‘I screamed, but no one heard me’ •Sarah Ibrahim’s story of defilement, loss and healing

A Familiar Face Turns Violent

Sarah Rabiatu Ibrahim was a familiar face in Awoshie, Accra. She often helped her mother sell second-hand goods. One day, a man she recognized asked her to follow him home. He claimed he needed to settle a debt. Sarah didn’t hesitate, as she was already collecting debts for her mother.

Once inside his room, Sarah waited for the money. Instead of cash, he proposed a relationship. When she refused, he became violent and assaulted her. “I screamed, but no one heard me,” Sarah recalled in an interview with The Mirror last Wednesday.

She described how he twisted her arm and bit her. After the assault, he threw her outside. “I bled,” she said, recalling the traumatic experience from ten years ago.

Finding Courage to Speak Out

After the incident, Sarah went home injured and bleeding. She changed out of her bloody clothes and discarded them. When her mother noticed her injuries, Sarah lied about falling down.

The next day, she confided in a doctor who treated her like family. This doctor took Sarah to the Anyaa Police Station to report the crime.

In the years that followed, life became difficult for Sarah. She faced miscarriages, suicide attempts, and feelings of abandonment.

Background Information

Sarah was born in Accra to a Christian mother and a Muslim father. She attended Beseaj Academy for basic education before moving on to University Practice Senior High School (SHS).

“I always dreamed of entering the medical field,” she said. However, financial difficulties prevented her from continuing after SHS.

Aftermath of the Assault

Following the assault, medical examinations confirmed that Sarah had been defiled. The perpetrator was Paul Nana Poku; he was arrested and taken to court.

While attending school during his third hearing at court, Paul escaped custody at a traffic stop. “He wasn’t handcuffed,” Sarah explained.

She felt abandoned when police made no effort to find him afterward. Poku’s parents claimed they did not know where he was located.

“I doubt if any records about my case still exist,” she said sadly.

A Marriage Born from Necessity

At 20 years old, marriage was not part of Sarah's plans. After finishing SHS and being kicked out by her mother over a disagreement with her sister, she felt desperate.

The man who offered shelter eventually proposed marriage to her. “He made me feel comfortable and supported,” she recalled.

However, their marriage faced challenges when they struggled with infertility issues due to multiple miscarriages.

Doctors initially suspected Rhesus incompatibility but later ruled it out as a cause for loss during pregnancy.

Another doctor suggested that an incompetent cervix might be responsible for these miscarriages—possibly linked to the earlier assault on Sarah.

Carrying Emotional Scars

Years of trauma have left deep emotional scars on Sarah’s life. She struggles with low self-esteem and recurring depression; suicide attempts have been frequent for her.

“The worst attempt involved drinking pesticide,” she shared tearfully but thankfully someone intervened just in time.

“I feel hopeless and dejected,” she admitted while expressing doubts about ever having children or marrying again due to trauma-related fears.

Therapy has helped somewhat but has become unaffordable recently for Sarah.

Finding Hope Through Crafting

Despite everything she's endured, Sarah hopes for healing through crafting skills at Auris Fashion Centre where she's learning beadmaking.

“I want to create beaded bags and accessories,” she stated optimistically while considering returning to school once financially stable again.

Now living with her trainer in Spintex area of Accra gives her some stability as well as hope for advocacy work supporting other survivors like herself.

“Justice remains my hope," said Miss Ibrahim thoughtfully."What if I had received proper legal support? What if someone cared enough?”