Mercy’s story

It was my first year in school when I went hanging out in company of friends that I meet a cute charming young man. I was in a long term relationship with him and he was way older than myself. Things seemed ok as he will service me with everything that made every other student envy me. He was my first love, he taught me the good, bad and the ugly. By ugly I mean, he introduced me to cocaine and so many other hard substance but most importantly, whenever he is in the country we paint the whole town red but the cracks soon showed.

He had a misfortune and went bank robbed, I was made to understand. When the money I had saved up ran out, he suggested that I work for us. I was not happy with the idea but I was so much in love with him that I couldn’t deny him of any demand. He pimped me out to his friends whom I will sleep with and return every penny to him.

His family were not very accepting of me and they made that very clear. He liked the idea that I was treating his friend’s nicely in bed and when he traveled back I stopped at his request.

I was already addicted to hard substances and I needed money to take care of myself and I went to his house to ask the brother for money only to find my boyfriend in the house with another lady. I tried confronting him but he beat me up with the brother and threw me out of the house.

He rejected me so I had to go back to the job he taught me to do to enable me take care of my addiction. I worked long hours and would have very little time with my studies as the mobile would ring constantly with clients wanting my services. I became a junky and my family sent me to rehab where I spent one year to get back my senses.

How I coped

I found the situation to make me feel dirty in a new way as he was using the money to go and get himself serviced by ladies, or he was taking me along. As a result I turned to the male clients for love in the form of hugs, which is something I continued even after rehab.

How the situation changed

The situation changed when someone called in for my service and on getting to the hotel it was him. I refused to service him and he raped, robbed and beat me up. There I told myself he didn’t love me.

What helped me to get stronger?

My memories of my family helped me to get myself together and the visions of missing out on the different plans they had for me, gave me the courage to go on and seek out the right ways to get them back for good. I also found a friend whom has been a great listener

and help for me.

What I would say to someone who is being abused

If a friend of yours is being pushed into prostitution, don’t turn your back on them – support them in any way you can. Don’t ask about the kind of work they are doing but just be there for them.