One former victim of rape is speaking out to seek justice for the many other young ladies who were also victims.
The identity of the individual has been withheld, however she reached out to ANN saying that she was now in her early 30’s, however the series of horror events occurred when she was 11 years old, right around the time when she said she had gotten her first period.
“I suffered as a child silently – I was beaten to have sex, and I was beaten not to talk,” she told ANN.
According to the woman, she was molested by an older cousin and the abuse went on for a little more than six years.
“Whenever I have my periods, I’ll be so down sometimes I can’t function and the reason being, the very first time I had sex was during my period,” she explained.
She said that during the time of the sexual abuse, there was nothing that she was able to do to prevent it adding that when she tried to say something to an adult, they never took her seriously.
“I remember when he finished having sex with me I would bleed and get headaches and there are times when I attempted to kill myself.”
If not for the mercies of God, she said that she would not have been alive today.
The revelation comes days after Justice Brian Cottle sentenced 46-year-old Cassell Lavia, and who is also HIV positive for raping a 10-year-old girl.
He was sentenced to 22 years and 10 months in prison for the act – the court heard that on the day, March 8, 2018 that after being left in his care by the girl’s mother, Lavia entered her bedroom as she was undressing and proceeded to have sexual intercourse stopping only after another child entered the room.
“There are many young girls who are suffering in silence and you may look at them and think they rude, or just want to be the way they are,” she said.
“But until you walk the road they walked, you won’t know,” the young lady continued.
According to her, abuse is real and comes in many forms as she said that for some time, she was groped by a shopkeeper in her community.
That was until one day when she decided that she was going to stand up for herself.
She said that she met her husband at the age of 18 and the two were married when she was in her mid-20’s.
“I am burdened by the by the news I hear and read about young ladies and women being abused, who is gonna stand up for them? Who is gonna say no? Who is gonna love and care for them?
“It’s very hard when u go through things like these you don’t value yourself, you think people better than you and I’ve gone through that,” she said adding that she would really like to see the relevant authorities get the help that these young ladies and women need.
“Also, justice must prevail and I mean justice overall not because you are a big man in society mean you must abuse one and go free,” she said.
