WARIF Survivor Stories
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the WARIF Survivor Stories Series, a monthly feature, where stories of survivors of rape and sexual violence are shared to motivate and encourage survivors to speak their truth without the fear of judgment or stigmatization and to educate the public on the sheer magnitude of this problem in our society. The Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) is a non-profit organization set up in response to the extremely high incidence of rape, sexual violence, and human trafficking of young girls and women in our society. WARIF is tackling this issue through a holistic approach that covers health, education, and community service initiatives.
WARIF aids survivors of rape and sexual violence through the WARIF Centre – a haven where trained professionals are present full time, 6 days a week including public holidays to offer immediate medical care, forensic medical examinations, psycho-social counseling, and welfare services which include shelter, legal aid, and vocational skills training. These services are provided FREE of charge to any survivor who walks into the Centre.

This is the story of Rebecca*, a 25-year-old survivor of rape.

I was returning home from work as usual; I had just alighted from the staff bus waiting for a cab to take me to my estate when a car reversed and stopped in front of me. The driver wound down; it was my next-door neighbor of several years, my dad’s peer who had just returned from a trip abroad, and he offered to drop me off at home. On getting into the vehicle, he headed in another direction and apologized to me, saying that he had to drop off an item at his uncle’s place.

Upon arriving at the location, he asked me to go along with him so that I would not wait alone in the vehicle. He got to the entrance and opened the door with a key while calling out a name to which no one responded and offered me a seat while he disappeared up the stairs. He resurfaced some minutes later to say that his uncle was asleep, having taken medications that made him drowsy; so, we had to wait a little bit. I immediately stood up to leave and told him I would not be able to wait for him as I was in a hurry to get home, but he assured me that we would leave in 30 minutes, even if his uncle did not come downstairs by then.

While we waited, he turned on the TV, put on a music channel, and asked if I wanted anything; I told him that I was fine, and we were leaving soon, so there was no need. After a few minutes of silence, he turned up the volume of the TV, got up, and came to seat on the sofa beside me. He then started to tell me about how he liked me and had been fanaticizing about this moment for a long time while caressing my arm. I tried to get up immediately, but he forcefully held me down and started to fondle my breast, and tried to forcefully kiss me. I struggled to get up and was shouting at the top of my voice for help, but no one could hear me over the loud music playing on the TV. I began to plead with him to stop and I reminded him that he was like a father to me, but he did not listen. He raped me on the sofa in the house of his so-called ‘uncle’.

I could not believe what had happened. It felt like a dream, and I wept bitterly, wishing that I would wake up from the nightmare. I had been deceived and raped! How could I have been so gullible? As I walked out of the compound, with the rapist closely behind me, I heard a man’s voice asking who was opening the gate, he responded but I did not look back. The threats that I had just received were still ringing fresh in my mind, ‘I would kill you if you tried to tell anyone about this, no one would even believe you’. I kept to myself from then on.

My boss at work approached me one day to ask what was wrong with me; she had observed that I had changed, I no longer exhibited the warmth that endeared people towards me, I stopped socializing at work, and I was lost in thought most of the time or not concentrating at meetings. It had been three months since the incident, and I had not told anyone about it. At that moment, overwhelmed by emotions, I burst into tears and opened up to her. She comforted me and went with me to a police station to report the matter. This led to the arrest of the perpetrator and a referral to the WARIF Rape Crisis Centre.

At the WARIF Centre, I received medical attention; tests were conducted, and I was taken to a counselor for psycho-social counseling. The psychotherapy sessions have helped me in dealing with the trauma from the rape incident. I always feel relieved after the sessions with the counselor and am better equipped with methods that I have learned from the sessions to help me better process my emotions.

The rape case was charged to court and justice was meted out on the perpetrator. Fortunately, the house where the incident happened had CCTV cameras installed, which provided irrefutable evidence and helped to speed up the case.

It has been two years since the incident; I am back to work, better and stronger. I have a more cheerful outlook and am hopeful for a meaningful life despite the trauma I have experienced. I recently got admitted to pursue a Master’s degree in International Relations at a University of my choice. I overcame my mood swings and was able to gather the will to pursue my dreams, many thanks to the WARIF Centre and its counseling team!

-End-
* Real name of survivor changed for confidentiality
Dear survivor, please know that you are not alone, and it is not your fault. Help is available. If you have been raped or know someone who has, please visit us at:
The WARIF Centre
6, Turton Street, off Thorburn Avenue, Sabo, Yaba.
or call our 24-hour confidential helpline on
0800-9210-0009
For questions or more information please contact: [email protected]