Article Written by: Egbe Doris (an AGYW)
“I am a great woman. Not a thing,” Said Eta Mbu, a 24-year-old adolescent girl who, at a young age, was a victim of gender-based violence that nearly claimed her life.
Mbu suffered from female genital mutilation at the age of 15. She experienced severe bleeding, which nearly resulted in her demise. She lost her desire and satisfaction for sexual activity, which left her with the sensation of being a lifeless object.
Mbu was regularly raped by her uncle by the time she was 16 years old, which ultimately resulted in an unwanted pregnancy. Because Mbu’s parents could not bear the shame that such an act would bring upon the family, they forced Mbu to marry Pa Tom, a 70-year-old palm wine seller in the village who already has 10 wives, making Mbu the 11th wife.
“I am a great woman. Not a thing,” Said Eta Mbu, a 24-year-old adolescent girl who, at a young age, was a victim of gender-based violence that nearly claimed her life.
Mbu suffered from female genital mutilation at the age of 15. She experienced severe bleeding, which nearly resulted in her demise. She lost her desire and satisfaction for sexual activity, which left her with the sensation of being a lifeless object.
Mbu was regularly raped by her uncle by the time she was 16 years old, which ultimately resulted in an unwanted pregnancy. Because Mbu’s parents could not bear the shame that such an act would bring upon the family, they forced Mbu to marry Pa Tom, a 70-year-old palm wine seller in the village who already has 10 wives, making Mbu the 11th wife.
Mbu was an intelligent young woman with so much ambition; she wanted to get the best education and follow the profession of a lawyer. Because of the circumstances surrounding her, she was held back from achieving her dreams.
She was not in support of her parents marrying her off to an older man; hence, she always resisted Pa Tom when he makes any sexual advances at her. Pa Tom, on the other constantly tried to become involved with her because she was his youngest wife. He often physically abuse her to get his way. He denied her the ability to support herself and her child financially by forbidding her from engaging in any type of business. She became totally dependent on Tom as a result. She frequently receives slurs, humiliations, and insults from Pa Tom.
One year after being married in a horrifying marriage, Mbu became sick and was diagnosed with HIV. She contracted the disease from Tom, who, despite being old, had a series of other women outside. Even though Mbu often requested the use of condom during sexual activities with Pa Tom, because of the promiscuous lifestyle he was living, he often refused to give in. She was devastated and almost took her own life because of her HIV status
After receiving multiple sessions of counseling about HIV, Mbu decided to reassemble the broken pieces of her life and move on. She constantly took her antiretroviral drugs drugs, which eventually reduced the viral load in her blood stream. And this has permitted me to live a healthy life like any other person. Mbu understood that her story could be a source of inspiration for the millions of women and girls worldwide who are victims of gender-based violence. Today, she is a female activist, working on the front lines for the rights of women and girls.
Similar to Mbu’s narrative, many women and girls experience gender-based violence, which is one of the main reasons why the prevalence rate of HIV and AIDs among adolescent girls and young women keep rising.
WHY THE STORY OF MBU.
Thousands of young girls and women have acquired HIV as a result of female genital mutilation, sexual assault, and other acts of gender-based violence. According to the Nkafu Policy Institute, 56.4% of women in Cameroon have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.
The stigma associated with gender-based violence and mental health concerns can stop adolescent girls and young women from sharing their experiences, reporting incidents, and accessing support. Many young women say the fear of not being believed by their friends, family, or authorities keeps them from disclosing their experiences.
My Voice on this
To fully mitigate gender-based violence, the following should be taken into consideration:
Let’s have conversations on matters related to gender-based violence. More programmes should be created that encourage AGYW to speak up.
Critical support needs to be strengthened for AGYW who have been victims of gender-based violence. This includes access to long-term counseling, affordable housing, childcare supports, better legal assistance, and employment opportunities to economically empower them.
All regions of the country should have accessible report stations and follow-up commissions so that victims of such abuses can report them and receive care through regular physical and psychological examinations until they have fully recovered.
On an individual level, we can inform ourselves of the way gender-based violence affects the people close to us. Being there as non-judgmental support, listening, and offering to help find resources are all good ways to break the stigma and the isolation that AGYW experiencing violence often feel. Challenge ideas, jokes, and “locker room talk” that justify violence or shame young women that have suffered or are still suffering from gender-based violence.
There should be a close collaboration between the state and other stakeholders like NGOs,in taking the necessary measures to not only protect them but equally train them in a trade that will eventually yield their revenue. Crimes of passion should be highly considered and punished by law because everyone has the right to life, freedom, and security.
By so doing, the level of gender-based violence experienced by AGYW will reduce, thereby reducing the rate of HIV infections.
EGBE Doris TAKANG
