I was only ten years old when my parents died from a car accident. I waited and waited for them that day, but they never came home. I only found out the next day that they were involved in a car accident and that they did not make it. I was just a child who had lost both her parents. I was so devastated. After the funeral I had to go and live with my aunt and her husband. That was a life changing situation for me. It meant a new place, a new school and also new friends. My aunt and her husband were very supportive. They treated me like their own child since they had no children.

My aunt’s husband was like a father to me. He treated me like his own child. I trusted him. A year later when I was doing grade six my aunt’s husband called me to clean their room. I always cleaned their room when they were at work. I went there and stared cleaning. I did not know that he was going to rape me. He stared undressing me and touching my private parts. When I told him to stop he started shouting at me and told me that he will kick me out of his house. He repeatedly and repeatedly forced himself on me. After raping me he told me not to say a word to anyone, even my aunt or he will kill me. That day I felt numb, I felt dirty and I cried myself to sleep. I didn’t tell anyone because I was afraid for my life. My life has not been the same since that day.

Every time when my aunt was working or not at home he would rape me. I couldn’t bear the pain anymore. I could see that my body was changing and I didn’t see my periods for the next two months. My aunt asked me about it, but I was afraid to talk in case she knew that I was pregnant. For once in my life I stood up for myself and told my aunt everything. She felt sorry for me and told me that I should have told her sooner. My aunt’s husband was arrested and that put my mind at ease. Having his child would have brought back bad memories so I had to abort the child. I killed an innocent soul all because of him. I went to a therapist and it helped. I also had to repeat grade six.

Now I am in grade 11 and doing well in my studies. When i finish studying I want to start a campaign that will be based on rape, because I know that somewhere in this world there is another innocent child that is going through the same thing that I experienced and she is scared to talk. I want to be the voice of those innocent girls who are scared to talk. I was only 11 years old when I got raped – I was just an innocent child.