mother. I also integrated with a lot of people without fear, even with boys.”
The Filipino judicial system is often stacked against families from poor backgrounds.
Julianna and her mother were told that the finances were not available to help them travel to the mainland to take the perpetrator to court.
“I was disappointed when the police told us not to pursue the case. They said it was because there wasn’t enough money and I am angry at them because of their unfair treatment to the people.”
Julianna and her mother are continuing to press for justice. Local charity workers are helping her and her mother deal with the situation by providing counselling and support.
Other victims of sexual abuse have been meeting with Julianna and are helping her to see herself as a survivor.
The official system may have let Julianna down, but her family and community are helping her to overcome what has happened.
With encouragement from her mother, teachers and friends Julianna has continued to do well at school. She is now a member of a dance group and campaigns for children’s rights in her home town.
“What happened to me was bad. But I am now stronger. I am a member of a local children’s group and we talk to children about abuse and other issues.
“I also campaign for people to understand the rights of children and protect them from danger.
“Joining the children’s group was good for me. It helped me realise that I can do anything that I want to do.
“I also have my mother who is like a mother and father to me. She is my role model.”
