GBV survivor: What these 16 Days mean to me

Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world. [iStockphoto]

When Maureen Juma was 16 years old she went through a painful experience that has been putting her through years of mental anguish.

"It was during the school holidays when I was in high school. We had visited our rural home in Kakamega. One evening, my mother sent me to the market to buy some food," narrates Maureen, who is now a 23-year-old single mother of one. "On the way, I encountered my father's friend and two other men. He called me to go and talk to me. Trusting his relationship with my father, I approached them," she narrates.