Rebuilding Home
Clau grew up in a quiet rural town, raised by her maternal grandparents. She had never met her father, and her mother worked far away in Manila as a factory worker. When her mother finally returned home, Clau hoped it would be the start of a closer bond. But financial struggles forced her mother to leave again, this time for another province.
As the years passed, Clau came to know her mother only through the support she sent from afar, not through the warmth and presence she longed for. That distance left an emptiness in her heart, a gap she didn’t know how to fill.
Then one day, a distant relative reached out to her on social media. Believing she was safe because they were family, Clau let her guard down. What began as friendly conversations turned into manipulation and abuse, shattering the stability she once knew.
Hope and Healing
Her rescue came through the coordinated efforts of authorities. She was placed in a DSWD shelter, where she stayed for four months. At first, Clau felt lost and uncertain about who she was. But in the safety of the shelter, she began to reflect. Slowly, she realized that despite the distance, her mother and grandparents had always loved her, and that she was not alone in her journey toward healing.
Though her score in the Psychosocial Trauma Assessment Questionnaire (PTAQ) was below the trauma threshold, Clau continued to attend HILOM (healing) sessions. These sessions helped her process her pain, taught her healthy ways to cope, and reminded her of her worth.
When her case was brought before the Regional Trial Court (RTC), the perpetrator was sentenced to seven years in prison. It was not as long as her family had hoped for, but to them, it was still justice, seven years for the life he tried to steal from her.
A Life Changing Descision
After Clau returned home, her mother made a life-changing decision: she would no longer leave for work. Instead, she stayed to care for Clau full-time, running a small sari-sari store to provide for their needs. For the first time, Clau had both the physical closeness and the emotional support she had longed for. And as Clau continues to heal, her life stands as a powerful reminder: no matter how deep the wounds of exploitation, love and hope can restore what was broken, and rebuild a home stronger than before.
Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Today, Clau’s story is more than survival—it is a story of hope, resilience, and the healing power of family. What once tore them apart has now become the reason they hold on even tighter to each other. Together, they are building a future that no one can take away.
For more than 20 years, WHI Philippines has cared for survivors of trafficking and abuse as well as working to prevent it from happening in the first place. Led by an all-Filipino team of experts in trafficking prevention and trauma-informed survivor care, WHI Philippines is a trusted organization that has received national recognition for its work. Give today to this life-saving work.