After Susan was attacked, her mother took her to a clinic where she received medical care as part of a USAID program. The nurse who saw Susan said he treats at least five victims of sexual violence in the area each week.
But beyond the physical trauma she suffered, Susan also faced a terrible stigma. “There were a few girls who mocked her when she went to the river to fetch water, and this made her father and I cry,” says Susan’s mother. Other villagers told Susan that she was now the wife of her rapist.
Filled with bitterness and shame, Susan’s parents worried about how their daughter would ever recover.