“I found myself in trafficking and realized that I was his merchandise”: the Cameroonian exile Rose Monde and two other women from migration recount on Sunday in the 7:30 p.m. program the sexual and gender-based violence they suffered in their country, on the road or in Switzerland.
Fleeing her violent husband, Sara* left the Middle East before finding refuge in our country. She still lives today in fear of being found.
His divorce filing almost cost him his life. “My ex-husband came to the house with a gun and threatened me and my children. Fortunately, we were able to escape,” she confides. “I changed homes, jobs, but it didn’t change anything. We were never safe. So I left my country.”
They rape you to remind you that you are a woman
Persecuted for her homosexuality, Rose Monde also took the road to exile. His journey from Cameroon to Europe was marked by sexual exploitation. Her smuggler forced her into prostitution to repay her debt.
“I knew that if I didn’t do what he asked me, I could die,” she says. “I found myself in trafficking and realized that I was his merchandise. He got me more or less for free and started selling me on. On the way to immigration, the woman is nothing “And when you’re someone like me, it’s worse: they rape you to remind you that you’re a woman,” she says.
A vulnerability that opens the way to exploitation
Arriving in Switzerland, Rose Monde found support from the Astree association, which supports people who are victims of trafficking.
“Forced migration is a factor of vulnerability conducive to exploitation,” notes Angela Oriti, the director and co-founder of this aid organization.
I often stopped in front of the police station, but I knew that if I went in, I was the one who would lose
-
“These women are looking for solutions to move from one country to another to find safety and need a place to stay. Some people offer such solutions, but with the intention of forcing them into activities such as prostitution,” she explains.
>> Also read: A new law in Switzerland to better protect migrant women from domestic violence
Domestic violence in Switzerland
Darlyn, for her part, suffered rape and beatings once she settled in our country. The Ecuadorian is not a result of forced migration, but her residence permit did not protect her from her ex-husband. He threatened to report her for a sham marriage if she went to the police.
“It really scared me. I often stopped in front of the police station, but I knew that if I went in, I was the one who was going to lose,” she confides.
Darlyn is now committed to supporting other survivors, by participating in the “multiplier” training of the Surgir Foundation.
“I think it’s very important to realize how resilient we can be,” she emphasizes. The thirty-year-old managed to overcome the horror of the past and remarried. “Today, I am happy, I am fulfilled like never before. I have my cats and my husband. It’s really happiness at home,” she declares.
*Istaken first name
TV subject: Clémence Vonlanthen
Adaptation web: Antoine Michel
