C. watching the film "In-visibles" by WWO
Esther Nyacke Ntah
Community Manager WWO, French-speaking Africa Zone
The story of C.'s rape (we will keep the name anonymous) is a chilling one for anyone who has faith in the law. C. was raped by a gendarme in a gendarmerie - in other words, in a place and by a person who was supposed to ensure her safety.
One day, C. was summoned to the gendarmerie after a dispute with her neighbour. She went to the Gendarmerie Brigade in the morning, but the investigator in charge of her case didn't see her until late in the evening. As it had become dark during the questioning, the investigator decided to suspend it and keep C. in custody. Until the next day, she was sent to a cell. But that night, after the patrol team had left, the gendarme on duty visited C. in her cell. He offered her a sleeping bag and asked her to go and sleep in his office: "I should have refused this nice offer and stayed in the cell," she explains thoughtfully. Unfortunately, it was much later that she realised that she had been caught in the trap of a vicious man. First, he told her about his marital problems, pretending to be a victim. Then, much to her surprise, He laid down beside her by force, then began to grope her mechanically. Fearing the worst, C. began to struggle, trying to reason with her abuser. Unfortunately, the more she speculated, the more insistent he became. He remained adamant and finally satisfied his bestial desire.
The next day, C. reported the rape to the commander of the gendarmerie, with the firm promise to lodge a complaint. But the chief of the brigade begged her to keep quiet, arguing that he was a year away from retirement and that the scandal would taint his career and even his team. And to dissuade her further, he warned her: " Besides, do not forget that you yourself will be stained, my colleague will say that it was you who provoked him and you will become the social laughing stock ". After hearing these harsh words, C. gave up the idea of pressing charges against the raping gendarme, and simply accepted the commander's offer of a medical check-up. As she was leaving the gendarmerie, another gendarme approached her, urging her to take the lout to court. Because this offence had to be punished, and morals had to be cleaned up in their environment. But C. replied that she preferred to keep her reputation intact and protect her son. Her defender, not justifying her fear, reminded her the limitation period for lodging a complaint: "In case you change your mind one day, you should know that the maximum time limit for lodging a complaint for sexual abuse is 10 years in our country”.
It is now several years since C. was dishonoured. She still hasn't found the courage to denounce her abuser. But she was lucky enough to be welcomed at the World Women´s Observatory (WWO) in April 2024. It was a welcome that enabled her to finally express her pain to a sympathetic ear. Although her testimony was made with her face covered, she now feels at peace. After the confidences, C. watched the film "Invisibles", and decided to become its ambassador. A status that allows her to participate in her own way in the WWO's noble mission of making mistreated women visible.
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