She was denied a legal abortion and sent to prison over an illegal one. Now she tells her story

A young woman in Zambia was sent to a maximum-security prison after she was denied a legal abortion and ended her pregnancy on her own NewsShe was denied a legal abortion and sent to prison over an illegal one. Now she tells her storyA young woman in Zambia was sent to a maximum-security prison after she was denied a legal abortion and ended her pregnancy on her ownJacob Zimba & Gerald ImrayMonday 16 February 2026 02:20 GMTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverShe was denied a legal abortion and sent to prison over an illegal one. Now she tells her storyShow all 2Your support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read more She says she was let down at every step. By a partner who abandoned her when she was pregnant. By a health service that denied her a legal abortion. And by a justice system that sent her to a maximum-security prison for illegally terminating her pregnancy on her own.Violet Zulu, a house cleaner in Zambia earning $40 a month, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2024 after representing herself in court with little understanding of the consequences of her actions. She didn't see her two children or other family members for nearly two years.After word of her case reached international rights groups that helped her file an appeal, Zulu was freed last month. Activists say she represents many women in Africa who take desperate decisions when facing barriers to legal abortion services.Her story has drawn little sympathy in her southern African nation, where parts of society view abortion harshly. Her own mother said she agreed with her daughter's prison sentence, but said it should have been shorter.Zulu spoke with The Associated Press as she pieces her life together again at the age of 26. Turned away from care She said she first attempted to access legal abortion services at a public clinic, which should have given her advice or services but turned her away. She then tried a private pharmacy, which requested 800 Zambian kwacha ($43) for abortion drugs, a month's salary for her.She was already struggling to feed her two young sons, and she sometimes had to beg food from relatives.She said her decision to drink an herbal concoction she prepared herself, one known for terminating pregnancies, was taken out of despair. She couldn't bear for her boys to have even less food if she had another child.“I never wanted to abort my pregnancy, but it is the circumstances at home that forced me to do it," Zulu said in the interview at the two-room rented home with no running water that she shares with her children and parents.“I was scared (when I took the concoction), but I didn’t really care what would happen to me," she added.In her court testimony, she explained what happened next: She delivered the fetus in a toilet, placed it in a sack and dropped it in a nearby stream. She said she confided in a friend, but word got out and neighbors reported her to police.Zulu, who left school in the eighth grade, was never offered free legal counsel despite the right to request it. She represented herself in court and pleaded guilty to the offense of procuring her own abortion. She said she didn’t understand the legality of abortion and thought she would receive a warning. A system that failed “This is a system that failed Violet,” said Rosemary Kirui, a legal adviser for Africa for the abortion rights group Center for Reproductive Rights, which campaigned for Zulu’s release and helped with her appeal. “It is not that she did not try. It is that she could not afford the services, yet she should be able to access them as a citizen of Zambia.”Zulu should have been eligible for a free abortion under a provision that allows doctors in Zambia to consider risks to the well-being of her existing children, said Sharon Williams, country director for the Women and Law in Southern Africa advocacy group.But Zulu was not aware of that, largely because of the secrecy, stigma and shame around abortion, which is not advertised by Zambia's public health system.Zambia's health ministry did not respond to questions about her case.Part of the problem, Williams said, is that Zambia has legalized abortion while also defining itself in its constitution as a strong