“I am a survivor,” Sisilia Labarohima said.
You don’t mind sharing?
“No. I know this will help other women to become stronger. Women who need support.”
So the story from Sissy started. In 2000 she got married with a police officer – let’s just call him, Fulan. The sweet moments lasted only for two months. After that, the husband apparently was pretty abusive. Slap, hit, punch were the daily menu.
Material sustenance was nil. Sissy had to sustain herself by becoming a wedding singer from one reception to another. Her voice is superb. Luckily, she had endless bookings.
Slap – hit – punch continued. “For ten years I had been very patient. I felt sorry for my only child.”
Eventually, her patience ran dry. In 2010, Sissy filed for a divorce. It was not easy to get a divorce from a police officer. His superiors blamed Sissy.
In the middle of this tough process, Fulan’s rage broke. “He took me to the room. He beat me up nastily. My left leg and waist were stomped. He pulled my hair and smashed my head onto the wall. He shouted,’I’ll kill you!’…”
Fulan locked her up in the room. He nailed the door up from the outside, “Inside the room, I was between conscious and not. I was perplexed. I did not know how many days had gone by.” Every now and then a bottle of water was thrown in by her child from a small window opening.
When Fulan went to work, her 11 years old kid ran for help to a relative. They broke the door down. Sissy was rushed to the hospital. “I spent four years in a wheelchair.”
Sissy never told anyone this bitter story of hers. Her family took this event as an embarrassment that must be fully covered.
One day, Sissy met Nurlaela Lamasitudju in Solidaritas Korban Pelanggaran HAM (SKP) Palu. A group for solidarity of victims and survivors of human rights violations. “I saw Ella gathered many victims and survivors, and everyone shared their stories.”
Then, in 2017, during Molibu, the gathering day dedicated to all the victims and survivors of human rights violations, Sissy embolden herself to share her story. Story she had kept to herself for years. “I was with the women, victims and survivors of the 65 incident, women living with HIV, the disabled ones, and everyone shared their stories.”
Sissy remembered the silence that fell when she shared her untold story. All eyes in the room focused on her, listening to her story. After she had done, those eyes were left wet with tears, and they hugged each other. “It felt like a huge load had been lifted up from my shoulders. Liberating.”
Now, entering the fourth year of her participation in SKP HAM, Sissy is actively assisting other victims and survivors. Together, they support each other. They heal each other. “I feel like human here. I can smile and laugh again.”
She put on a big smile, “By the way, I’m still single!”
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