Doudou Sara Guiry, a 14-year-old girl in Cameroon, has a two-year-old child. She got pregnant at 11 when the school director, in whose home she lived, raped her. She was among some 200 rape survivors who recently gathered in the capital Yaoundé for the opening of a campaign against rape and incest.
“Five years ago my parents let me go and live with a stranger who said his family was seeking a girl to work for them; he would put me in school and in return I would help his wife look after the children.
“Once I moved in, I waited one year before starting classes, at the school where he was director.
“One evening, while his wife was not home, he took me from the room I shared with his children and forced me into his room. He raped me, having tied up my hands and stuffed a cloth in my mouth.
“I was not even 11 years old and I did not understand what was happening. I just felt the pain.
“For a year he continued to rape me. I talked to no one about it; for he warned he would kill me if I spoke up.
“When my stomach started to swell I went to hospital where I learned I was pregnant. I had to tell my parents everything. They were shocked. The rapist denied it all.
“My older brother pressed charges. During the process my rapist asked to marry me. I told the judge I would never marry the person who raped me.
“In the end he was condemned to 10 years in prison. But he was freed three months later; I have no idea why. This has shattered my life.”
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“Five years ago my parents let me go and live with a stranger who said his family was seeking a girl to work for them; he would put me in school and in return I would help his wife look after the children.
“Once I moved in, I waited one year before starting classes, at the school where he was director.
“One evening, while his wife was not home, he took me from the room I shared with his children and forced me into his room. He raped me, having tied up my hands and stuffed a cloth in my mouth.
“I was not even 11 years old and I did not understand what was happening. I just felt the pain.
“For a year he continued to rape me. I talked to no one about it; for he warned he would kill me if I spoke up.
“When my stomach started to swell I went to hospital where I learned I was pregnant. I had to tell my parents everything. They were shocked. The rapist denied it all.
“My older brother pressed charges. During the process my rapist asked to marry me. I told the judge I would never marry the person who raped me.
“In the end he was condemned to 10 years in prison. But he was freed three months later; I have no idea why. This has shattered my life.”
rk/np/cb
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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