Ms F.S. (38 years old) lived with her 5 children in an African country by the equator. As her husband left her and was not supporting her financially either, she worked (cleaning, cooking and waitressing) day and night in order to put food on the table for her children. As she was also working during the night, she had to walk home alone on the streets of the capital city. One day, on her way home men armed with guns attacked her (one of them seemed familiar to her), took her money, beat her and sexually assaulted her. She went home and she reported the gang to the police. As her family needed the money, she was back at work the next day. A few days went by, when the gang found her again and the crime was repeated, only this time they also threatened her, that if she does not revoke the report at the police they will kill her. She did not revoke the report, however she did think her life was in danger and she had to leave the country.
She found a job in a neighbouring country, she left her children at home with a friend, to take care of them. She thought, if the crime gang leaves the area, she will be able to return to her children. Unfortunately, this was not the case, she received news that the gang was still around her neighbourhood, threatening people. The police were unable to stop them, thus her return home seemed impossible.
She found a job as a housekeeper in another African country, where her employer was very kind to her and helped her with everything. She told her, that she would like to go to Europe and support her friend and her children from there. Her employer helped her to organize the trip.
In Europe she got to know a man from Western-Europe, they moved in together. She got pregnant, however when she was in the 7th month of her pregnancy, she was pushed back by the authorities to Hungary (as this was her point of entry into the EU).
Cordelia’s therapists met her at a reception centre in Hungary, she was in very bad condition. She was showing severe, posttraumatic symptoms and she was in her last months of her pregnancy. The Foundation’s therapist provided psychotherapeutic treatment to her up to her due date. Her application for asylum was processed extremely slowly, as her child’s father came from and was living in another European country and thus her child also became a dual citizen (as the father signed a paternity declaration). For a while, she believed that the father of her child will take them to Western Europe, where they will get married. Unfortunately, this did not happen.
At last, she received her refugee status in Hungary. With the help of an NGO she was able to find a job and to rent an apartment with her baby. She had more and more friends in Hungary and she was starting to feel at home. She is working very hard in order to reunite with her children in Hungary, who are still in Africa (they have not seen each other in 6 years).
* In order to protect the client’s rights relating to personality we have changed her name and some minor details in the story.