‘Feeling sorry for yourself will get you nowhere but standing up and fighting back the right way will work for you.’
This is how Pearl Mashila, a sexual abuse victim and founder of the Pearl Mashila Foundation, feels women should react after a sexual assault or rape. She says this is how victims can help themselves heal and overcome a difficult situation. ‘I’m still on a journey of turning my scars into stars. If any other sexual abuse survivor can do it, so can you,’ she said.
On Saturday, 17 February, the Pearl Mashila Foundation, in association with BA Seobi Secondary School in Ext. 7 hosted an awareness march against woman and child abuse.
Teenage girls from BA Seobi carried posters expressing how they feel about the sexual abuse of women and children and marched from the Ikageng Memorial Park through the streets of Ikageng. This was part of the awareness campaign that is currently being run by the Pearl Mashila Foundation. ‘As a rape and sexual abuse survivor from the age of four, it has not been an easy journey for me over the years. But, for every challenge and obstacle I have faced, I managed to draw strength through it all. This is the message I want to leave with all women and children who have gone through such traumatic experiences – that you have a voice and have every right to be heard,’ she said. The Pearl Mashila Foundation is a registered NPO, founded by Pearl, with the support and guidance of her mother, Mrs Kedibone Moiloanyane and Mr Nicholas Makae. The organisation has been operational since 2015 and has arranged a number of social events.
‘By God’s grace, we have been growing from strength to strength. Our focus is on individual growth and not just “feeding the problem” at hand,’ Mashila said.
She thanks all the sponsors and stakeholders who helped make the campaign and the march a success.
Her message to children and women who have become victims of sexual abuse is not to let their past determine their future.
‘Don’t hate or blame yourself, allow that experience to build a new character and draw new strength from within,’ she said.
Photos: Marianke Saayman
