Ebola’s footprints: Diary of a 14-year-old girl

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

The Ebola virus in Sierra Leone produced a far reaching effects in the lives of Sierra Leoneans.

Every Sierra Leonean—men women and children alike have had their share of the many ills the virus brought to the West African country.

Children, especially girls have suffered. Many girls became pregnant during the school closures for a period of nine months. Some have been sexually harassed by men because they have lost one or both parents to the disease and are now finding it very difficult to survive. Some did not lose parents, but the economic situation in the family is really difficult

Fourteen-year-old Salamatu (her real name and identity withheld), found herself in the bed of her uncle, her father’s friend who promised the family he was going to take care of her schooling.

Salamatu’s father had lost his job as a native herbalist during Ebola, when the Government of Sierra Leone banned the practice. Life became difficult for the family.

‘’The very little my father had he used to send me to school in Bo, (Sierra Leone’s second capital city). So he sent me to this friend of his. I was staying at his house for a few months. One day, I was driven out of school for school fees. My father came all the way from my village to negotiate terms of payment, but was not successful. So my uncle told my father he would pay,’’ says Salamatu.’’

One day,  we were watching movie in my uncle’s parlour together with his children. We were up until 9:00 p.m. when he ordered everyone to bed. At 12: 00 a.m. I saw the lights go off in my room. But I thought one of his children had put it off. So I switched it on again. He switched it off again. By this time he was already in my bed. I fought very hard. But he pushed me and I hit my head on the wall. He pushed me to the wall again and he raped me. One of his sons heard me cream and he shouted daddy what are you doing? Open the door! But he told him he won’t come out until he finished what he was doing.

I woke up with blood all over the bed and my clothes. I run off to one of my aunts and told her what had happened. She reported the matter to my dad. My dad came back from the village and asked him if it was he that did what he did. He accepted it was his doing and promised my dad he would marry me.

My father asked me whether I would like to get marry to him. The man came out and started talking to me. But I hit him with a stick on the head. Weeks later I realized I was pregnant. Months after I delivered a baby boy.

‘’Sometimes I feel very bad about the fact that I am a mother at this age. I pity my child sometimes because he is only a product of rape. I can’t vent my anger on a poor angel,’’ she concludes.