Sahra Guled (not her real name) is living with HIV in Hargeisa, Somaliland. She contracted the virus after being raped inside a Saudi jail near the Yemeni border, where she had been detained for two months as an illegal immigrant.
She went to Saudi Arabia two years ago to make some money to help her mentally ill brother back in Burao, Togder region. But instead, her life was ruined. After learning of her status, Sahra was shunned by the aunt she lived with in Burao, as well as all her relatives and friends.
Radio Ergo’s Hargeisa reporter met Sahra, 21, in an HIV/AIDS treatment centre in Hargeisa.
Sahra: I was born in Burao in Togder region. When both my parents died, I was very young. My younger brother and I lived with our maternal aunt. I quit school because my aunt couldn’t afford to pay for the school fees. My younger brother later developed a mental health problem. That was when I decided to migrate to Saudi Arabia to get a good job and help him.
Ergo: Why did you undertake such a dangerous journey?
Sahra: It was really a very tough decision that I made as a result of the miserable living conditions I went through. I was so traumatized about my brother’s health. I wanted him to recover, to resume education and get back to his previous normal life. Even some people in the village advised me to migrate and get work for my mentally sick brother, because they thought I was mature enough to travel and look for job.
Ergo: Where did your journey start?
Sahra: I migrated to Yemen via Djibouti in January 2012. I was in Yemen for a month, and migrated to Saudi Arabia. We were arrested near the Saudi border when the smugglers we paid disappeared. The Saudi border patrol guard took us to a prison in a desert area. We were eight Somalis, two men and six women. The two young men died from torture. The prison guards were so merciless. They repeatedly raped and assaulted us every morning and evening.
Ergo: Who raped you?
Sahra: The prison guards who were dressed in Saudi police uniforms. They were seven of them, and they used violence whenever they raped us.
Ergo: Then, what happened?
Sahra: After staying two-months in jail, they took us back to the Yemeni border and threatened to kill us if we tried to come back. I stayed in Yemen for another two months recovering from my injuries. Then I entered Saudi Arabia a second attempt and went to an area called Khamis. I felt very sick and visited a local doctor, who told me that I was suffering from liver complications. I later moved to Jeddah where some of my relatives stayed. They took me to a Somali doctor. My main fear was that I might be pregnant due to the rape and sexual abuse inflicted on me in the prison. Shockingly, the doctor told me that I was infected with HIV/AIDS.
Ergo: What did you do after hearing you were HIV positive?
Sahra: I was shocked; my relatives advised me to return to Somalia. I approached the Saudi immigration service to request deportation, and I was deported to Mogadishu in mid-September, this year.
Ergo: How were you received by your relatives in Burao?
Sahra:I returned to my aunt’s house. I told her about my horrific story and my HIV status. She threw me out of her home and threatened to kill me if I stayed around her house. I sought help from several other relatives, but they all expelled me. I was isolated and disowned. I slept outside every night for a week. I later came to Hargeisa, and was assisted by a local organization that provides housing and free treatment to women suffering from HIV.
Ergo: How are you now coping with life in Hargeisa?
I was assisted by the local Talo-wadag organization that supports HIV/AIDS patients in the town, by giving me a two-room house. They also provide us cooked food, and free antiretroviral medication.
