Hannah’s story is one you’d expect to see in a melodramatic and sensationalized film. It’s not something you’d expect to happen to a student nurse on an African elective. I was afraid of the tabloid headlines when I first read Hannah’s chapter and realized she decided to write under her own name: “student nurses held as sex slaves in Africa.” I’m writing this to steal their thunder, and while that is exactly what happened, it is not an acceptable way to approach Hannah’s story.
Hannah was repeatedly raped by the ‘King’ of the village who decided to marry her during a week’s placement in a remote village miles from any other habitation. When she was finally back in town and felt safe, she went back to rescue her kidnapped friend without hesitation. They were both assaulted by several men after that.
“She tried to compartmentalise what had happened, but flashbacks and nightmares began to surface.”
Hannah and her friend were both able to return to their respective countries. Hannah attempted to compartmentalize what had happened here, but memories and visions started to appear over time. Her tutor was informed of the situation, and a letter was sent to the company that had organized the elective. Unfortunately, their response reeks of a company seeking to defend itself by disparaging the victim. They asked why she had waited to reveal and why she had given her experience a favorable rating on their website. They said they would ‘issue a note’ to the ‘King’ in question, but that no further action would be taken unless further complaints were received.
Hannah was asked if she wanted to call the cops to report what had happened. She didn’t think they could do something because the crime occurred in Africa, and she didn’t think the African police would intervene. She didn’t think she’d be believed; the organization hadn’t, so why should someone else?
Hannah just wanted to shut it out, put it behind her, and move on, which is a common response among victims who chose not to report to the police. She has been working on her rehabilitation since then, with assistance from the Birmingham and Solihull Rape & Sexual Violence Project. She tells her story in the hopes of increasing knowledge of the effect of sexual assault crimes on victims and increasing comprehension of the challenging choices victims face when deciding whether or not to report.
