Dear Editor,
My name is Lona, I am 23 years old, frustrated, abandoned, expectant mother living in Juba.
I fell in love with a man, and he promised to marry me. I believed in his words and one day he invited me to his residence, we made love, and I became pregnant.
This man is a clinical officer, working in one of the health facilities here in Juba city. But earlier he told me that he was working in a clinic.
He always had time to share nice moments with me, whenever I had an issue to share with him. He even called me regularly if he missed me.
As time went by, I started trusting him and even accepting his invitation to spend a night together at his residence.
However, our relationship took a twist when I discovered that I was pregnant and disclosed the issue to him, only to witness this man making a U-turn on me.
He started absconding receiving my phone calls or even switching my calls off.
When I checked out his residence, I found that he had relocated to another place which he concealed to me.
One day I sent him SMS text that he should take responsibility of the pregnancy but the man text back that I should conduct an abortion and he even prescribed medicine for effecting it.
One of the SMS texts he sent on 5th July 2023 at 08:21 Pm reads “You swallow ciprofloxacin and metro; it will go off the same day.”
“Then you take those drugs u will be free if ur not ready,” another proceeding text sent by my lover.
“You wanted solution, right” reads his last text and to date, this man doesn’t want anything about me.
This man, who pretended to be in love with me, now intimidates me by posting photos he takes with his first wife and children with writings that seem to be directed at me.
“Some people thought I was single, let them see,” reads the message accompanying the photos.
Though this man now posts the family photos, he had lied to me that he was single and wanted to marry me.
My father tried to call him and told the man to respond in three days’ time but till today, there is no response.
But, instead, this man called my sister, quarreling to her why we had involved our Dad in this matter. He doesn’t also pick Dad’s phone calls.
I need help. I wanted this man to take responsibility of the pregnancy as being the causer; he should bear the burden of his action instead of running away into hiding.
My parents are jobless and can’t support me much during my pregnancy and even after.
Can anybody out there help me to get fair justice?
For, I know after me, he might impregnate other unsuspecting innocent girls again. His rampage needs to be stopped.
EDITOR’S NOTE
I hope that civil society and human rights defenders take note of this message and take action to help Lona.