Eugenia Baffour Bankoh has shared the trauma she had to endure for years as a young girl who was raped by a man she trusted, an unfortunate situation which happens in several homes due to the failure of parents to educate their children about sexual abuse.
Eugenia, the founder of 'The Safe Space Foundation' was a speaker at the 2023 'Women of Valour' summit organized by Nana Aba Anamoah. According to Eugenia, she was moved to share her story after spending years in the dark, feeling embarrassed.
"The first time I encountered sexual assault, and I will call it rape because I am not embarrassed about that anymore. Some years back, I used to be embarrassed talking about it because, in our community, it is taboo to talk about something like that...it is not for fans or attention but it did happen to me.
"I was 12 years old and it happened with somebody I trusted. In Ghana, when growing up, we didn't have sexual abuse teachings, African mothers avoid such teachings with their children," she disclosed in the video captured by GhanaWeb.
Eugenia, a Children's Right Activist now spends time using her platform and voice to speak about sexual assault and how young girls can be saved from going through childhood traumas.
It took courage for Eugenia to come out and tell her family and the world the guilt she lived with.
As a young girl, she thought she deserved what his abuser did to her. This has been the case for many other victims.
"It doesn't only happen in uncompleted buildings, it is happening in our homes...it was damaging for the rest of my life up until I found the courage to do something about my story and my trauma. For a decade, I didn't know who I was worth or what an identity was," she narrated.
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