Gang-raped, held captive for a month - Woman struggles to recover from wicked ordeal

At 22 years old, many females are often seated in a stable job or on the verge of launching her career. This is, however, not the case for single mother Kim White*, who says she is haunted by her past.

"Imagine losing yuh virginity to a bunch of man against yuh will. Me hate man with every breath me take, and is like me don't know me bed head different from the bed foot. I fail at everything, and life is just really wicked to me," she said.

The Kingston-born woman told THE STAR that her agony began at age 14. A grade eight student at a high school in St Catherine, White said that she learnt the hard way when she disobeyed her mother's order of heading straight home after classes.

"Me leave from school and follow one a me friend dem go drop off her likkle brother at her home. When she go inna the yard go drop off the likkle bwoy, two man come and start look me. Me tell dem me nuh ready fi do road yet, and dem just start draw me inna one big yard," White said.

She said that her friend had returned outside and was shouting her name but her mouth was gagged.

"By the time me fren come out, me coulda hear she a call out me name, but me couldn't answer cause the bwoy cover me mouth. Them carry me go weh round a one place that look like a tunnel," she said.

White said that when she got far inside the tunnel, she was greeted by another frightened and dirty teenager.

"One next fat girl did in deh, and she had on a uniform. When dem leave, she tell me say dem soon come back and me keep on ask if dem a go kill me, and she say no. Dem tie me up and put a socks in mi mouth," she said.

Accept her harsh reality

Hours later, White said that she and the other girl were viciously raped by at least six men to the point of where she was left unconscious.

"Them pull her and carry her outside, and when she come back she a bawl. Me a ask her a wah but she would a never answer me. Them pull me and carry me outside, but a bare darkness did out deh. Dem put me on a spring bed and about six a dem rape me. The first one who go, all a him blood up because a the first me a get touch. Me honestly never know when dem done cause me find myself back inna the tunnel a bleed like crazy," she said.

Their plight for the day didn't end there, as they were once again brutally abused.

Days turn into weeks, and White said she had no choice but to accept her harsh reality. With no resources to take showers, she told THE STAR that she and the other girl would be wiped off with a bottle of water and dirty rag before being raped. In addition, she said that they hardly got any food.

White said that during the third week of being inside the 'tunnel', she tried to befriend one of her captors, who told her that he was being 'forced' to sexually abuse her.

Eventually, he said that he told them how to escape.

"We start run and him say when we reach the end of the tunnel we fi just run and nuh stop. We drop and chip up, but we never stop. Me can't tell you how long we a run for. We end up all jump inna one river and then we end up out a Ferry," she added.

White said that they managed to find a police station where they reported the matter.

She was later reunited with her family, while one of her kidnappers was killed by the police. Another, she said, is still behind bars.

Although she spent a year getting counselling, White said her life has been a living hell.

"Me nuh trust nobody name friend because me still feel like a me fren did set me up. As it relates to man, me nuh waa inna no relationship with any," she said.

White told THE STAR that she hopes for better days and has dreams of becoming a registered nurse after she completes her secondary education as she has not attended school since the incident.

*Name changed