{"id":295198,"date":"2025-12-04T11:36:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T09:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?p=295198"},"modified":"2025-12-04T11:36:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T09:36:09","slug":"a-survivors-testimony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/a-survivors-testimony\/","title":{"rendered":"A survivor&#8217;s testimony"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>At age 7 I was a child and my body became a battleground. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My cousin&#8217;s father raped me, whispering: &#8220;No-one will believe you. This is love.&#8221; \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My mother worked night shifts and I was left to endure it alone. Two years later my great-uncle repeated the horror. I kept quiet, trapped in shame, convinced I had lured them.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lessons of a child\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Grade 2 a rainbow picture book taught me this wasn&#8217;t normal. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the damage was done. I masked it with a bubbly facade, mastering silence. One night I whispered Mommy as he touched me, but my fear outshouted my voice. &#8220;Why didn&#8217;t you say anything?&#8221; \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was 13, helpless and protecting them.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Slurs cut deep: &#8220;worthless&#8221;, &#8220;monster.&#8221; I believed them. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rebellion became my shield.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The legacy of trauma\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both abusers are dead, but their ghosts haunt me. Today, I ask:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why did adults fail me?\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why does society blame victims?\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not a story of defeat. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a scream. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Survivors, you&#8217;re not alone. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oh world, GBV is a war on us all. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am McShane, I survived and will not be silenced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"674\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"295199\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/a-survivors-testimony\/whatsappimage2025-11_76065\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsAppImage2025-11_76065.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,1823\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"WhatsAppImage2025-11_76065\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;McShane Lewis from Langebaan survived GBV.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;McShane Lewis from Langebaan survived GBV.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsAppImage2025-11_76065-674x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsAppImage2025-11_76065-674x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-295199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsAppImage2025-11_76065-674x1024.jpeg 674w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsAppImage2025-11_76065-197x300.jpeg 197w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsAppImage2025-11_76065-768x1167.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsAppImage2025-11_76065.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">McShane Lewis from Langebaan survived GBV.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At age 7 I was a child and my body became a battleground. My cousin&#8217;s father raped me, whispering: &#8220;No-one will believe you. This is love.&#8221; My mother worked night 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