HIV/Aids has become rampant in the world today. Both young and old people have become victims of this this virus that has no cure. Some of these young people are victims of rape, like the case of Miriam Wanjiku who was raped, impregnated and infected with HIV by a man who had offered her a job.
Miriam was born and raised in Naivasha, her mother was a single mother and due to lack of funds she dropped out of school while she was thirteen years old. She started helping her mother with their daily expenses.
Her mother used to work at the quarry while she washed clothes for different people. She would get calls through her mother’s phone form different clients in her area and she would wash their clothes and clean their house for a fee.
One day she was called for a job by a man who lived not far from her home. She agreed and the following morning she left and went to his house. He welcomed her well and she started to wash the clothes. When she was halfway done the man came to where she was washing her clothes and made advances at her.
She said that she refused and the man was angry. He pushed her to the bed and gore her clothes he covered her mouth and he raped her until when it was night time. When he was done he asked her to leave. Since her house wasn’t far from his house she ran home but she didn’t tell her mother what had happened.
After a few a months she missed her periods and she started feel unwell. Her mother took her to hospital and after several tests the results showed that she was pregnant. What pained her more was that she was also HIV positive.
Miriam was shocked and in denial because she knew that at her age she hadn’t slept with any other man. She went into shock and even after counseling she didn’t accept her status. She refused to take her medication and her health deteriorated while she was pregnant.
Their doctors informed her that she had to use the medication so as to protect her child from getting HIV. She agreed and nine months later she gave birth. She didn’t breastfeed her child and after three months her child was tested and she was HIV negative.
She regretted not going to the hospital on that day because the doctors would have protected her from getting the virus. She has advised women to report to the police whenever they are sexually abused and visit the hospital immediately after they are raped so that they can receive medication meant to protect them from getting HIV.
