QP_160_transcript.en.txt

I am from Vilcas. They took me from my town to perform that method on me. They didn't say anything to my husband. When we arrived from my town, they operated on me. 'You have too many kids and now there are terrorists. If something happens and you have children, you won't be able to educate them,' they told me. 'What's your problem with my children? I am already old and they are growing up,' I told them 'You will not be able to support your children anymore, education is expensive. You will have to get operated on, and if you don't agree, you will no longer receive help from the State,' they told me. As if the State had helped us all our lives… Well or unwell, I used to work the soil like a man. I worked at the farm, tilled the land with a shovel and a pick. Soldiers and terrorists mistreated my husband, they hurt his waist and he could not work anymore. So I supported him and worked for my children. I helped grinding, weaving and cooking. I would go to other kitchens to help, all for my children. They took me to Vilcas without my husband knowing. When I entered the operation room, a woman took my three month old baby in his blanket, they also took the blanket with the bread. They took my blanket and gave it to another lady. The gave me a vial and I no longer felt anything. They changed me into a gown and then, 'Hurry up, women are waiting, you are not the only one they will treat. Faster, faster, there are many.' They had brought a lot of women. There were many women in the line, waiting in line, with and without children. Later they made us come in and operated on us. The next day I felt nothing. I wondered about my baby. When I woke up in another room, my baby wasn't there, neither were his diapers or my blanket. I had nothing. So I asked 'Where is my baby?' They told me that it was being taken care of, that it had cried too much, that it had cried for over four hours. Noon and still no sign. I don't remember, it was as if I had fainted. Later I touched my leg and pinched it. It was like rock, I couldn't feel anything from the waist down. When I wanted to go the bathroom, I couldn't get up. So a lady came and gave me a potty. I had to pee on the bed because I couldn't get up. After my baby had cried so much, they gave it to me and I couldn't turn to breastfeed him. I could not carry it because my belly was no longer good. The next day they took us back to our town. They took us in a car and left us halfway. We had to walk. I carried my baby in my arms and on the back, without anything. When we arrived, my husband had gone to work and there was no food. We arrived feeling hungry and thirsty, I felt too bad to cook. He arrived in the afternoon. 'Where did you go without telling me?' He got upset and wanted to hit me, I was quiet. Then I went to bed and laid down. 'What's wrong? What have they done to you?' 'I'm not well,' I didn't say anything else. At night I told him and he got angry with me. 'They should have told me.' The lady came again to my house and told my husband, 'You are already old and have too many children. You won't be able to care for or educate them. That is why we have operated on your wife. Why are you angry?' She got angry and defied him, it was left like that. After that, he left me and went to Lima. He went to Lima. I stayed with my children. I had to work. I worked and breastfed feeling unwell. Then he came back. My brothers made him come back. 'You left my sister, return and be with your children so you are together.' After that we got together. Terrorism began and my husband got beat up because he was an authority. They mistreated him and he left. I followed him [to Lima] and, since there was no work, we came back. Later, when our children grew up, we returned here. I live in my son's house, I no longer work and I do nothing. We don't have work, my husband and I are unwell, and we can't work here or there. In our town you work with shovels, picks and sticks, you have to chop wood and take it to cook. We could no longer withstand those things.