MELAI stood before hundreds of listeners, her voice shaking with emotion. She wasn’t just delivering a speech; she was breaking a lifetime of silence.
“For all the women who are here, I hope you’re all listening to my testimony,” she said.
Melai’s story is a testament to the resilience of women who have survived violence. Speaking at the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) 18-day campaign against Violence Against Women (VAW), she shared a past defined by pain, but reclaimed through hope and forgiveness.
Poverty forced Melai to live with foster parents at a young age, marking the start of a harrowing journey. At just seven years old, she was sexually abused by two men who threatened to kill her parents if she spoke out.
The trauma lingered, yet she found solace in laughter and perseverance. She eventually graduated college and started a family, hoping for a fresh start.
However, her struggles didn’t end there. Her partner became abusive, and tragedy struck when she lost a child to sickness.
“I thought I had no purpose in this world,” she said, tears streaming down her face.
But Melai refused to give up.
She sought help from a social worker and found support at the Regional Haven for Women. That decision changed the trajectory of her life. Today, she is a medical biller, a bookkeeping graduate, and a fierce advocate for women’s rights.
“If you’re abused, speak up. Go to agencies, ask for help, have your mental health checked,” Melai urged. Her message was clear: silence only makes it worse.
