Compensation for Lost Happiness
At LIFT, we are unwavering in our pursuit of a world where human trafficking and sexual abuse are not tolerated, through strengthening justice systems. Our goal is to strengthen the legal system so that perpetrators are brought to justice and victims' loss and dignity are restored. What becomes of the immeasurable damage, shattered dreams, and forfeited happiness that the victim experience? Unfortunately, since Thai law operates under the civil law system, tangible losses are mainly considered. We work tirelessly to help survivors receive compensation for their losses, which is a tough challenge for our team.
Last year, the LIFT team successfully protected a group of female athletes from their coach’s sexual abuse, resulting to a 6-year prison sentence and 200,000 baht in compensation. Sadly, the traumatic experience forever changed the lives of at least two girls. One girl in this case, could not keep going on with her life and her favourite sport. She experienced panic disorder every time she touched sports equipments or visited the sport field. The heightened anxiety that someone would find out what had happened, caused her dream of becoming a sports idol to crumble.
"Every time I closed my eyes, the sights and sounds of him constantly interrupted me, even while competing in sports. I couldn't sleep, it made me not want to continue living."
- The girl survivor
LIFT's psychologist assessed this girl's mental health using the GHQ (General Health Questionnaire) [1] , which revealed a high level of stress, panic, and depression. The results were consistent with her physical reaction during an interview, in which she could not breathe, fainted, and experienced muscle tension whenever she recalled the situation.
Stress affects not just the individual, but also their loved ones. In this particular case, the mother of one of the girls was found to have high levels of stress and depression after taking the GHQ test. She was consumed with guilt for not being able to protect her child. This led her to become strict and controlling, which only resulted in her daughter being retraumatized and giving up her beloved sport forever. This underscores the catastrophic ramifications of stress, not only on the person suffering but also on those around them.
Although two years of lost happiness and abandoning a career in athletics, cannot be fully restored through compensation, our legal team’s support and psychologist's report brought justice. Their hard work resulted in significant compensation. At LIFT, we are dedicated to continuously improving the justice system in Thailand. We want to see our mission go beyond just seeking justice in every case.
“It's not easy for a child to speak up for themselves, as they often feel powerless. Thank you, LIFT for your commitment and for fighting for our children’s justice.”
- The parent of a survivor
Remark: [1] The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) is a proven, accurate and sensitive assessment tool to pick up signs of distress among respondents