‘We should never be ashamed’

FROM VICTIMHOOD TO EMPOWERMENT

- NADIA KHAN [e-mail]

A FORMER Durban woman shared her harrowing experiences of sexual abuse and harassment, highlighting her journey from victimhood to empowerment.

Through her foundation, she advocates for stricter laws against sexual predators and encourages open discussions about these critical issues.

Poovendhrie Roja Naidoo, 44, formerly of Mariannhill, said the first violation occurred when she was around 5 years old, after her father had passed away.

“We had a close family friend and I wanted to visit them so I could play with their daughter, who was about my age. That evening, her dad offered to drive me back home. I am not entirely sure why my friend didn’t come along, but perhaps because it was a single-cab bakkie.

“But on the way home, he pulled over and started touching me between my legs. I was terrified. I cried and kicked, but he didn’t stop.

“He pleasured himself while touching me. As a child, none of it made sense. I was confused, scared, and silent when I got home. I didn’t tell my mom anything until many years later. By that time, he had already passed away,” she said.

Naidoo, who now lives in Johannesburg, said when she was about 7-years-old, she attended a religious organisation in Chatsworth every Sunday.

“The group met in the garage of the religious leader’s home. I recall that one particular Sunday, I felt sick and my mom took me inside the house. She laid me on the couch to rest until the service ended.

“The house was empty, and because I had grown up around everyone there, I felt safe.

“A few minutes later, the religious leader’s son came inside to use the toilet. When he finished, he made a few funny faces at me and came closer, asking what was wrong.

“T told him I wasn’t feeling well. He sat next to me and asked me to give him a kiss. I refused, but he forced one anyway. I felt deeply uncomfortable and tried to push him away.