I was abducted by an armed group and I was detained. During this time, I was raped but I don't know my attacker.
Since giving birth, I still had severe pain and could not produce milk. My pain kept me from doing most of the household chores. My husband was not happy, he often brutalized me and hit me. He eventually divorced me and I had to move back to my mother's house.
He gives to the first wife only. My husband is abusive and insults me often. He refuses that I work but I manage to feed my children. I do the braid and the laundry for people. I often felt sad and discouraged.
Shortly after this story shared by the 3 boys, I started to feel excruciating pain in my lower abdomen. I tried to stand up and noticed blood flowing between my thighs. I started to scream with all my might. I then found that I couldn't stand on my own two feet. I felt like I was high. I then understood, immediately, that the 3 young boys had drugged and abused me.
I couldn't get up to go out, and I kept screaming with all my might until a "Mum" arrived to lend a hand. She dressed me, carried me on her back and took me to the nearest health center. She then contacted my mother. After this gang rape, I got pregnant. I am the mother of a 2 year old girl. I have since suffered from total paralysis as a result of this rape. I can't stand it for 2 years now.
After this rape, I did not confide in my relatives for fear of being repudiated by my (Muslim) community. A month later, suffering from discomfort accompanied by vomiting, I went to the hospital where I was told that I was about 1 month pregnant.
I thought nothing worse could happen to me, until my uncle told me that I had an obligation to marry my rapist's father. Despite my refusal, the family insisted, no one listened to me, no one understood me.
I am experiencing night terrors, intense worries and fears of safe delivery as well as neglect and lack of family support”. They help me with a psychologist, to hold on. I am anxious, sometimes I have moments of panic.
They raped me in my children’s presence. I felt dirty, I was angry with myself. After a fierce fight with these armed men, the police arrived and these individuals fled. They were prosecuted but they were not apprehended. The police on patrol found us and accompanied us to the entrance to the town of (xx).
Every night he hits me and has forced sex with me. I was very unhappy. I even wanted to end my life.
One night, he sexually abused me and I found myself pregnant with my second daughter. My children and I continued to live with him anyway and that's how he became my life partner because I no longer have a family and I don't know anyone in Cameroon. Two years later, I gave birth to my third daughter.
By my story, I would like to call on women and girls beaten by their partners to denounce such situations because it is not the fact they are our husbands or life partners that they have the right to abuse us. We, women, girls, wives, we also have rights and we are protected by law and institutions.
I am 12 years old and I was raped by one of my father’s friend who often came to the house. It was a Saturday afternoon, my mom wasn’t there (she was traveling), my dad was at work, and my siblings were in the field. I was left home alone to sell in the stall in front of house. Uncle came and parked his motorbike like he usually did, he asked for the whiskey in the bag, he gave me the money and I served him. He asked me for a second bag. When I entered the house to get some, he followed me inside.
He pushed me onto the sofa and took off my pants and then raped me. I shouted but there was no one there. When he was done, he restarted his bike and drove off. I didn't tell anyone for days.
I was lying down with a lot of pain in my lower abdomen and wounds on my sex. My aunt thought about yellow fever. When she tried to purge me with traditional remedies, she noticed the injuries I had. I then told her what had happened.
My parents took me to a health center where I received treatment and the doctor gave us a medico-legal certificate. My father and I then went to the community home to meet a social worker from partner UNHCR, to whom he explained what happened to me. The social worker spoke with me and I felt reassured. Subsequently, the social worker advised my father to file a complaint and he referred us to the UNHCR Legal Protection Unit present that day at the community home. The UNHCR staff who received us advised my father to file a complaint, which they did. Throughout the court proceedings, we were accompanied by a lawyer who works with UNHCR and the one who abused me was sentenced to prison.
I continued to go to school despite what happened because, although my classmates and the teaching staff were informed of what happened to me, they did not reject me and did not made fun of me.
I would like to tell children not to be afraid to talk to their parents especially when there is something wrong or when we have been harmed because we have the right to protection. Despite what I went through, I remain a girl like everyone else, I want to continue my studies and later help young girls who have had to endure the same violence.
I would sustain bruises and become socially withdrawn for several days following each incident
The PRA is a single parent who engages in survival sex to gain shelter and food. She was abandoned by her partner while four months pregnant and has no adult male relative to take care of both herself and her daughter. The PRA raises her child on her own and is unable to feed herself or her daughter daily. She feels forced to engage in survival sex to provide for both.
Suddenly, 3 young people appear out of nowhere. I realize these are his friends. They hold me by the feet and the arms. They take turns raping me. I scream, it hurts, no one can hear me. After their forfeit they beat me and leave. An elderly man comes to my aid and takes me to the center where I live with UNHCR’s help. I meet with UNHCR staff. I explain to him what happened to me. I explain to him that I was raped by 4 people.
In his presence, no one else had the right to access my room. The more I drank his decoction, the more my health deteriorated, I could no longer control myself. Over time, I realized that the marabout had sexually abused me on several occasions.
Then with my father, we began to approach the judicial police to file a complaint against the marabout who was indeed arrested and transferred to the remand center. The marabout received a prison sentence of 5 years for rape and 2 years for charlatanism in accordance with the laws in force in Chad.
1. Rape: vaginal, anal or oral penetration without consent (even superficial), using the penis or another part of the body. Also applies to inserting an object into the vagina or anus.
2. Sexual assault: any form of sexual contact without consent that does not lead to or is not based on an act of penetration. Among other examples: attempted rape, as well as unwanted kissing, fondling and touching the genitals or buttocks. FGM is an act of violence that damages the sexual organs; they should therefore be classified as sexual assault. This type of incident does not include rape (which consists of an act of penetration).
3. It is considered that in the WCA region, 1 in 3 women have been sexually assaulted, and 1 in 5 raped.
Denial of legitimate access to economic resources / assets or livelihood opportunities, and to education, health or other social services. We talk about denial of resources, opportunities and services, for example, when a widow is prevented from receiving an inheritance, when a person's income is forcibly confiscated by his close companion or a member of his family, when a woman is prohibited from using contraception, when a girl is prevented from going to school, etc. Cases of general poverty should not be recorded.
Child marriage seriously damages their health and exposes them to violence in their homes. 6 out of 10 countries in the world with the highest rates of child marriage are in West and Central Africa (Source : UNICEF / PLan). Protect our children and end child marriage.
Infliction of mental or emotional pain or injury. Among other examples: threats of physical or sexual violence, intimidation, humiliation, forced isolation, pursuit, verbal harassment, unwanted attention, remarks, gestures or writings of a sexual and / or threatening nature, destruction of precious property, etc.
