By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
At a time when everyone is supposed to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and call for action to accelerate gender parity, not all women are able to partake in these celebrations.
One such emotional case can be found among the Central African Republic (CAR) refugee women at Gado Badzere, a village located in the Lom and Djérem Division of the East Region of Cameroon.
Sitting under the shade of a towering tree amidst the relentless heat of the sun, a group of women sit with heads bowed in contemplation. From enduring the brutal killings of their loved ones to the harrowing journey that led them to Cameroon as they narrates, the plight of these women seemingly goes largely unnoticed.
The mental and emotional well-being of these women is profoundly affected by a haunting array of unhappy, sorrowful, and abusive experiences. The memories that linger are numerous surely casting a dark shadow over their daily lives. Their eyes speaks and the weight of these experiences are manifesting in various ways.
Thoughts of the unknown future surely weighs heavy on their minds as they consider the paths that lie ahead for themselves and their cherished children. Through shared silence and shared shade, they find solace in each other’s company, drawing strength from their collective resilience and unwavering commitment to shaping a brighter tomorrow for their families.
Some of these women have endured prolonged periods without access to food, their dry and cracked lips serving as a touching indication of the hardships they are enduring. The burden of their challenging experiences is visibly etched on their faces, serving as a powerful reminder of the immense resilience and inner strength needed to persevere through such formidable adversities.
Rahamatou Bidem remembers the horrors of being forced into marriage at the age of 13. Her father explained that it was their culture, but her supposed husband was a 60-year-old man, 47 years her senior. Rahamatou Bidem remarried but was again forced to flee from the Central African Republic when she found herself caught between two faiths.
“When the conflict started, I was caught in the middle since my father is a Muslim and my mother is a Christian. I was afraid and took my children and ran away,” she narrated. Her experiences and daily struggles make her think of Women’s Day as distance realities. Rather, she is more concern of putting food on the table for her six children and 24 grand-children.
For Zilanga, the significance of celebrating Women’s Day is overshadowed by the traumatic memory of the day she and her daughter were assaulted by Seleka Rebels in their home during the conflict. This horrifying experience remains her worst nightmare, especially as her daughter continues to face sexual violence, even in the refugee camp, leaving them both deeply affected by the trauma.
“When the conflict broke out, the Seleka Rebels came to my house. They raped me and my child. My child was 14 years old, and she started behaving in a certain way due to the trauma…The violence and abusive experience emitted on my child and me are still there and fresh and celebrating women’s day is not important,” she said.
Djawara Djoumani is a woman who witnessed the tragic deaths of her husband and three children in front of her. Her only surviving daughter, currently in Form Four in the Francophone section, is residing with her. According to Djawara, her primary concern is to find a new place to settle, with no intention of returning to the Central African Republic.
Facing challenges in securing a proper meal, Djawara Djoumani take a deep breath and expressed, “Due to the prevalent issue of rape, I made the decision this year to refrain from going to the forest for farming. There are individuals who lurk, anticipating your presence at the farm, ready to engage in such heinous acts. Given my age, do you think I could resist if such a situation were to occur?”
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