Quinta is a victim of rape. She is from a poor family. At the age of 13, she was sent to live with her uncle so that he could send her to school. Unfortunately for her the uncle took her poor situation as an excuse to rape her. She said her uncle raped her saying that if she did not give in to him she will not go to school. She managed to escape one night to her grandmother’s place to tell her family about it. But she was told not to let people know that such a thing was happening in the family. She had no option but to go back to her uncle’s house because she wanted to go to school. Her uncle kept on raping her and she finally got pregnant for him when she was in Form Five. Sidonie her cousin, was equally raped by the same uncle when she was 10 and she also ended up having a baby with the rapist uncle. Nelie on her part is a victim of several rapes inflicted on her by her father. She became wayward and got pregnant at 16. She was thrown out of the house by her father. Nelie did not have the courage to tell her ordeal to anybody till recently during the sensitisation on gender based violence when other victims spoke out.
These stories and more were presented in two separate documentaries in Yaounde yesterday during a ceremony dubbed “Against Rape and Incest: Victims and Artists Mobilise Themselves”. Organised by the German Tehnical Cooperation (GTZ) in collaboration with the National Network of Aunties Associations (RENATA), the event brought together members of government, representatives of the diplomatic corps, the civil society and guests. The ceremony was within the framework of the 16 days of activism against gender based violence. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Cameroon and the International Community: a Participatory Commitment and Synergy in Fighting Violence against Women and Girls”. Rape or incest is a dehumanizing crime and over 1,200 Aunties have experienced this awful crime. Close to 200 victims from across the country were present in yesterday’s ceremony to show to the public the seriousness of rape in the society.
Speaking during the occasion, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Saïbou Nasourou said the government is sparing no efforts in implementing actions for the prevention of violence. He called on partners, national and international organisations, traditional and religious authorities and the media to be engaged in the fight against violence against women. The audience equally visited paintings by victims of incest and rape. The victims were trained by a group of artists “Jeunes Ancetres” after having listened to their stories and painted their pains.
