40+ Year Old Woman From Bafut Shares Her Heart-Wrenching Journey As A Conflict Related GBV Survivor
In the vibrant hall of Bamenda’s Immaculate Conception Nazareth Home, amidst the whispers of hope and resilience, a survivor’s voice rose above the rest. Her story raw, painful, yet inspiring captivated everyone in the room. She is a 40+ year-old woman from Bafut, a conflict-affected community in Mezam Division, whose journey through violence and suffering has become a testament to the indomitable spirit of survivors fighting for a new beginning.
The hall was in deep silence as she began to recount her harrowing experience. Before the crisis, she was a dedicated teacher, passionate about shaping young minds. When the conflict erupted, her peaceful life was shattered. She remembered how parents came to her with desperate requests to keep their children safe and learning, prompting her to open a small teaching center which for her is a contribution to her community’s hope for normalcy.
This her resilience drew the interest of armed groups operating in her area. They warned her to close her school, threatening her and her family. Despite the warnings, she refused to give up. One fateful evening, her story changed.
“Later that evening,” she recounted, “They came to my house an issued a warning against me teaching, issued another through my husband, but my passion for the childrens's futures gave me the boldness to tell them 'We can't raise a generation of unlearned children'. They told me to wait for them. When they came back, they tied us all up; my children, my husband, and myself. They took my husband and I into the bush, where they beat us mercilessly. They used drugs to intoxicate me, threatened to kill me if I didn’t pay money. They separated my husband and me, and I saw him being beaten too. I saw others, old and young, looking like theiri souls had gone on a vacation, hoping for a day when their eyes will have a glimps of their friends and families, not thick forest and men moving with guns and cigarettes”
Tears welled the eyes of other participants as they showed empathy. She recalled the brutality inflicted upon her. “They caught off my toenails, burned rubber slippers and dropped in my hair, and sexually harassed me sending their fingers into my vagina. I felt helpless, broken, and humiliated by boys young enough to be my children or younger brothers. I thought I would die that day. But somehow God kept me alive...”
Her voice grew steadier as she explained the aftermath. “They finally released us after we paid a huge ransom. I was left scarred physically and scared emotionally. I felt like I had lost everything; the safety of my family, my dignity, my sense of self. I questioned if I would ever recover.”
But her story didn’t end there. She found strength in her pain, and healed day by day through the support CAGEAD gave through this training. With relief she said, “I realized I am not alone,” she said softly. “There are others like me with stories even worse than mine, and together we can rebuild our lives.”
Her story is a reminder of the trauma faced by countless women in conflict zones. Yet, it also embodies resilience, hope, and the unwavering determination to forge a better future. As she concluded her narration, her eyes shone with newfound hope.
“I am a survivor,” she declared confidently. “My journey has been painful, but I am healing. I will not let violence define me. I am reclaiming my power, my dignity, and my future.”
Her courageous testimony continues to inspire everyone in the hall an affirmation that even amid the darkest storms, the survivors spirit can rise, heal, and flourish. Through her story, she exemplifies the core mission of CAGEAD: transforming pain into empowerment, and trauma into resilience.
By Muh Yvonne Nchim