I was raised by my uncle and his wife in a cordial family set up in the North Region of Cameroon, Garoua to be precise. Being a soldier, my uncle often lodged his colleagues who came from remote villages to receive their salaries every month end. I can recall having being sexually harassed on three different occasions by his friends. I particularly recall the case of one of his friend (who is of blessed memory and dare I say sadly that he died of AIDS) who always looked at me in an unusual manner whenever he came around and loved slapping my buttocks whenever I passed beside him....... At the time I was just 9 years old but looked much older because of my height. One day he came around in the absence of my uncle and wife, took out a 500 frs bank note from his khaki pocket and held it out.He told me to come and take it but only if we could do something together. At that point I understood something wasn't right. I didn't move an inch. I managed to ask him what he wanted us to do and he said “You mean to tell me you don't know what big people do, a man and a woman when they are alone?” I can never forget those words. My heart was beating so fast yet I managed, in my embarrassment to quickly sneak out using the back door and ran for my dear life.in my embarrassment to quickly sneak out using the back door and ran for my dear life.in my embarrassment to quickly sneak out using the back door and ran for my dear life. I never told my uncle or his wife and since that day, I never felt comfortable again in the presence of this my uncle's friend. How was I supposed to tell them? How will I start? Will anyone believe me? What if he used his gun on me? What If my guardians decided to call me a bad or spoilt child? All of these thoughts made me to remain silent. My actions towards the man could have been a clue but no one noticed. I believe that if my guardians had had sex education with me at home, I would have been able to reveal that shameless man. This is why I encourage every parent or guardian to start having sexual and reproductive health talks at home with their kids as early Teach them the parts of their body and the differences between male and female sex organs. Tell them how private their private parts are and that no one should touch them. Tell them to report any form of sexual harassment to you the parents. Read more

As we sat there waiting for our results, I couldn't hide my fears as thoughts of all the unprotected sex I have had in my life came flooding through my mind. There was this particular girl, an ex, who passed away a few months after we broke up and rumor had it that she was HIV positive. I could feel the sweat sliding down my spine as I recounted the number of times we slept together without protection. My parents could notice my trembling but I couldn't care less; If it weren't for them and the damn DV program I wouldn't be here in the first place....... At long last the doctor called us in and …………. I was safe. Words can't begin to express what I went through that day… it was by far the most traumatic 30 minutes wait in my entire 21 years of existence. As we left the hospital, I made the decision never again to engage in unprotected sex.I even vowed never again to have sex but may be it was just the adrenaline. Read more