PHOTO: Angeline Saydee – Survivor
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
On the morning of December 12, 2018, Liberians in Sinoe, in the southeast of the country, opened their eyes to a rude awakening – three women had been stripped naked and paraded in Johnny on suspicion that they were involved in witchcraft activities.
One of the victims, who was three and half months pregnant, died as a result. That news made national headlines and sparked widespread condemnation from the human rights community then.
Besides being humiliated, one of the survivors, Angeline Saydee said they were raped, tortured with fire being rubbed on their backs and objects inserted into their private parts in the zoe bush they are taken.
It followed the disappearance of a toddler said to be one and half years old, for which they were being held as suspects. Their abusers have since been condemned in court and given lengthy sentences.
Since their unfortunate experience, however, the remaining two survivors have received no form of assistance, whether psychosocial, moral or financial from government or humanitarian institutions.
They are making passionate plea for NGOs and government to help them rebuild their lives
According to Saydee, she continues to live in extreme fear and trauma arising out of the bad experience they endured. She also remains sickly since then. Besides, making ends meet has also become extremely difficult and that her daily survival is an uphill battle.
“It difficult for me to get five Liberian Dollars on my own since we were paraded nacky and raped including objects inserted in our private parts and my boyfriend left me” survivor Saydee narrated.
Their only source of livelihood, according to her, is the subsistence farming that her parents are involved in without which they have nothing to eat. Compounded by that is their deplorable living conditions, with leakages all over the roof of their house.
“Imagine to even get washing soap to wash her clothes it is difficult but said it is her friends who can sometimes assist her with washing soap something she is a challenge time for her she added”
After their humiliating experience, they had no choice, but to return to the same community in ion, they returned to the same community where they were stigmatized by some Community dwellers but she has moved to her parents in Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh County where life is extremely difficult for her.