Nuh Guh Deh: Nickeisha’s Story

Eve for Life launched its “Nuh Guh Deh” campaign in Kingston in November. The launch was supported by UNICEF Jamaica and a number of other stakeholders, supporters and clients. You can contact Eve for Life at evejamaica@gmail.com or by telephone at (876) 754-3594. You can also find them on Facebook and on Twitter @EveforLife.

These are the words of seventeen-year-old Nickeisha (name changed), one of Eve for Life’s clients in St. Ann. 

Specially invited guests; fellow teen advocates; ladies and gentlemen; good morning.

Having parents around in my pre puberty years was limited and my father was very distant. At 11 years old, my mother migrated to the United States of America for better working opportunities.  While she was in the States doing her best, my ex step father in whose care I was left, decided that “I” was ready to be engaged in sexual activities.  I then became a totally different person. It was as if I had lost the only hope of succeeding in life. I found myself in the habit of taking long deep emotional showers, not eating, crying daily. There was no one to trust, to confide in and when I could no longer bear the intensity of the pain I was enduring, I spoke up. My experience became a lesson for other girls my age and older, but I also became a target and soon a victim again.

At age 15, I was unwillingly brought into sexual activities by someone I knew … that could have been my older brother.  Being impregnated at such a fragile age was not easy. I was then subjected to stigma and discrimination within my community and I had to leave and reside with siblings in another parish.  My family found it hard to cope with the situation; it was even much harder and challenging on my side.

After I had my son, April 14, 2012, my father ensured that I was enrolled at the Women’s Centre in St. Ann’s Bay. There I saw the opportunity to further my once laid back education, with the motivation of making my family proud of me again.

It was in October 2012 that I was introduced to Eve for Life by the principal of the Women’s Centre. I decided to try out what this Eve for Life meant and what it was about and after my first meeting, I came to the realization that this was my ultimate breakthrough to actually succeeding in life. And now after coming from such a rocky past, I stand here advocating against the involvement of our men in sexual activities with young girls.

Many of us young girls are introduced to sexual activities by older men often against our will. Some of us are also exposed to sexually transmitted infections including HIV and pregnancy.

In other instances, you have situations where it is the child/teenager who approaches the adult men for sex. But isn’t it you as a grown adult that should know it is wrong to engage a child in sexual activities whether she gave you permission or not?

In some instances, it is the adult men who lust after very vulnerable teens, targeting them with money and nice things, grooming them into sex, targeting them one by one.

As someone who has experienced abuse, I feel it is my duty as an empowered and proud teenager and mother to say this to you … “NUH GUH DEH!!” Lef wi mek wi grow…!!

Find a real woman who is mature physically and emotionally and not someone who could be your daughter. Think about our future that you’ll be putting in jeopardy. You don’t even have to ask twice if we’re ready for sex! Our bodies may look ready, but emotionally and physically we are really not ready. Have a conscience – say to yourself, ‘no I can’t do this!’ Help us grow to better our future and empower ourselves.

As a strong teen leader with my Eve for Life team in St. Ann, I wish to invite all Eve members present here today to join me. Help strengthen my voice in saying to all molesters, “Nuh Guh Deh…” I invite all of Jamaica to tell your male friends, Nuh Guh Deh! I ask each of us to help prevent one girl child from being molested.

Protect our children of tomorrow. Parents, be more active in your child’s life. Know what’s going. Encourage them to confide in you.

Jamaica, help us and Eve for Life and our sponsored partners put an end to older men having sex with young girls.

Nuh Guh Deh. Leave our young girls alone…