By Pechuqui Laurata
Reading and scrolling down news feed on my facebook account, there was a write up on parenting that caught my attention for a while. It was about parenting with lots of attributes to the girl child. The two powerful points were on monitoring your child carefully and be his or her best friend and don't allow anyone call your daughter "my wife". Honestly i agree with the person who did the write up 100%. True because Most of them are the perpetrators of violence. You may think they are just joking but you can't easily detect what their intentions are. If your daughter complains about a certain person, stop referring to that person as kind and would never do such things. Just with that type of behavior or attitude of yours, when something happens she won't utter a word. Let's make our children our best friends. Most perpetrators of Gender Based Violence especially rape are usually closed to the victim and family.
There is this young girl I know who was raped at the age of 10 by her Dad's friend. Some of you may be wondering how come but it happens. Let's be careful and conscious with the type of people we welcome in our homes. There are many young girls out there who have been raped but they never said anything about it. As parents or an individual, it is important to know the signs of rape so you can help such victims get justice and healing. They include; bruises, bleeding, {vagina and anal}, difficulty in walking, soreness, broken or dislocated bones, isolation, and lack of trust.
According to the United Nations, less than 40% of victim report their perpetrators leaving them to get away with it in many countries including Cameroon. Either the victims hide what happened from their families or their families decide to keep it a secret to protect the family's image. The effects of rape on the victim(s) are; trauma, suicide, death, anxiety, depression and many others. Most young girls/women are suffering in their relationships and marriages today because they are still traumatized. Some are not even married.
I encourage every victim today to speak Up. I encourage every Parent(s) whose child has been abused to seek Justice. Speaking up doesn't only help you get justice for what they did to you, but it is a part of healing. You are not a victim for sharing your story. You are the victor setting the world on fire with your truth and you never know who needs your light, your warmth and your raging courage. There is no disgrace in being a survivor of sexual violence- The shame is on the aggressor. You only set yourself free when you speak up.
To any survivor out there, you are a victor. To people wondering how we could fight this, join the fight. Wendy Shalit once Said "the best protection against rape, stalking and domestic violence, is to raise men who both understand that women are different and would never dare to take advantage of that difference."
This fight is not a girl's nor a woman's affair, but a collective one. We need both the male and female to fight against Rape and all forms of Gender Based Violence. We can do it. Let's Say No To Rape.
#StopTheStigmatization.
#SpeakUpIfYourAreAVictim.
#YouAreAVictor
#EndViolenceAgainstWomen.
#NoToAllFormGBV
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