Sex Abuse, Blackmail Victim Speaks Out

Community activist: man’s actions are “bondage”

Updated: Monday, 21 Mar 2011, 11:17 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 21 Mar 2011, 11:17 PM CDT

by Tom Lyden / FOX 9 News

A brave Somali sex abuse and blackmail victim is breaking her silence by speaking with FOX 9 News about her struggle in an attempt to save other women from sharing her experiences.
“My culture and my country -- (it’s a) very shameful thing,” she said.
The victim -- whose identity will remain concealed -- has shown herself to be a woman of enormous courage, and shared her painful story about a man she met, fell in love with and then fell victim to.
She told FOX 9 News reporter Tom Lyden that she met her attacker three months ago, but ended the relationship when he drugged and raped her.
“He raped me and then I called and asked him why he did that, and he said, ‘If you talk, I will show everyone your video tape,’” she recounted.
She said he also took pictures of her naked, and soon after, she discovered he was married with three children.
When she refused to continue the relationship, she said he began circulating pictures of her at a local Somali mall where she works. Before long, he would e-mail hundreds of copies for a price of $5.
“One night, he (brought) a friend over to my home and said, “If you don’t have sex with him, I will send your picture,’” she said.
Last week, it got so bad for the woman she tried to take her own life by drinking bleach.
“This is the worst shaming method. It’s a modern way to keep a woman in bondage,” said community activist Abdi Bihi.
According to Bihi, the same strategy is used by human traffickers, who blackmail young women with naked pictures to keep them in a life of prostitution.
Compounding the shame and violation of experiencing these acts, the woman said the ordeal has made her an outcast in the Somali community, leaving the 25-year-old victim a prisoner in her own home.
“Even when you are married, you’re not supposed to see the naked body of your wife,” explained Bihi.
Still, she said is sharing her painful story because she doesn’t want it to happen to any other women.
“He said, ‘Are you ready to marry me?’” she recalled. “(I said,) 'No. I hate you. … You kill me.'”