Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

SIERRA LEONE: Marion Kargbo, "My mother gave me to them"
26 Feb 2009 17:42:01 GMT
 Source: IRIN

Background

•  Sierra Leone justice

•  Children

MORE >>
FREETOWN, 26 February 2009 (IRIN) - Marion Kargbo was 18 when she was forced to marry a soldier of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in January 1999, in the middle of Sierra Leone's civil war. Ten years later, RUF leaders have been found guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including forced marriage – the first time a court has treated the offence as a crime separate from sexual slavery.

According to local NGOs many women and girls associated with the rebel forces, especially those not in fighting roles, were excluded from the official disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process whereby ex-combatants received money and training to help them re-enter civilian life.

"On January 6, 1999, the rebels came to [the capital] Freetown. ...The rebels came to burn the [family] house and capture us. Before they set the house on fire, they demanded my mother hand over one of her children. If she didn't, they would kill us all.

"My mother gave me to them.

"The rebels took me to the provinces. Makeni [in the north]. I was raped on the way to Makeni. I was unable to walk [afterwards], I was bleeding. Seven men raped me. I was a virgin.

"In Makeni I was forced to become the bush wife of CO Papa, the second commander of Scorpion Group.

"I lived with him for seven months – I was forced to have sex, but also to collect firewood and water. During that time CO Papa wouldn't let the other men touch me.

"I escaped. The rebels were killing too many people. I was scared and had to escape. I was pregnant with CO Papa's child.

"A Sierra Leone army soldier escaped with me from Makeni to Madina [farther north]. The place was surrounded with RUF again [so] I left the soldier and walked to Kambia [in the west]. In Kambia I was raped again by an RUF rebel. I was still pregnant. I started bleeding. He beat me with his gun.

"When I returned to Freetown, my family refused me because they say I am part of the RUF now.

"A friend told me about the Forum for African Women Educationalists [FAWE, an NGO that helped victims of the war].

"FAWE gave me medicines and skills training in catering. They had to convince [my family] to take me back. I was staying with [my family] but they were not treating me nice, so I left.

"I stay just with my daughter. She is nine now. I am doing catering to support us. The assistance from FAWE is the only help I have received.

"I have registered in the reparations programme but they did not explain to us what the reparations will be or what the criteria are. I hope my child will be educated [through the programme].

"I was a witness at the [RUF] trial [but] I won't feel anything.

"My life is better now, far different. I am able to support my child."

bh/aj/np

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  International Humanitarian Law

•  Children

MORE >>

Emergencies

•  Sierra Leone justice

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Special-Court Convictions in Sierra Leone fail to provide justice for war survivors says CAFOD
CAFOD - UK

•  Renewed Fighting in Central African Republic Left Thousands at Risk of Disease and More than 100 Children Abandoned, International Medical Corps Reports
IMC - USA

•  South Sudan: John's Story
Medair - Switzerland

•  MSF exposes emergency nutritional and medical needs in Guinean prisons
MSF International

•  Somalia: ICRC warns of worsening humanitarian situation in central region
ICRC - Switzerland

MORE >>

Latest news

•  SIERRA LEONE: Marion Kargbo, "My mother gave me to them"

•  GLOBAL: Spoonfuls of sugar could save malaria patients

•  Ex-Serbian president acquitted of Kosovo war crimes

•  SIERRA LEONE: "Forced marriage" conviction a first

•  MALI: Raising money and hygiene standards

MORE >>

IRIN news

Background information

Briefings
Sierra Leone justice - [Who works where]

Topics
International Humanitarian Law Children
Facts & figures
Sierra Leone

Related articles

Breaking stories
 SIERRA LEONE: Marion Kargbo, "My mother gave me to them" (1 minute ago)

GLOBAL: Spoonfuls of sugar could save malaria patients (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Schools shut down in shattered Zimbabwe - U.N. (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Special-Court Convictions in Sierra Leone fail to provide justice for war survivors says CAFOD (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 Zimbabwe: Getting to the health centre in an ox-cart (1 minute ago)

Maps
 MAP: Global projected land use changes, 1700-2050 (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-02-26T153946Z_01_ISL26_RTRIDSP_2_PAKISTAN-POLITICS_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/ISL26.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-02-25T161511Z_01_JFL28_RTRIDSP_2_CRASH-AMSTERDAM_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/JFL28.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-02-25T094227Z_01_COL02_RTRIDSP_2_SRI-LANKA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/COL02.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-02-25T094137Z_01_COL01_RTRIDSP_2_SRI-LANKA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/COL01.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-02-23T142627Z_01_JER20_RTRIDSP_2_PALESTINIANS-ISRAEL_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/JER20.htm

A child walks near vehicles set ablaze by supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) during a protest against the Supreme court's decision to exclude former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif and ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Thu Feb 26 17:42:57 2009