(The names used in this case study are not real to protect confidentiality)

This is one of the successful stories of providing legal assistance to sexual violence survivors. We are proud of our civil society organization partners, ALFeLA, who have courageously carried out this critical responsibility, ensuring that no one is left behind in their access to justice.

Marta, 8, and her sister Matilde, 10, share a sibling relationship. Jose, 24 years old, works as a kiosk vendor, is married with six children, and their neighbor.

On June 1, 2022, Marta told her mother, Ana, about Jose’s sexual violence. Ana was shocked to hear Marta’s statement, and informed Marta's father, Rui, about it. When Matilde, Marta's sister, heard her testimony, she told her mother that she had a similar incident with Jose.

Based on the statements from Marta and Matilde, Ana represented her daughters by filing a report with the PNTL’s Vulnerable Persons Unit (VPU) to initiate legal proceedings. The VPU Police promptly referred Marta and Matilde to PRADET for a medical examination, while Asisténsia Legál ba Feto no Labarik (ALFeLa) immediately provided legal assistance to Marta, Matilde, and their parents. All of this effort is made possible by the support provided by the Together for Equality project funded by KOICA. Following the prosecutor's approval, ALFeLa accompanied Marta and Matilde throughout the investigation, and the court allowed Marta to provide a pre-trial statement (a memory declaration for future reference). During the trial, the court confirmed the children’s statements as they had initially revealed with their mother, prosecutor, and ALFeLa.

Finally, the court accepted Marta and Matilde’s testimonies as well as the results of the medical examination, which significantly reinforced Marta and Matilde’s statements and supported the court’s ruling. This multisectoral approach is the culmination of efforts to improve the justice sector’s ability to meet the needs of gender-based violence survivors. Ultimately, the court sentenced Jose to 14 years in prison and ordered him to pay civil damages to Marta and Matilde.

Marta and Matilde's parents expressed to ALFeLa, “Throughout this, we have not harbored anger toward one another, but the court’s decision is just for us and our children, including for him (Jose), as it allows him the opportunity to change his behavior.”

In this case, the presiding judge personally visited ALFeLa’s office, seeking to create collaborative working relationships with ALFeLa and have a better understanding of the referral network services to provide maximum support for victims. The presiding judge and ALFeLa collaborated on an advocacy letter to the President of the Republic, requesting moral support to increase victims' sense of solidarity and make them feel less alone in their fight.

This gesture made the victims and their families feel deeply grateful to ALFeLa, the presiding judge, and PRADET for their responsiveness to the issue. Received assistance as a result of the Together for Equality project's efforts to help service providers effectively respond to gender-based violence.

This is just one of many examples of how our work in GBV prevention and response helped to save the lives of survivors and their families. We are proud of our work, and we feel that it has an impact on individuals and communities.