How MAF helps in rape survivor’s legal battle

A young student flew with MAF to Timor-Leste’s capital Dili so that she could take part in court proceedings for the man accused of raping her.

Facing a long and stressful legal process, the 18-year-old woman was also dealing with the trauma of her ordeal.

In May 2024, a court in Dili sentenced the man to nine years in prison for the sexual attack.

The woman, who lives on Atauro Island, would have struggled to attend the court process on Timor-Leste’s mainland without a short MAF flight and the support of Asisténsia Legál ba Feto no Labarik (ALFeLa) - a local NGO that works to provide legal assistance, education and advocacy to women and children, particularly those who are affected by gender-based violence.

Marcia Henrique, the official legal representative of ALFeLa, explained what the court decision meant to the young rape survivor.

“I am very pleased and satisfied because it takes a long time, but now we have a final result from the court about this case, and our assistance helped the victim get justice,” said Mrs Henrique.

The woman flew with MAF from Atauro to the capital Dili in January 2024, but the case was often adjourned. Mrs Henrique said the alternative travel option would be an unreliable and unpredictable sea crossing.

“MAF’s service really means a lot for us, and it helps us in emergency situations to assist our clients that need access to the trial process in Dili,” said Mrs Henrique.

"We received information from the court that our client needs to attend the trial process, and we had a challenge because at that time the boat was not operating as usual due to bad weather.

“We just contacted MAF via phone, fortunately they responded quickly to our call, and they’re able to transfer our client from Atauro Island to Dili.”

Mrs Henrique said the cooperation with MAF made it easier for their organisation to help survivors through the court process.

“Our partnership with MAF is such a good alternative for us in terms of transportation accessibility because they have provided fast emergency response to help our clients,” she said.

In 2022, MAF and PRADET officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding to give support by providing air transportation to link domestic violence survivors to get legal assistance and medical appointments in the national hospital. This project receives funding assistance from the New Zealand Government.

Since then, MAF has flown three domestic violence survivors from municipalities such as Viqueque, Bobonaro, and Atauro Island, to attend medical appointments and the trial process in Dili.

Now the 18-year-old from Atauro has a sense of closure about the court proceedings, she is beginning to focus on rebuilding her life and working through her trauma.

“She has made big improvements, and now she is continuing her studies and living with her family in Dili. She is also interacting with the community that she lives in,” Mrs Henrique added.

“She went to the Uma Mahon (a domestic violence shelter) to get psychological counselling, and now she has recovered from her mental trauma. When she was in the trial process, we observed that she was confident and calm enough to speak out about what was happening to her without feeling any pressure.”

Author: Lobitos Alves