This story is based on fact. Julie is a teenage girl whose father has just been sentenced to 8 years gaol for raping his daughter. He has pleaded guilty to spare her of the shame of testifying in Court. He was reported to the police by his wife.
Julie is sitting in the office of the Welfare Officer Anne who is counseling her. The events of the last month have to be discussed as Julie can not keep bottled up inside her what has happened.
Welfare Officer: How do you feel Julie?
Julie: I feel bad. Last month I was a happy teenager thinking only of film stars and my mobile phone. Now my family is broken and my dad is in gaol for raping me. How do you think I feel? Why did he do that to me? I am his daughter and not someone he is supposed to have sex with. What did I do for him to do that?
Welfare Officer: You are not to blame Julie. Your father pleaded guilty so that you would not have to come to Court. He told the judge that he was so sorry and begged the forgiveness of his family. He has made a very big mistake and he will pay for the rest of his life.
Julie: Was I to blame? I was a young girl in my house. The last thing I thought of was that my father wanted to have sex with me. I feel like a piece of dirt. Is sex all my father saw in me? I thought I was his loving daughter.
Welfare Officer: You have a life ahead of you. I have known you all your life. You are a good person Julie. You have always helped your mother look after your brothers and sisters. I have seen you in church. You will make a good mother and stand by your family.
Julie: How can I do that? I have put my brothers’ and sisters’ father in gaol. There is no-one to earn a living now. How can I get married with this hanging over me? What will my husband do to my father when he comes out of gaol? How can I trust another man? Will my husband rape one of my daughters too? I wish I were dead.
Welfare Officer: You must not talk like that. One day you may forgive your father. You are the big sister and responsible for your little brothers and sisters. You need to find a job to help your mother. Put yourself into God’s hands.
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