Rape victims write anonymously on Facebook
© marshi / photocase.comThey were quiet for a long time. Now they break their silence. Victims of sexual violence write anonymously on Facebook, Twitter and on another website why they did not report their perpetrators. So far, more than 500 men and women have called the reasons for their silence under the name #ichhab. The online campaign draws attention to the topic of sexualised violence, aims to clean up old perpetrator images and encourage the victims.
You have at most 140 characters. Rape and abuse victims write anonymously on the Facebook page #I do not show why they do not dare to go to the police and report their perpetrators. A selection:
"I did not show up because he was my friend."
"I did not show up because: I had three small children, the culprit was my husband and he threatened to kill me ..."
"I did not show up because I was harassed and abused by my five-year-old cousin since I was ten years old, at the time I did not know it was not okay."
"I did not show up because I thought it was normal (time span: over 10 years) because I always wanted to be a dear boy."
"Not shown, because my mother was lying next to me and was not helping me."
"A woman has to prove the rape first," says Daniela Oerter (46). She and four other women launched the online campaign #If not shown. They know each other from the "Munich Action Group against Sexual Violence" and volunteer for the campaign. And are themselves affected, friends or relatives with victims.
"A rape victim has to go to the doctor without being showered, it has to do it first," says Oerter. "Many people have a solid image of a madman running in the park." But the majority of the perpetrators come from the family, the friends or acquaintances of the victim and the attack takes place in an apartment. An ad falls therefore many particularly difficult.
"We thought: we have to do something, the number of unreported victims is so high," says Oerter. But why is a public Internet site the right place for such a sensitive topic? Due to the anonymity, the social network for those affected "as a protected space," says Oerter. At the same time, the Internet is used to draw attention to the topic of sexualised violence. There is room for your vote here. We believe you. "For years or even decades, men and women felt that they would not be believed, and some ousted or forgot the attack because remembering was too painful, keeping the secret of what was probably their worst experience in their lives Life for themselves Now they write about it The sentences of the men and women are shortened if necessary The victims are not to describe details, because "nobody should suffer a re-traumatization", says Oerter.On the Internet pages are links to the Federal Association of women's advice centers and women's emergency calls where the victims receive help.
On May 31, 2012, the action will be ended. The organizers will review and summarize the many messages. Then they should be handed over to the police and prosecutors. "We expect an opinion on the climate of silence," says Oerter. Also a catalog with exact requirements for the legal handling with raped women is in planning. Because even if the topic is uncomfortable and unpleasant, "the social climate must change," says Oerter. So that more people have the courage and dare to display their rapists.
Info: Nationwide help phone in violence against women
Accessible around the clock, 365 days a year: For the first time, the help phone "Gewalt gegen Frauen" offers those affected the opportunity to seek advice anonymously, competently and safely at any time. Whether violence in marriage and partnership, sexual assault and rape and stalking, forced prostitution or genital mutilation? Counselors provide help-seeking women with confidential information about all forms of violence and, upon request, forward them to the appropriate support organization on site. The call and the advice are free.
Free phone number: 08000 116 016
