Hanifa Nakriyowa had escaped an abusive marriage just three months
earlier before she became scarred for life, she had gone to her
estranged husband home one Sunday evening to pick up their daughters
when a man dressed as a security guard poured acid on her face.
She
remembers screaming in pain as the corrosive liquid burned her skin. By
the time neighbors rushed her to the Hospital, doctors could do little
more than keep her comfortable and give her seared skin time to heal. “I
was literally raw and faceless she said, my nose had fallen off”. I had
lost one eye, the scarring had disfigured my entire face but I had a voice says Hanifa . In 2012 she formed Centre for Rehabilitation of Survivors of Acids and Burns Violence (CERESAV)
, to raise awareness about acid violence in Uganda and to give
survivors a place where they felt belonged. Hanifa shares her very
inspiring story in this interview.
Before the attack |
Growing Up
Being the firstborn in the family, I was raised and trained to take
care of my siblings, trained to take on values that will be exemplary to
my siblings and expected to take on family values as a girl child.
While in school, I always demonstrated maturity in whatever I did, which
as you may know is a common feature with all firstborns in our African
society especially girls. This maturity always led me leadership roles
from my earliest school years. As a student in leadership role, I was
expected to take good care of the little kids in school. I was also
expected to demonstrate good character, be clean, handle myself with
respect and be smart in class to be a good role model to the kids I took
care of. If I failed to observe good character, then I would be
punished in front of the school parade which would of course be an
embarrassment that no one wants to go through. There are days I would
blunder of course as a child and get my dose of it. Such blunders would
help me get more careful. I had to work harder to save myself of the
likely embarrassments. I would say all this must have prepared me to be
the person I am today.
My Acid Attack Experience changed me
I never knew about acid attacks until it occurred to me. at first I
didn’t know what consequences it would have on my life. I had ever seen
any survivor of acid attacks in Uganda all my life. Until one month
after my attack, while still in hospital, I was visited by a young girl
in her 20s who had been had survived the attack at 18 years. Seeing how
the acid had disfigured her, listening to her share my story, I broke
down and cried. I sobbed for her. I felt so much pain for her that I
even forgot all about mine. I could not imagine how someone could be so
cruel to ruin such a young girls’ life. Then I saw many other acid
attack patients come in each new day. I got so overwhelmed and wondered
how this could be happening in our society and many of us have no idea.
That was my turning point. I focused on how best I could use y personal
experience to raise the awareness of the problem.
Inspiration behind “CERESAV”
My personal experience and my encounters with other survivors. The
shock that my attack brought with it to me, my children, my family and
friends. The rate at which acid attacks patients were brought into the
hospital while I was there. Then when I came out of the hospital, the
condemnation I suffered, the ostracism, socioeconomic discrimination and
stigma that I experienced firsthand. The public perception and the fear
that it brings especially associated with the injustices. The trauma
that it brought with it on me and especially my children. “At least if I
never knew, others should know and run for their lives. My daughters
will not have to go through the same lifecycle. I just cannot sit back
and do nothing. I cannot continue to hide these scars. Women cannot
continue to hide their burned faces. We have to break the silence.
Something has to be done and if I don’t do it, who will?”. These are the
kind of statements that ran in my head each time I cleaned my maimed
face.
Being the only organization in Uganda advocating for victims of burns
That has changed recently, thanks to the power of sensitization and
lobbying. But while it was still the only organization advocating for
acid attack survivors, it always got overwhelming trying to meet needs
of the survivors in the face of limited resources. These are people
whose dreams have been almost shuttered, majority of them do not have
any level of education to compete favorably in the labor market, even
for those with some education, they face social and economic stigma and
discrimination, many would not want to employ a person with a maimed
face. Appearance play a very central role in the labor market politics.
As a result, survivors’ expectations were exponentially higher than the
organization could meet. As far as policy challenges are concerned, the
organization advocates for social justice to address and end acid attack
violence, which, to many is a “drop in the ocean” as far as statistics
are concerned in relation to other “pertinent issues” like HIV/AIDS,
Malaria, Rebel wars among others. But every life matters. Acid attacks
have spillover effects from the direct victim, to their children,
families, relatives, friends and anyone they come across. The effects of
acid attacks leave lasting scars on anyone’s memory. It is the most
horrendous form of violence. We cannot look at it quantitatively. Its
qualitative effects are just way too devastating.
