"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐈𝐭 : 𝐀𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞"

“𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭.”

Those were the words I wished she had the strength to say.

Those were the words fear and stigma stole from her.

It was a cold afternoon during my internship. The date I can't remember but, the memory still grips me.

The hospital was unusually quiet, as though nature itself was grieving with her…

As though the walls were bracing themselves to offer her what little comfort they could.

Then she walked in, a 17-year-old girl whose eyes carried the weight of cruelty no child should ever know.

Her hair was dusty and tangled like a bird’s abandoned nest.

Her nails stained with dried blood and bruises.

Her clothes torn, and red as the soil of the West region.

They were all proofs… or perhaps scars… of the brutal fight between a predator and a child trying to survive.

You have likely figured it out already, but I’ll say it clearly:

She. Was. Raped.

A nurse had spotted her and quietly urged us to handle her with the utmost softness.

But when she stepped into the lab and her eyes met the male medical staff, something inside her visibly shrank.

Those eyes told a whole story, one that no fairytale could ever redeem.

The real struggle came when we had to collect samples.

What I witnessed was pain in its rawest form.

If her tears could speak, they would have screamed:

“𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐝.”

Yet she swallowed her screams.

Her silence was loud, louder than anything she could have said.

And all I could repeat in my mind was:

“𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫.”

The most painful part?

The “𝐡𝐞” responsible is probably somewhere safe… maybe planning his next victim.

And sometimes, that “𝐡𝐞” could even be a “𝐬𝐡𝐞” — wolves don’t always look like wolves.

Is it too late to dream of a world without Gender-Based Violence?

Will her silent cries ever reach the right ears?

One thing is certain:

Silence is not helping.

Our “ashia,” “sorry,” and “pity” are not enough.

----

This year’s 16 Days of Activism theme wasn’t chosen by accident:

“𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬.”

Before you question the connection, hear me out:

Digital spaces are one of the biggest enablers of rape culture today.

A rape case is reported and suddenly the internet becomes a courtroom:

“What was she wearing?”

“What was she doing with him?”

“the girl fes wear sexy gown di expect weti...…?”

But rarely do we see comments like:

How is she doing?

Is she safe now?

Was the perpetrator punished?

How do we help her rebuild her self-worth and will to live?

People say, “I don’t know her. Ça ne me concerne pas.”

But what if it was your sister?

Your friend?

Your partner?

Your child?

Wake up.

Your insensitive comments are not harmless, they are part of the violence.

They deepen wounds, silence victims, and embolden perpetrators.

It’s time to do better.

To speak better.

To show up better.

To UNiTE — online and offline — against Gender-Based Violence.

As humans, digital users, and storytellers, we all have roles to play in the fight against Gender-Based Violence.

Our words and comments can either reopen wounds or become tools for healing.

This experience left a scare in my heart, I can only offer support, and share this story as advocacy, hoping rape culture is eradicated within our community.