“Stomped On & Hit My Head”: M’sian Girl Shares Desolating Tale Of Abuse At The Hands Of Her Stepdad
In the wake of several parent-child abuse scenarios coming to light, including that of famed child star Puteri Balqis’ claims that her father had sexually abused her, yet another harrowing case has gained substantial online traction.
Shared via Instagram, the victim, a 19-year-old girl named Dahlia, began her narrative by stating that she was hesitant about opening up about the instance publicly and will deactivate the account soon, as she was afraid of what people would say to her, particularly those who weren’t on her side.
“I’m not declaring war, I want justice and I want to spread awareness to everyone out there who’s experienced domestic violence,” she said- and did exactly that.
In the first post, Dahlia shared a slide of images showing her swollen and bruised eye, with the wound extending as far as her nose bridge. While the photos were mildly graphic, netizens noted that they served as proof and a representation of how serious Dahlia’s case was, especially since victims of abuse are often told that they are “exaggerating” or faking it altogether.
These photos were published alongside the lengthy police report she made against her stepfather, in which she explained the full story in detail.
“Around 11 p.m, I arrived at a residence in Parit Buntar, Perak to meet my biological mother. We had a verbal argument and my stepfather proceeded to come out of the toilet, grab me by my neck, slap my left cheek, kick my back and stomp on my head. After that, he kicked me in front of the house door. My friend picked me up and sent me to my biological father’s home.
As a result of that incident, I experienced swelling on my left cheek, head and back as well as tender pain on both my legs. On August 18th 2022, at about 10.00 a.m, I went to Parit Buntar Hospital and was referred to Taiping Hospital where examinations found that I had lost some clarity of vision in my left eye. My aim in making this report it to prompt police action,” it read.
In the next post, Dahlia noted that she had also suffered the rupturing of blood vessels below her eye as her stepfather had stepped on it using his heel, as if he wanted her “entire head to break open”. Worse still, she went on to claim that she had threatened to harm her with a machete, but a neighbour stepped in.
“They kept blaming me for not being able to forgive them and move on. How can I forgive and forget when my own family did this to me? I’ve spoken to my stepfather about all this and told him how I feel, while sobbing. He just smiled and chuckled. What kind of person is that?” she wrote.
According to her other posts, her biological father had clarified to the cops that she was fine when he first dropped her off at the house and returned in an ill state.
“I can only show you what he did to my face; there’s more on my back, legs, head and neck but I can’t show it because it’s my aurah. But the pain is horrible, I can’t even lay down,” she said.
Finally, in a follow-up post, Dahlia published a strong message aimed at her parents, and parents in general.
“Every child deserves a mother but not everyone can be a mother. Everyone needs a father but not everyone qualifies to be one. If you wanna be a parent just so you can beat your child, don’t call yourself a parent. You are supposed to be a safe home for your children. Their comfort place; not their abuser.
“You’re supposed to be the safe place we go to when we’re in danger, when we’re scared. Not the thing we’re running from. We’re supposed to respect, not fear you.
“If you parents out there are mad at me for saying all this, look back at your child and ask yourself, do they feel safe around you or are they scared of you? If this is what parents do then I don’t think I want or need one. But what can I do? What can all domestic violence victims do besides live with our trauma for the rest of our life? We can’t choose our parents- but parents, you can choose your partner,” it read.
The posts were first published 3 days ago (Sept 19) and have since gained over 100,000 likes collectively. With multiple sympathetic comments from netizens and coverage from local news channels, Dahlia’s heartening case also earned the attention of Malaysian public figures such as Che’ Puan Besar Khaleeda and Caprice, who explained that his team is currently reviewing the case to help Dahlia.
Finally, on her Instagram story, Dahlia also clarified that she had been a victim of domestic abuse since late 2021, highlighting the various times where her stepfather had abused her and apologised days later, only to repeat his actions again and again.
As a piece of advice to the public, she also told youngsters to be careful when choosing their future partners as bad decisions may prove harmful to the wellbeing of children involved in the relationship.
According to reports, the alleged perpetrator was detained by Kerian police on September 18. The following day, he was released on police bail. Investigations are currently being conducted in accordance with Section 323 of the Penal Code for causing bodily harm as well as Section 18A of the Domestic Violence Act.
If you find yourself or someone else at risk of such instances or harbouring trauma pertaining to abuse, do not hesitate to seek help:
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