Sajat Seeks Therapist's Help After She Was Sexually Assaulted & Almost Raped At Her Salon
"If I fought, he might have hurt me worse and I might have even been killed," said Sajat.
Malaysian cosmetic guru and businesswoman, Nur Sajat, who moved to Australia in 2021, recently shared a heartbreaking story of how she was sexually assaulted at her beauty salon in the country
Sajat posted a video of herself doing her makeup while telling the story on social media, in which she shared the horrifying details of how a 187cm-tall Middle Eastern man came into her salon and tried to rape her.
She said that the incident happened on 17 February, while she was attending to a female customer who came for a full-body waxing service.
According to Sajat, the female customer was supposed to be the last customer of the day, and she immediately left after getting the treatment at her store.
While the female customer was leaving, the assailant came into Sajat's salon, and she locked the front door after he entered to stop new customers from entering.
The sexual assault then took place in a room inside her beauty salon, far from the front door.
Sajat said that the man had visited her salon before and came again on the day of the incident to get an eyebrow waxing service
However, after Sajat waxed the man's eyebrows, the assailant then closed the door of the room and pulled her while telling her that he was interested in her.
"I begged him to stop and told him, 'Please don't do this, this is where I work,' and he replied, 'No one is here, and you've already locked the front door,'" said Sajat in the video.
The man then told her that he knew that her salon did not have a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera, to which he was wrong as Sajat said her salon is occupied with CCTV cameras that are well hidden.
Sajat at the grand opening of her beauty salon, Nursajat Legacy Cosmetic, located in New South Wales, Australia.
Image via NSLC Store (Facebook)
He then choked and slapped Sajat, leaving her shocked into silence
Sajat then begged the man to stop slapping her and told him that she was willing to do whatever he wanted.
According to Sajat, she only tried to reassure the assailant because she was afraid that if she fought back, the items in her salon would be damaged, causing massive financial loss to her business.
She went on to say that he took off his clothes and proceeded to molest her.
"I tried to talk to him nicely and told him, 'I am dirty right now, what if we go to my place so I can clean up?' But I only told him that to make him trust me.
"While he was choking me and slapping me, I decided not to fight. Because if I fought, he might have hurt me worse and I might have even been killed," said Sajat, who abruptly stopped telling her story while covering her face and crying.
Image via Jessica Zaman (Facebook)
The victim has since lodged a police report and sought help from a therapist and the Australian government
Sajat said that since the incident, her store has remained shut as she has been riddled with anxiety and is still struggling to heal from the trauma.
"I've kept this story to myself because I am on antidepressants. I've said before that I have a story to share, but I didn't. This is actually what happened," she added.
The woman went on to say that the mental health professional and the Australian government are helping her get back on her feet by compensating her and paying for her rental fees while her store is closed.
As for the assailant, he was arrested by the police after Sajat lodged a report and provided CCTV footage of the incident to the authorities.
The video of Sajat recounting the incident can be found below:
If you or someone you know may be at risk or has experienced sexual abuse or assault, please reach out to these Malaysian organisations:
1. WOMEN'S AID ORGANISATION (WAO)
Operating hours: 24-hour
Contact: +603-30008858
SMS/WhatsApp: +6018-9888058
Website | Facebook | Twitter
2. ALL WOMEN'S ACTION SOCIETY (AWAM)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9.30am - 5.30pm)
Contact: +603-78770224
WhatsApp/Telegram: +6016-2284221 | +6016-2374221
Email: telenita@awam.org.my
Website | Facebook | Twitter
3. WOMEN'S CENTRE FOR CHANGE PENANG (WCC PENANG)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9am - 5pm)
Contact: +604-2280342 | +604-3988340
WhatsApp: +6011-31084001 | +6016-4180342
Email: wcc@wccpenang.org
Website | Facebook | Twitter
4. SARAWAK WOMEN FOR WOMEN SOCIETY (SWWS)
Operating hours: Monday (7pm - 9pm),Tuesday to Thursday (9.30am - 11.30am), Saturday (2pm - 4pm)
Contact: +6082-368853
SMS/WhatsApp: +6016-5822660 | +6013-8044285
Email: sarswws@gmail.com
Website | Facebook | Twitter
5. SABAH WOMEN'S ACTION-RESOURCE GROUP (SAWO)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (9am - 5pm)
Contact: +6088-280200 | +6011-27908020
Email: sawo.women@yahoo.com
Website | Facebook | Twitter
6. PROTECT AND SAVE THE CHILDREN (PS THE CHILDREN)
Operating hours: Monday to Friday (3pm - 12am)
WhatsApp: +6016-7213065
Email: protect@psthechildren.org.my
Website | Facebook | Twitter
7. INTERNET WATCH FOUNDATION (IWF)
Anonymously and confidentially report child sexual abuse content and non-photographic child sexual abuse images with IWF's Reporting Portal.
Seeking help from professionals is not a sign of weakness or failure.
If you need someone to talk to, you can check out this list of places that offer mental health services:
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