On January 28, 2014, Malik Zuill changed my life for ever by forcefully taking my innocence. I was 14 years old and in my first year at the Berkeley Institute. I would admit he and I had communicated via Facebook and WhatsApp for a couple of months before the incident. However, that day I did not want to have sex, as I was scared and had never done it before. I was still a virgin. Malik was aware of this, yet he forced it. He pushed me around, slapped me and did horrible things that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Immediately, I reported it to my mom and was taken to the hospital where I met police officers, a detective and my social worker.The very next day, someone visited my mother’s place of work stating what happened to me and by whom. At the same time, I was with the detective and social worker giving my first proper recorded statement. However, the following day I got a message from someone saying she heard what happened and if I ever needed I could talk to her. I had no idea who she was, nor any idea how she or anyone else knew, as I hadn’t told anyone. It was still very fresh and I was still in a lot of pain. I decided not to give her any information and played along as if I didn’t know what she was talking about.In school, students and teachers were talking about my situation. Of course, I was made out to be the one in the wrong. I was accused of lying and got treated badly by the entire school. “He was very quiet, I don’t believe he would do something like that,” one teacher said to me. I was embarrassed, confused and hurt. At that point, I started skipping school, my grades went from As and Bs to Ds and Fs. I did not care. I would rather not go to school than deal with the bullying.However, the days that I did attend school the same girls that said I was lying would come to me privately and tell me Malik either tried to do the same thing to them or he sent them sexual messages. What had bothered me the most was that a friend of mine at the time told me she didn’t believe me because she was sleeping with him from Primary 5. She also told me Malik asked about me months before when he saw a picture of her and I on Facebook — and when she found out he liked me, they stopped sleeping together. Yet this girl knew a lot more information than anyone else, and I didn’t know how. Let’s not forget that these situations not just affect the victims, but their families as well. My mother and grandmother got negative comments thrown at them, no matter where they went. Malik was given 12 months in jail and a few months after his release, I moved to the UK. New Year’s Day 2018, I saw Malik in the club. He looked me right in my eyes and we were less than arm’s length apart. The fear from all those years ago hit me at once and I left immediately. Little did I know he was on the run, as I would have reported it right away. For the past six years I’ve been living in fear of him; now I am in fear for the females in Bermuda, especially young ones. I’ve been scared that Malik would harm someone close to me for revenge. Yet I’m in just as much pain knowing he has done it to others that I don’t even know. My heart is broken for them. I pray his case gets looked at again and he is given a longer sentence. He’s only serving five months! Whoever gave Malik that time is equally to blame. Knowing that Malik is a compulsive child offender, he should be doing a lot more time than he is. I also hope that Bermuda stops defending the guilty and starts supporting the victims. No one’s reputation should be ruined besides the offenders’. We shouldn’t have to suffer a lifetime while they suffer for a few months. They should be isolated and put in rehab once they have served an appropriate amount of time behind bars. Bermuda is taking rape very lightly. Judges are not doing their job; therefore, these men are still ruining innocent lives.• On occasion The Royal Gazette may decide to not allow comments on what we consider to be a controversial or contentious story. As we are legally liable for any libellous or defamatory comments made on our website, this move is for our protection as well as that of our readers.