2013 VOF Week 2 A Monster in the Home

Fifteen years ago, I joined the teaching profession. During the first semester I noticed a young, innocent, beautiful and intelligent girl age 12 in her first year called Hilda. At the end of the first semester, Hilda proved my positive impression about her right because she had an average of 18.5/20. My lovely, intelligent and beautiful Hilda continued to top her class during the first three years of her secondary school life. I fell in love with Hilda because of her academic performance and for all these years, she had a special place in my heart.

Unfortunately at the end of the first semester in the fourth year, Hilda was among the bottom three in class. The outgoing Hilda had become so reserved and pale. She keeps to herself, had no friends and sleeps a lot in class. I decided to find out what her problem was. When I brought up the topic, she started crying, saying she does not want to die. After convincing her that she needs help, Hilda’s revelations were shocking.

Hilda was sexually molested by her own father. She had committed 4 abortions and presently she was suffering from a chronic venereal disease. Her father sleeps with her at least twice each night. He had made her take an oath not to tell anyone. That’s why Hilda was under the impression that if she reveals this secret she will die.

I alerted the school authorities and her father was summoned. He confessed to this crime and I thought the school authorities will file charges against him. Unfortunately, I saw this man a few weeks later roaming the streets freely. Hilda was removed from the house and sent to the dormitory but my greatest worry had been what will happen to her during summer holidays.

For the past 15 years, I continue to feel guilty because I discovered a ‘friendly monster’ but was unable to set his prey free. From that moment, I had taken a resolution to use all available means to help end this kind of violence against innocent ‘Hildas’. I trained as a professional teacher in order to get closer to more girls, and went further to have a Master in Sustainable International Development, specializing in gender related issues and currently I have come up with a Non-Governmental Organization with the vision to help end violence among women and girls, but finding funds to carry out programs and projects geared towards achieving my vision is a major challenge.

Becoming a member of World Pulse online community is of great importance. The tools available here are just perfect for me to expose the so many ‘friendly monsters’ in my community. If I had these tools 15 years ago, Hilda’s father would have served a maximum sentence for committing a crime against his own flesh and blood. My dream today is to use this medium provided by World Pulse to expose such ills in my community and bring the perpetrators to justice.