Helping rape victims overcome experience

When the sun sets in Nairobi's Korogocho slums, Kenya, many women usually pray that the night passes peacefully without becoming victims of crime.

It is a fear that is inherent in women of all ages as cases of crimes, especially sexual violence, rose in the slum that is home to over 100,000 people.

One such a woman who dreads the night is Jane Muchai. The lady, a victim of sexual violence painfully recalled what happened to her two years ago.

"I had gone for a short call at a communal toilet when three men accosted and raped me on my way back to the house," she said.

Muchai lived with these painful memories for so long but she has since recovered, thanks to a program in the area that is helping sexually violated women reconstruct their lives.

Dubbed Sexual Assault Survivors Anonymous (SASA), the initiative is aiding victims seek justice, accept what happened to them and more importantly, move on with their lives.

"We try to give victims a shoulder to lean on so that they can not walk alone in the time of distress," said Sheila Kariuki, the programs director in Kenya.

"SASA is composed mainly of people who have been victims of sexual violence. They meet on selected days of the week to share their experiences and give each other moral support," said Kariuki.

And to live to its name, she said the people in the group and what they underwent remained anonymous.

"We do not reveal our identities because we do not want to jeopardize our activities and affect the victims. Everything must be done anonymously to avoid the victims from being stigmatised," she said.

Members went through 12 steps to help themselves heal. The steps were in what the group called traditions, promises and prayers.

Each of the three had its 12 stages. For instance, in promises sessions, members vowed to accept that what they went through had to happen, that they would forgive those who wronged them and they would work hard to overcome their plight.

"This is a form of therapy and it helps to strengthen their conviction in changing their lives," Kariuki said.

"Sometimes during the sessions people are overcome with their emotions, finding it difficult to share what happened to them," Kariuki said.

When this happened, she said they gave the victims time to compose themselves and thereafter resumed their narration.

But Karuiki observed that this often does not happen. "We have been forced to postpone sessions several times because of the pain victims find in talking about their experiences," she said.

This, however, she said is part of the recovery process for victims. "It helps them understand themselves, accept their plight and soldier on with their lives."

Once a survivor had overcome the initial difficulties, Kariuki said it became easier for them even to pursue justice in court.

So far, Kariuki said SASA, which started in March this year, has helped over 60 women recover from the traumatic experience.

Muchai was one such a woman who is now living positively and she has been helping younger women who have fallen victim to sexual abuse triumph over the plight. In the group, she was called a sponsor.

Muchai talked to other survivors, especially new members, about her experiences and showed them that it was possible for one to progress with life despite the sad happenings.

She has also become instrumental in helping women, particularly those who have conceived through rape to accept their babies.

"Rape is a nasty experience. When a woman conceives through it, many find it difficult to keep the baby. But I give them my own experiences and show them why abortion should not be an option,'' she said.

When such a woman gave birth and she did not want to keep the baby, Muchai said the group helped her to find foster parents for the baby or give it for adoption.

SASA program targeted women of different ages. These were those aged below 18 years, those between 19 and 30 years and mature women of 31 years and above. "We hold their sessions differently because they have different experiences and ages. As a victim, it is easier to relate to your peers," Kariuki said.

Besides that, the group offers self-defence classes for women. This targeted women who are not victims of rape or any other form of violence. The classes mainly involved self-defence skills in martial arts.