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Sexual abuse victim wearing her scars as a crown

Even though her childhood was terrible, it was just the beginning of the seemingly never-ending nightmare that awaited her.

A local girl from Potchefstroom is wearing her scars as a crown to show the world that, no matter what you have to go through, God has a plan with you and you will come out stronger in the end.

After being a sex object her entire life and trying to commit suicide four times, Pearl Mashila is now standing proud as a Ms Africa finalist, hoping that her life experience can be used to make a difference in the lives of others.
Pearl was molested since she was four years old. She tried to tell people but nobody believed her. The violation went on for several years.

When she was 15, a family friend raped her. ‘I thought of him as a brother. He took me for a drive one day but I never expected someone I trusted to rape me behind a bush,’ she said.

Even though her childhood was terrible, it was just the beginning of the seemingly never-ending nightmare that awaited her.

She had to do career shadowing and met up with the uncle of the man who had raped her previously. This was when her life as a sex object began.

‘He took me with him when he had to meet with clients and I had to sleep with different people in order for him to close a deal.’ This went on for a long time and, through it all, she asked God why this was happening to her and what she had done to deserve this.

‘I knew God had a plan for me and that, in time, He would show me what it was.’

One day, she decided she had had enough. She called a friend and asked him to help her get out of her situation.

‘He told me to take a taxi from Johannesburg and meet him. He was going to take me back to Potchefstroom.’ Instead, he took her somewhere else, took her phone and locked her in a room for an entire month. She had already tried to commit suicide four times.

Luckily, a friend of her captor felt sorry for her and helped her get out. She made a call to her mother, who had already reported her missing. Pearl returned to Potchefstroom where she had to receive treatment.

It was a difficult struggle and she still bears the scars of her past today. Now, she is the proud mother of a beautiful young boy and the founder of the Pearl Mashila Foundation which she uses as a platform to help and inspire women and girls who have fallen victim to sexual abuse.

Pearl wants to motivate girls to speak out when something like this happens to them, even at the hands of someone they love and trust. She says no girl should ever give up on their dreams. Even if they are in a bad situation, God will let it happen at the right time. She believes she is now an instrument of God.

‘Your dreams can only be delayed but never destroyed. Irrespective of how long it takes, they will eventually come true, provided that you put in the effort, the hard work and the sacrifices.

‘I am grateful for Africa Pageants for having a pageant that doesn’t focus on how pretty or skinny you are but rather on how you treat your fellow citizens. It is a charity-based pageant that is something close to my heart,’ she says.

You can vote for Pearl to be your next Ms Africa by texting MS02 to 47018. SMSes cost R2 and no free SMSes apply.

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