Women Are Not Safe Anywhere ❗️

On the 22 of March 2020,I got a distress text from a close friend of mine. And I immediately had to all her.She was so panicked and couldn’t even get her words right. This was someone that whenever we talked,she screamed my name on the top of voice and I had to take the phone away from my ear.

  I immediately had to calm her down, “Margret calm down,calm down, take deep breaths,deep breaths,in and out, use your words”, I said. She calmed down a bit after a cycle of this. Then I asked, “so what happened”. “Geraldine,Ger…Ger..Geraldine. I don’t know what to do. I do..don’t know what to do. A friend of mine is here balling her eyes out cause..ca..cause she..she..she and her sister were just raped like a few minutes ago”, she finally said in a hushed tone.

I myself immediately began to panic. The alarms in my head began to go off. And my brain was in work mode. I immediately began to think of all the articles and books and videos that I’ve read and watched about things like this. I couldn’t believe I really had to use them.

I immediately put myself in her position, she was with her friend and her sister who were just raped and she didn’t even know what to do and even if she did, the panic that filled her couldn’t let her think straight. So I was the one to ensure that her friend and the sister was safe. 

“Ok, Margret your friend is in distress, you are the one that she trusted and she came to you,put yourself together so we will make sure she’s safe. You need to take them to a chemist,clinic or pharmacy and get after pills. They are drugs you take after sex or a forced sexual intercourse to avoid pregnancy. Thereafter go to a hospital for them to take out the samples,”residue of the sex” for it to be tested. And most importantly get a full STD and STI test done for them”.

I didn’t hear her voice on the other line and I had to call out her name severally before she answered. I had to repeat the message severally before she got into action. I had to keep my phone close by incase she called again. This was during the period that the Federal Government said that all schools should be closed and students are to go back to their homes. So imagine the dilemma they were in,school just closed and the were hurriedly trying to pack up their things and go back home before the interstate borders were closed and then this now happened.

They had little cash on them cause the money they had, it was for their transport back home so I had to send money to them to help with whatever they had to do. When they got to the pharmacy they didn’t know the particular after pill to ask for and I had to run round my hostel like a mad person asking any random person I met if they knew the most effective after pill to take. Most people didn’t answer me and some gave me snide looks. But I didn’t care cause I knew I had to help someone, so I continued running and barging into rooms asking till my roommate came and saw me panicked and asked me what was wrong and I told her what happened and she gave me a name for the drug and till this day I continue thanking her. She in turn said, “it is essential for us girls to help each other. Cause if we don’t who else will”. And I’ve never forgotten what she said since.

That day was a roller coaster for my friend and me and I’m sure it was worse for her friend and sister in which the horrible deed was done to.Margret told me about the snide looks and comments the pharmacist and hospital attendees gave both of them but the worse were the comments. I couldn’t believe that medical personnel’s could utter such. “Where was she?” , “are you sure she doesn’t know them and she was in their bad books?” , “what was she wearing?”. And other degrading things but the worse was, “I’m sure you enjoyed it”. 

I don’t understand are you okay?! How can someone enjoy being raped?!! Don’t people understand the meaning of it?!!! The whole thing happened in their apartment,their apartment for Gods sake! Women aren’t safe anymore. Robbers broke into their apartment and stole all the valuables they had but the most precious thing they stole was their dignity and sanity forever.

I’m still dumbstruck by the incident of that day. Since this rape thing came up,I haven’t been able to sleep properly. It’s been so triggering and my mind keeps thinking back to all my experiences with every human I have ever been in contact with since I knew myself and if I had been molested or assaulted in anyway or form. My senses are heightened more than usual and I don’t know if it’s just me.

If rape doesn’t bother you or you don’t see it as a big deal or as a clown told me yesterday that “feminism is the partial cause of rape” you have a huge problem and you need to be checked mentally.

Rape is not something to joke about. Tomorrow it might be me,you, your sister, mother,aunt,grand mother or worse a baby.