WUNRN
Rwanda - Book of 17 Survivor
Testimonials - Sexual Violence:
"The Men Who Killed Me"
In the hundred days of genocide that
ravaged Rwanda between April and July 1994, an estimated 250,000 to 500,000
women and girls were raped. No one was spared. Grandmothers were raped in the
presence of their grandchildren; young girls watched the massacre of their
families before being taken as sex slaves. To a lesser extent, boys and men
also fell victim to sexual violence.
Fifteen
years after the Rwandan genocide, The
Men Who Killed Me features testimonials from seventeen survivors.
Through their narratives and portraits, sixteen women and one man bear witness
to the crimes committed against hundreds of thousands of others. In their
strength and courage, they challenge the stigma of surviving sexual violence
and living with HIV/AIDS (an astonishing 70 per cent of survivors are HIV
positive).
All the
authors’ proceeds from this book will go to Mukomeze,
a charitable organization established to improve the lives of girls and women
who survived sexual violence in the Rwandan genocide. Mukomeze coordinates the
sponsorship of individual women, ensuring they receive medical assistance,
including antiretroviral treatment for those who are living with HIV, health
education, trauma counselling, support for income generating activities, and
where applicable, assistance with their education. While all survivors featured
in this book are beneficiaries of Solace Ministries, sponsorship by Mukomeze
ensures they receive more comprehensive care, treatment and support. Mukomeze
will prioritize the sponsorship of survivors featured in this book.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Foreword by
Stephen Lewis
Introduction
1. The Roots
of Sexual Violence in Rwanda
2.
Testimonials (excerpts from 3 of 17 testimonials)
Clementine
Nyinawumuntu
“When I reflect on my lost childhood, I
have a feeling of such extreme sadness. I lament whenever I remember all the
dreams that I once cherished and are now forever lost. I lament when I remember
all those men who repeatedly raped me during the genocide, those same men who
broke and destroyed me and every single aspect of my life. Those same men who
killed me, slowly but very effectively.”
Hyacintha
Nirere
“I was only twelve years old when I was
brutally raped during the genocide, at different times by different men.
Because of the events that occurred in those months, I never got the chance to
live my life as I had wished …. I became a woman without even having a chance
to be a girl. I did not know anything about sex; my parents never explained
anything to me. I was not prepared to become a mother and take care of a baby.”
Marie
Mukabatsinda
“I want you to know that the horrors
people inflicted during the genocide are more than any human being can endure.
For a long time after, I despised myself for what had happened to me. I hated
everything that surrounded me, because it reminded me of what I had lost. I
used to think that I would rather be dead than living with HIV, but I have
received comfort from a charity that also provides me with antiretroviral
treatment and food. I know now that I can continue to live with HIV.”
3. Life
after “Death”
Afterword by
Eve Ensler
What You Can
Do
Glossary
Acknowledgments
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