A human trafficking survivor’s ordeal started when she was approached by a woman in May 2012 who asked her if she was interested in getting married to a young man.
“I was deprived of my youth. I never enjoyed life like other kids. I was forced to get married to a man who was a year older than my mom.”
These were the words of a woman who was trafficked by Ayanda Wellington Vellem, from Ngqamakhwe in the Eastern Cape to Cape Town, at the age of 16, and repeatedly raped.
Vellem was on Wednesday sentenced two life terms by the Cape Town Regional Court for trafficking and rape, nine months’ imprisonment for failure to comply with the requirements of a valid customary marriage and six months imprisonment for assault.
As the globe observed World Children’s Day, the voice of the survivor of Vellem’s crimes has been highlighted through her Victim Impact Statement, compiled with the assistance of Court Preparation Officer Babalwa Hlatana.
“I was and still am traumatised because of what happened. As a result, I don’t trust male people, and I don’t even have love for men.
“I was deprived of my youth. I never enjoyed life like other kids. I have anger issues, and I am always scared. I was forced to get married to a man a year older than my mom. This man was old enough to be my father. I was only 16. The pain of sleeping with someone old (enough) to be your father is so unbearable. I feel like he took advantage of a vulnerable young girl who couldn’t even speak for herself.
“This incident destroyed me. I still have a picture of everything that happened. It’s a film that is playing every day of my life. It's something that I think about all the time,” the young woman said.
The questions are endless but the answers never come, she said.
“Sometimes I would ask myself why he chose me. Is it because I didn’t have parents? I always ask myself those questions but unfortunately there are (no) answers.”
The experience has affected her self-worth and self esteem, to the point where she fears returning to her village.
“I don’t have bruises and wounds that anybody can see, but I am living with something that I cannot wash away.
“I cannot sleep and think that when I wake up it will be gone. It is something that will never vanish. My scars are not visible, but they are tearing me apart.”
Her ordeal started when she was approached by a woman in May 2012 who asked her if she was interested in getting married to a young man. She was only 16 years old and attending school while being cared for by her grandmother.
The woman told her that the man was 25.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila said: “It was agreed that when she left with the woman, some people would inform her grandmother of the marriage. Vellem sent money to the woman to traffic the girl to Queenstown. In Queenstown, she met another woman and the sister of the woman who earlier approached her. The following day she was dressed in makoti (Xhosa bridal traditional attire) clothes, indicating that she was married, but at the time she had not even met the man she was marrying.
“He arrived two weeks later, and it was only then she was informed that he was her husband. After seeing him she told the sister of the woman who approached her that she wanted to go home, but the woman ignored her. She later saw Vellem’s identity document and found out that he was born in 1967.
“In the evening she was asked to take food to Vellem but when she returned to the main house, the lights were switched off.
“Vellem called her into the bedroom, instructed her to take off her clothes and raped her. She was afraid of him and told him that she was 16 years old, and did not like what he was doing but he continued.
“The next morning she protested and asked to go home but she was laughed at. She was asked to pack her clothes as she was going to Cape Town with the accused. In Cape Town, she was taken to the accused’s sister in Khayelitsha, where she stayed while the accused stayed in Du Noon.”
Vellem would visit Khayelitsha on weekends and assault the girl.
“She went to a clinic in Khayelitsha where she met a nurse who asked her age and why she was wearing makoti clothes. It was then she relayed what had happened to her. She also learnt that she had contracted a sexually-transmitted disease.
“(The nurse) contacted the girl’s uncle and told him what happened. Her uncle took her to his house, and they later laid charges against the accused.
The accused was arrested together with the woman who assisted him to traffic the girl.
“They were all charged with abduction, trafficking in persons for sexual purposes and failure to comply with the requirements of a valid customary marriage. Vellem was charged with rape.
“The woman who approached the girl passed away during the trial and the other two women were acquitted of all the charges,” said the NPA.
This case highlighted the critical need for sustained and intensified efforts to combat human trafficking, according to Ilitha Labantu, a social service and educational organisation fighting the scourge of violence against women and children.
“The vulnerability of young women, especially those from disadvantaged communities, is alarmingly high.
“Often, young women are lured into exploitative situations by promises of a better life, only to find themselves trapped in abusive and dangerous circumstances,” said Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said.
Cape Times
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