The agony of a raped victim who wants justice
published Aug. 24, 2022, 2:08 p.m. by mariamagboola
When an uncle who is the bread winner of the family rapes a woman; does she have a right to complain?
The lady who insisted on seeking justice is now alone as all members of her family have turned against her. Even her mother is no longer in talking terms with her; thus destroying the relationship that has existed between them.
The 33-year-old daughter said she wanted to reconcile with her mum (51) but she refused to talk to her, accusing her of bringing shame upon their family.
The woman from Snake Park in Ekurhuleni, meaning a Place of Peace, said since her uncle raped her in January and she wanted to open a case against him, she has not found peace.
She said she was told to let the family fix it. But when a family meeting was called on the issue to her dismay, nobody was on her side.
“They even made excuses for her uncle who did not turn up and when I said the meeting should be postponed until he could attend, they refused and said I was the person they should be talking to,” she said.
The woman said her family talked her out of opening a case against her uncle, saying it would make him lose his job; thus threatening the source from where he gets money to help the household financially.
“I told them how evil they all were for siding with my monstrous uncle. After that, they started ignoring my children whenever they asked for certain things and also removed them from the family school bus; saying there wasn’t enough space for them anymore.”
The woman told a local newspaper that at one point, they refused to give her children food and told them that there was not enough to go round.
“Luckily, I found a job at a supermarket and moved out of the family house with my kids.”
The woman said since she left, her mum has been refusing to answer her calls and even blocked her on WhatsApp.
When her mother was contacted, the mother who said she was not interested in talking about the matter; pointed out that ‘this is sensitive and the fact that she is now talking to newspapers is exactly the reason I won’t talk to you or her,” said the mother.
A Non Governmental Organization, Angie Brink from the Tears Foundation advised the woman to open a case; assuring her of its support.
She said the foundation would help her throughout the process and will also be organizing counseling program for her in a hospital.
However the police spokesman Mavela Masondo said the woman could still open a case, but it would take time to make an arrest.
