Chadian
teenager Zouhoura, whose gang-rape by young men from well-to-do
families sparked unprecedented mass protests in her country, says she
wants justice for herself and for 'all women'
On February 8, the 16-year-old was assaulted in a brutal sex attack in Chad
The gang rape that shocked Africa: Chadian teenager Zouhoura has spoken out to fight impunity for sex criminals in her homeland
On February 8, the 16-year-old was assaulted in a brutal sex attack in Chad
It triggered weeks of public demonstrations by thousands of young people
She has spoken out to fight impunity for sex criminals in her homeland
Chadian teenager Zouhoura, whose
gang-rape by young men from well-to-do families sparked unprecedented
mass protests in her country, says she wants justice for herself and
for 'all women' who have long suffered in silence.
On February 8, the fragile-looking
16-year-old was assaulted in a brutal attack that shocked many in the
poor central African nation.
This horrific event triggered weeks of of demonstrations by thousands of young people in the streets.
Zouhoura was on her way to school in
the capital N'Djamena with a friend when a car with tinted windows
pulled up alongside them.
Five boys were in the vehicle, whom Zouhoura later to learn were rich sons of the ruling class.
'They grabbed me by the neck and threw
me into the car,' Zouhoura said. 'They took me outside the city by
force...You know the rest.'
Zouhoura has since returned to France, where she had already lived with relatives from 2009 to 2015.
She has decided to speak out publicly in Paris to fight impunity for sex criminals in her homeland.
'There has never been justice before
over the rape of a Chadian woman,' said Zouhoura, her gaze firm from
beneath a grey headscarf.
'I'm not the only victim. There are
other women and girls who have been raped - I know them - and they have
remained anonymous, they have said nothing,' she added in an interview
on Friday.
Zouhoura,
who was kidnapped and raped by young Chadians dignitaries of the
regime, held a press conference, on March 18, 2016, in Paris
Encouraged by her father, who lives in
the eastern French town of Nancy and is an opponent of the hardline
regime of President Idriss Deby Itno, Zouhoura agreed to address a
meeting and give an interview.
'I expected him to say 'Wait, we need
to settle this in the family,' but no, he didn't hesitate. He told me
to 'go and file a lawsuit',' the youngster said of her father.
'To start with, I said nothing, but
later, when I saw that everybody was supporting me, I told myself, why
not speak out, (and) fight this?'
Zouhoura said that when she turned to the police in Chad they didn't react at first.
Detectives considered that a rape claim against the sons of senior officials in the regime was taboo.
'I talked, I talked. They threatened me,' she said.
Furious to discover that Zouhoura was
seeking action against them, the alleged rapists posted images of the
assault on social networks.
But their action backfired as photos of the naked girl in tears sent a shock wave of disgust across Chad.
The horrific event triggered weeks of of demonstrations by thousands of young people in the streets of N'Djamena
Despite the regime's tight security,
which leaves opponents little room for manoeuvre, hundreds of
schoolchildren demonstrated in the capital on February 15.
They were dispersed by riot police and one youth, 17-year-old Abbachou Hassan Ousmane, was shot dead.
The protest movement spread to other Chadian towns in the days that followed.
More young demonstrators were wounded and at least 17 were arrested, but the wave of solidarity spread abroad.
To see Chadians from the diaspora joining the protest as far afield as London and Washington encouraged Zouhoura.
When Chadian authorities 'saw that the
people were demonstrating and that my picture was circulating
everywhere on social networks, they were quick to arrest the
criminals,' she added.
The five alleged rapists, who include
the sons of three generals, were taken into custody together with four
suspected accomplices, including a son of Foreign Minister Moussa Faki
Mahamat.
But Zouhoura doubts that they will ever be brought to trial.
'In Chad, there is no justice... I am not even sure that they are in prison,' she said.
Although she is skeptical, she is
determined to at least try to have them held to account. 'I want
justice to be done, so that this doesn't happen again,' she commented.
Zouhoura's voice sometimes chokes and a tear rolls down her cheek. It is tough to speak out to journalists about rape.
'It had to be done, it was necessary,' she insisted.
The teenager plans to 'continue this fight', then later, perhaps, resume studies that were so brutally interrupted.
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