Man blames his current sex addiction on abuse by neighbour

Junior Mooketsi (31) of Mochudi carries permanent scars from childhood sexual abuse. His ordeal began at just eight years old, shortly after losing his mother in 2002.

While in Standard Three in 2003, Mooketsi recounts to The Midweek Sun how a trusted, older female neighbour betrayed him. What started as innocent visits from a caring 'big sister' figure turned

predatory. 'This woman was always good to me and loved me like a big sister,' he said.

The pattern was chilling. 'She would ask if there was anyone home with me,' Mooketsi explained. Confirming he was alone, she'd invite him for a meal. 'As soon as I finished eating, she would instruct me to join her in the bedroom. I innocently rushed to the room where she would be waiting stark naked. She would immediately close and lock the door. She would instruct me to play a game with her, and I remember us on the bed, me between her legs.' Afterward, she demanded secrecy about their 'game.'

This abuse happened repeatedly. Though it felt 'uncomfortable, weird and scary,' the young Mooketsi didn't understand it was wrong. He developed a fear of women, hiding whenever he saw her. The experience profoundly damaged him, fostering insecurity and hatred towards women during his adolescence. 'At the same time, due to this experience, I would sometimes wish to perform the act, but I did not know how or who to do it with,' he shared. Pornography became his outlet, an addiction forming by age 11.

Now, Mooketsi believes the abuse made him a sex addict, destroying romantic relationships as partners complain he 'never gets enough sex.' The more he has, the more he craves.

At 31, he has never told his family. He vehemently challenges the myth that boys are safe from abuse. His greatest fear is how many other boys suffer silently. He even suggests some men labelled rapists may themselves be abuse survivors.

Mooketsi demands equal protection for boys: 'The boy child should also be given the same room and platform to voice out their traumas, and be accorded the same assistance. It may be counselling or bringing the alleged perpetrators to justice.' Boys shouldn't be judged or stigmatized without help, he stresses, urging victims: 'Just be open. Speaking out also brings relief, definitely they will look into it with a different perspective, which can be a breakthrough for justice.'