A 17-year-old girl has narrated to THE WHISTLER how she was raped multiple times while growing up and how she lost her virginity at 13 years to a man who came on a friendly visit to her parent’s house in Enugu.
The girl, who did not want her name mentioned and photograph used, to our correspondent how a 23-year-old man in their neighbourhood forcefully deflowered her on her 13th birthday.
THE WHISTLER caught up with her in Abuja while investigating cases of rape among teenagers.
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Recounting how the first rape occurred, the girl told THE WHISTLER that she was in JSS1 back then, staying with her mother after the death of her father.
But her mother was always out of the house, traveling to visiting her married older siblings in the cities and leaving only her in the house.
She said: “The guy was a friend in the neighbourhood and I invited the guy over to the house since it was my birthday.
“He said he was coming to give me something and I couldn’t go out. The guy used to like me. He was a young guy from my street. I had started menstruating then but was lucky I didn’t miss my period.
“He came over to the house and raped me. Even though I said no, he was then horny and forcefully did it.
“My family didn’t find out and I couldn’t open up. I told you I wasn’t close to them. My dad was late, and he was the only person I was close enough to speak to. And my mum is an elderly woman, she is not always around. She goes from one place to the other doing ‘Omugwo’ for my sisters. “
According to her, the incident threw her into depression and she felt worthless.
After some months, she relocated to Abuja to join her elder sister who lives in Nyanya. It was while in Abuja that she was raped multiple times by different men.
She was enrolled into a Federal Government College in Abuja, and it was while in SS2 that a family friend took advantage of her while alone at home.
The incident led to pregnancy, and it shattered her world, according to her. She had to withdraw from school.
“I got pregnant in SS 2 and when my family found out they were mad. My family was more concerned about their image and they did abortion to remove the baby,” she explained.
After the abortion, she stayed at home for three months until they found her a private school Karu near her brother’s house. She had to relocate from Nyanya to Karu to continue her schooling.
But there was little comfort for her in her brother’s house as she was also raped by her brother -in-law.
Her brother’s wife had an elderly brother, a married man, who usually came to stay temporarily in their house.
“Each time he came around, he was always giving me this signal. I didn’t want to tell anyone because there was this time that he did that to me and I told them what he did, but my brother’s wife said I should never say anything like that.
Recalling the experience, she stated, “So, my brother didn’t believe me when I told my family, they thought that I was only looking for somebody to blame for all my predicaments.
“So, this particular day, I was just coming back from lesson, oh God! I didn’t know that he was the only one at home, when I noticed that he was the one that opened the gate, my mind was telling me that there’s someone else in the house.
“When I went in I found out that it was only me and him, but i was tired. I thought I should go and take my bath, and that was when he opened the door, came in and raped me.
“But this time around I told my family, they didn’t do anything about him, they didn’t arrest him. You know, he is related to my family so maybe they were trying to protect their image. At the end of the day, he ran away.”
The teenager further explained her challenges with men, blaming herself for looking bigger than her age.
She said she developed full breasts and big waist too early while growing up, as it forces men to always put their eyes on her.
Adaora O. Sydney-Jack, Executive Director, Gender Strategic Advancement International (GSAI), told THE WHISTLER that women who have been abused in this manner should speak out in order to get justice.
Sydney-Jack explained that in an effort to tackle rape cases, her organisation had reported over 26 cases to relevant authorities.
“Some of them have had their way to settle out of court, while some are settled out of court because of stigma.
“Others also are at the point of having their legal intervention, while for others, investigations are still being held,” she stated.