Who would have thought that we would ever get to this situation in Nigeria; a situation where the high rate of rape and abuse of women is on the increase? Will there ever be a day when a lady will feel safe walking all alone in a quiet and lonely street in the night without being molested, threatened or raped? Nana feels and thinks the girl child is facing serious threats. She has lost hope that ladies will ever be confident to walk freely without being molested. Read her story…
My name is Nana, and by next Christmas I will be eighteen years old. I don’t want you to pity me after reading this story, but to be the voice of that innocent young girl walking along the street who could be the next victim of child abuse and molestation.
I already have two kids—one is a product of gang rape, while the other is a product of a guy who took my ‘love’ (lust) for granted. I gave birth to my first child while I was just 14 years old, and it was like hell. I almost lost my life in the process, and the fact that I am still alive to write this today is an indication that God loves me and has decided to give me a second chance. However, the second chance did come, but I spurned it just like I have spurned the third one.
Doctors have confirmed that I am six weeks pregnant, which is the reason I have decided to write this.
My mum raised me up very close to the barracks where I helped her to sell local drink called burukutu. She got pregnant for my dad while in school, and was eventually expelled when the authorities found out. The man who got her pregnant refused to accept the pregnancy, which really angered my mum’s parents at the time. Things took a downward spiral due to the man’s denial, which led my mum to run away from home.
My mum’s parents were not well-to-do, and had to abandon her to her fate. According to the story she told me, she tried getting rid of the pregnancy so many times without success. Alas she gave birth to me, and since then my life has been a roller coaster one; with things moving on the fast lane, with nothing of joy to show for it.
I was deflowered by a set of guys who took their turn to have me during one of those nights while I was hawking burukutu for my mum. I cried all the way home that night. My mum raged and went wild, and rained curses on those responsible; but that episode ushered in similar other events that took place not long after. She never stopped selling burukutu and she never stopped asking me to hawk; after all, she was doing all that to feed me (according to her). She only advised me not to go to lonely places with men, but that was inevitable considering the way houses close to the barracks at that time were built.
My first pregnancy was one that brought shame to her because I couldn’t point at the man responsible for it. She was so livid that she sent me out of the house for several days, and only took me back after the intervention of a lot of ‘respectable’ people living in the area. It took the intervention of some people before she agreed not to terminate the pregnancy, but living with her during the period was like hell.
The second pregnancy didn’t raise much uproar as the first, but she was not happy the day she discovered it. Deep within her, she knew she had failed in her role as a mother, but she won’t admit it.
My naivety caused me a great deal…
The title for the most naive person in the world should go to me because I had no business getting pregnant a third time while still raising my second child; but who would blame me for selling my body to raise money to feed my kids?
I was hungry, and my kids too were starving; we needed food at all cost since my mum was showing little interest towards my upkeep. I arranged to sleep with a guy who has been making passes at me for a long time just to raise money. He arranged for us to meet at a local joint that has rooms for short-time. He promised to give me money if I let him sleep with me; fair by me as long as I could buy foods for my kids.
Why men will always remain in my black book…
The guy and I agreed to meet at the joint, but little did I know that he had other things in mind. After having sex with me, he gave me money as agreed, but what happened next will shock you…
To be continued…