Other project and activities?
I am involved in activities aimed at empowering women and girls
especially through sensitization seminars and lectures. This I do during
my free time since I spend most of the time in school working on my
assignments and school projects. Plus, I have a full time job taking
care of my two daughters.
My greatest reward
Seeing a ray of hope shining across faces of four children. These
four children were left homeless in December 2012 when their mother died
after an acid attack by their father. Helpless and hopeless, the family
cried out to me for help. But I could not take up the responsibility.
It broke my heart. Each time I came back home to my children, my heart
bled for the other four children who no longer had a mother to run to. I
am the one they ran to and called mom each time I went to them. I
reached out to a journalist friend who agreed to feature an appeal I
made to the public in the newspaper. The article was read by one amazing
lady who runs a children’s home. She took in the four children on the
Christmas eve of 2012. I felt that was the best Christmas gift these
children could ever get in life.
Most Memorable Moments and Awards
My most memorable award is my scholarship to attend graduate school
after my acid attack. This gave me an opportunity to redefine and
re-strategize my life and my career. After my attack, everything seemed
to get out of place. I was working for the UNICEF program on a contract
which would end. I had no idea what next I would do with my life after
my contract ended. Everything I did for the organization largely
depended on my salary. I saw myself in the middle of nowhere after my
UNICEF contract. I wanted to go back to school but there was no success
with all the applications I made. I continued unceasingly because I knew
I needed to go back to school and redefine my career path. Finally, I
was accepted into the university of Pittsburgh graduate school of public
and international affairs to pursue a master’s degree in international
development and human security studies
On Africans not well informed on the danger of acid attack
I do not think so. It is not just African, but this is a global gap. I
don’t even think that the perpetrators actually know the dangers of
their actions when they are plotting such attacks. Otherwise no human
being in their human sense would think of such inhumane act on humanity.
I have encountered many people from different parts of the world who
question what acid attacks are and what the dangers are. Many people ask
me how I cope with it. This is the very reason I continue to be
actively involved in sensitization activities. Many people including the
perpetrators need to know the dangers of such attacks. Many people need
to know that it is not a problem of the poor, or the unlearned, or the
informed. Just anyone is vulnerable to such attacks. In recent years
acid attacks are no longer a problem of poor Africa, or poor Asia, or
poor south America. It has now become a problem of rich Europe and
America. This has to stop. People need to know. Everyone needs to get
involved before it knocks on their doors.
Who and what inspire you to be better?
My daughters. They are the strongest, most resilient human beings I
know. They give me countless reasons to stand tall in the midst of
storms and darkest days. Then my faith in God keeps me going. I don’t
know how I would deal with a maimed face if I had no God. I cannot even
imagine or picture what that life without God would be for me. Maybe I
would not be here. For every move I make successfully, I know it is God
at work behind the scenes. He has held my hand so firmly and tenderly
that in most cases I even forget I have no face. Leave alone the face
you see today after over 36 surgeries, ranging from scar releases and
skin grafts, to complete nose reconstructions from nothing left except
one eye.
Being an overcomer make me a woman of Rubies
I am an overcomer. I have been trampled on, picked up the pieces and
stood up tall and moved on even more determined to do better than I
would ever do my entire life.
Inspiring word for women all over the world
Women are created to move the world. We are shakers of this world,
that is why the world is so afraid of strong women. If you are being
oppressed or intimidated or abused, then you have a strength your
oppressor/abuser/intimidator cannot stand. If you have the chance to tap
into your inner strength, do not wait until it is too late. Because we
are the most resilient of humans, we tend to cave in and build
resilience to tolerate all the negative forces. You are not all the
negative things you have been told you are. I never thought I was this
strong. I had to be pushed to the edge to tap into my inner strength.
You do not have to wait. If you are not comfortable in your skin because
of what you have been told, you are not where you should be. Search for
yourself from within.
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