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husnul Chotimah, 48, recalled the day she almost died when two nightclubs in Kuta, Bali, were attacked by suicide bombers on Oct. 12, 2002.

She was walking in front of Paddy’s Pub after buying nasi bungkus (take-away rice meal) from a nearby street vendor when a blast tore through the club.

She suffered severe wounds that left her body and face riddled with scars.

Life after the bombings was hard for Chusnul, who has been struggling with depression.

“I have attempted to commit suicide four times,” she told The Jakarta Post recently.

Her family sablon (silkscreen printing) business, which had been their main source of income, went bankrupt shortly after the attack because she and her husband were too busy with her medical treatment, Chusnul said.

Chusnul and her family later decided to move from Bali to her hometown in Sidoarjo, East Java, where they started a small business of selling vegetables on their motorbike.

She later opened a small grocery stall at her house using the cash assistance she received from the Sidoarjo administration to support her three children.

But her husband felt they needed to earn more and began working as a drug courier.

He was shot dead during a National Narcotics Agency’s (BNN) drug raid in August last year. A package of methamphetamine was found on his body.

“I told him not to do it. But he insisted that he needed the money to help our family,” she said. “Now that I’ve lost him, I have to support my three children all by myself.”

But late last year, representatives of the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), and the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) reached out to her and offered her counseling.

“My life is getting better now,” she said.

Still, Chusnul believed she deserved more and has demanded that the government pay her financial compensation, which is now possible after the enactment of the 2018 Antiterrorism Law in June.

The law mandates that the government guarantee that primary victims of past terror attacks receive compensation, in addition to medical and psychological rehabilitation.

Primary victims can receive compensation if they file a request within three years after the law came into force, according to the law. They also need to be verified as a victim of terrorism by the BNPT.

“The compensation would never be comparable to the bitter life I experienced after the bombing. But, at least, it can be useful for our future,” Chusnul said.

Under the new law, the LPSK, with help from the Finance Ministry, is in charge of handling compensation, restitution and rehabilitation for the victims.

“The three-year deadline is a challenge for us in identifying all eligible victims of past terror attacks, including those of the Bali bombings,” said LPSK deputy head Lili Pintauli Siregar.

Gatot Indro Suranto, another Bali Bombing victim who suffered severe injuries when his car passed near Sari Club just before the second bomb exploded, is also demanding compensation.

“It will help me cover my daughter’s tuition fee for university,” Gatot said.

A part of his lung had to be removed due to injuries from the blast.

“We hope that the government can ease the process of providing compensation for the victims of terror attacks that occurred before the law was enacted,” said Thiolina Marpaung from Isana Dewata Foundation, an organization representing survivors of the Bali bombings and the families of victims.

BNPT director of protection Herwan Chaidir said his office has now been working to identify and assess eligible victims of terror attacks.

“We first need to assess who deserves the compensation,” he added.