Episode 3 Hannatu's story

One sunny friday afternoon, my sisters and I strolled around the farm singing while they worked. Before long, we began to hear footsteps around.. At first we thought it was other people working too but as it drew closer, it became scary.

My sisters dropped their tools and stood at alert, placing me safely behind their back. Few seconds later, 7guys bursted out of the trees on one side of the farm and before long we were surrounded..

Hussaina, my oldest sister begged them to take whatever they wanted but not to hurt us. But they were not about to listen to her. "We don't want anything from you" they replied in hausa. "Just lie down and open your legs and everything will go peacefully without anyone getting hurt"..

"No.. No please don't defile us here like this I beg of you" hussaina continued. "We will give u all our work's wages but please don't do this to us. We are children". They didn't even wait for her to finish the statement before one of them landed a heavy slap on her that sent her to the ground.. He pulled her to a steady position and tore her clothes agressively.

She screamed in pain as he forced himself into her, threatening her to shut up or else he'd kill her.
The others also took my two other sisters and did the same to them. They fought and bit but all to no avail. I watched in horror as 7 men took turns to rape my 3sisters till they where satisfied.
After the had finished, one looked me in the eye and said before walking away "you are next". I shivered with fear, confused and helpless. My sisters laid on the floor bleeding and too weak to move. We remained there until the night guard patrol came around hours later and pitifully helped us home.

My mother wasn't back yet from her trading. She normally wouldn't return until past 9 at night most times. My sisters were laid on a mat outside and were given "kunu" and some water to drink. Hussaina regained a little strenght after that and warmed the remaining food for us to eat and then carried us inside to sleep. She sat outside and waited for our mother. I can still hear her crying bitterly as she waited. I couldn't sleep. My mother came back and was told what had happened. She wept along with my sister, blaming the misfortune on God who had taken away our father and now left her defenseless with no man to fight for her and her children..

"Fight", I remembered that word. My father told me before he died.. "fight" but it still did not make any sense. I slept off, dreaming about all that had happened this day and hearing the screams. Fear became my new friend.

The next months that followed where accompanied by painful stories of other young ladies being brutally raped and injured by men from neighboring communities. Everybody lived in fear especially the women and girls. It became more prominent with every passing month. We suffered this horror with no hope of help from anywhere.

Three years later it became a norm. Not a day passed that there wasn't a report of rape. Most women stopped sending their daughters to the farm but for those who has only girls like in my house, It was either the risk of rape or the risk of death by hunger. They had no choice.

Then my turn came..

...
Continues tomorrow.