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I am 19years old.
I am positive with HIV. I got the virus 5 years ago. In my culture girls
are supposed to get married as early as you begin periods. I was one of
the lucky girls on our village to have gone to school before my parents
forced me to marry an old man with ten wives. To my parents he was a rich
man who could give them a cow in return for giving him wife. At the age
of 12yrs, I got married. I didn't know what to do with the man he was
the age of my grand father. My Aunties briefed me on how to please a man
during sex. It was my first time to learn about sex bse in Africa talking
about sex is a taboo.
After afew weeks of marriage I felt to much pain especially in my private
parts, my real mom died long ago and my stepmom with my dad didn't want
me to divorce despite the fact that I wasn't happy. I told a friend about
the problem and she offered to bring me some medication. When it was my
turn to have sex with the old bitch I would give excuses and yet bse I
WAS A VIRGIN THE MAN PREFERED TO ALWAYS COME TO MY BEDROOM. It was a horrible
experience that I decided to leave one day at midnight when the man insisited
we should have sex and I had no interest at all.
And when i reached one of my Aunties place she agreed with me that the
man was so old and I was so young. My Uncle in marriage agreed (husband
to the kind Auntie) agreed to pay school fees for me bse I was brilliant.
I accepted to go back to school. When I turned 14yrs my uncle in marriage
began asking for sex to which I refused bse I had no interest in sex and
besides he was my kind Aunties husband. But he one day raped me I feared
to tell my Auntie bse she could fire me out of her home and I didn't have
any where else to go.
A few months later my Auntie fell sick with all the symptoms of HIV/AIDS
I was scared to death I took her to hospital and she tested HIV Positive.
I looked after her untill death and I DEFINATELY KNEW THAT I WAS ALSO
HIV POSITIVE and it was true when I went for a test.
All my younger sisters who had visited that home had been used by this
Auntie's husband 2 of them have since died and the two of us are still
surving with the virus. We have tried to look for justice in the courts
of law to arrest this man but because he is rich he bribes the courts
of law and we are left to suffer with no money to even afford two meals
a day.
My advise to all the youth and parents is if you're still alive try not
to allow any relatives in your home or allow a girl child to visit uncles
bse at times there a source of HIV/AIDS problem.
Sent via Email, March
31, 2005 from Uganda.
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