{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Ius Stella","provider_url":"https:\/\/ius-stella.org\/fr","author_name":"Jessica","author_url":"https:\/\/ius-stella.org\/fr\/author\/wpusername7119\/","title":"\"I just wanted to help\": The story of Rachel* - Ius Stella","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"DKP2AViqb1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ius-stella.org\/fr\/story-rachel\/\">\"Je voulais seulement aider\" : L'histoire de Rachel*<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/ius-stella.org\/fr\/story-rachel\/embed\/#?secret=DKP2AViqb1\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"\u00ab\u00a0&#8220;I just wanted to help&#8221;: The story of Rachel*\u00a0\u00bb &#8212; Ius Stella\" data-secret=\"DKP2AViqb1\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n<\/script>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/ius-stella.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ChatGPT-Image-Apr-3-2025-10_00_13-PM-1-e1750449795833.png","thumbnail_width":1024,"thumbnail_height":768,"description":"When Rachel* stepped in to break up a street fight in her neighborhood, she never imagined it would lead to over a year behind bars\u2014or that she would become one of the many women scarred by the horrors of the jailbreak attempt at Makala Central Prison.\u00a0 Arrested without cause and charged with assault simply for being at the wrong place at the wrong time, Rachel found herself trapped in a justice system that failed to protect her. \u201cI was just trying to separate a neigbour who was fighting with a man,\u201d she recalls. \u201cBut when the police arrived, the man pointed at both of us. We were arrested and taken straight to prison.\u201d\u00a0 What followed was a nightmare: a year and five months of unjust detention, surviving in inhumane conditions, and enduring one of the darkest nights of her life \u2014 the attempted mass jailbreak of September 2024. \u201cThat night, around 2 AM, men broke into our cells. There was no light. They started taking women out, raping them,\u201d Rachel says, her voice trembling. \u201cI was one of the victims.\u201d\u00a0 While gunfire rang out and chaos spread, there was no protection, no help. The women were left to fend for themselves, and the trauma lingers. Despite the brutality she faced, no support was offered \u2014 not from the state, and not from the prison system. \u201cThey brought us low-quality medicine. That was it.\u201d\u00a0 Rachel&#8217;s release came not through the state\u2019s mercy, but through the relentless work of Ius Stella and our legal partners at KTF Lawyers. After months of being exploited by intermediaries who took her money without helping, Rachel says, \u201cWhen KTF Lawyers got involved, I was finally freed.\u201d\u00a0 Now back at her parents\u2019 house in Kinshasa, she dreams of turning the page. With a talent for hairstyling, she hopes to open her own hair salon one day. \u201cI know how to braid, style, and apply extensions. If I had my own salon, I could really make a living,\u201d she says, her voice flickering with hope.\u00a0 But the scars remain \u2014 not just physical or emotional, but social too. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of shame,\u201d she explains. \u201cWhen people find out you were in prison, they treat you like you are a disease. Especially after what happened during the jailbreak\u2026 men don\u2019t even want to come close to you.\u201d\u00a0 Her story is not unique. And by telling it, we want to shine a light on the silence that surrounds prison abuse, wrongful detention, and the urgent need for reform.\u00a0 At Ius Stella, we believe that justice is more than getting released. Justice would mean acknowledgment, accountability, and compensation for what Rachel endured. And that is exactly why we will continue fighting to ensure that individuals who were wrongfully incarcerated get the justice they deserve and get compensated for the harm suffered behind bars.\u00a0 *Rachel is an alias used to protect the real identity of our client. Support our work Help us provide legal aid, psychosocial support, and a path to dignity for those wrongfully imprisoned. Join us today"}