Burundi
Sophia's story
Sophia (fictitious name due to privacy reasons) is a cheerful girl who joined Restavek Freedom at the age of 10. Before this, she had never gone to school. She was sent by her mother to a woman with children to do housework. Sophia does not remember how old she was then. Her mother is mentally weak and her father did not want to take care of her. Everything that went wrong in her new home was always her fault. A mistake for which she had to pay with physical violence. In addition, the neighbour sexually abused her. At one point, she was beaten so badly that she fled to a school headmaster nearby. He made sure she ended up at Restavek Freedom.
Sophia is now 17 years old. She was elected leader of her class last year. She is good at this job. Soon she may represent Haiti in Boston, at an international conference on women's rights. However, she will always carry her past with her. She regularly suffers from depressive thoughts and also longs for her father's love. However, he has no desire for contact. Sophia wants to become a businesswoman so that she can also do something financially for the foundation that has helped her so much.
