WOMAN RAPED THREE TIMES - Using her story to give hope to victims of abuse

STAR Writer

"I was raped when I was 10, 14 and 17, and I blamed myself. I thought I was the problem," Jasmine Fearon told THE STAR. However, she said that she is now at a place where she can use her ordeal to motivate persons who might be faced with similar traumatic incidents.

"I'm not ashamed to tell people I have been raped. ... I went through it and now I can be here to tell my story and encourage somebody, especially now in 2020 when you see so many people going through these things. I cannot keep my life a secret, I have to tell them that the same God that help me to overcome will help them," Fearon added.

The 43-year old, who hails from St Andrew, said that she was raped by a family member, a friend, and a police officer. "During that time and because of the sequence of how it happened, I thought I was doing something wrong, so three times I try take my life, even when I was an adult, because it affected me."

Fight my battle

Fearon said that she has never tried to get her abusers arrested, adding that she decided to "let it go and let God fight my battle". The woman, who has resided in the Cayman Islands for the past 10 years, recalled growing up in tough circumstances and not having a positive outlook on life until she had a baby.

"I had consented sex when I was 22 and I got pregnant with my daughter, and that was the first time I gave a man permission to have sex with me. My daughter was a life changer for me, I started to see meaning in life," Fearon expressed

"I could not read until the age of 29, and I didn't let that stop me. I'm now a student at the UWI Open Campus in the Cayman Islands, doing courses in small portion to become a registered nurse, but I'm working as a certified caregiver," she said. "I also started my ministry, Power of Prayer, in November 2015 and it has been going well. So far, 33 persons got baptised after they became a member."

Fearon said she is on a campaign to bring hope to victims of abuse. Her message to them is: "It is not your fault what you have been through, it is the work of the Devil to let you feel shame and depressed. Even though you are in this position, you don't know what 10 years may bring; get up and move, don't be crippled."