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Like any lady of her age, Helen, 19, dreamt of a bright future. That dream brought her from her hometown in Benue State, to Bariga, Lagos State, where she stayed with her sister. But in her quest for a better life, her dream was shattered last January when she was gang-raped. The incident dramatically altered her life.
Helen, who is now living with the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), is seeking justice against those who violated her. She tells her story to Senior TheNation Correspondent, EVELYN OSAGIE.
HELEN (surname withheld) will be 20 years on October 10. But she now bears a burden that is too heavy for her age. She was gang-raped in January this year and was diagnosed with HIV last month.
After secondary school in 2008, Helen wanted to further her education, but being the fifth of 11 children comes with its own challenge. However, determined that she would return to school some day, she began working as a cleaner in a big firm at Lekki, Lagos,
from where she hoped to save for school. She had worked there for almost a year before the tragic episode that altered her life dramatically took place. It was with a deep emotion that she recounted her ordeal.