"Our silence is their lifeblood."
Melina Finklestein, abuse survivor and advocate
We rarely get to tell you our experiences, because your neighbors ensure their sexual violence goes hidden. That's right. Those who raped us live near you. The insidious crimes of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment eat away at us, victims and survivors, making us shrink under shame and pressure. The justice systems, religious systems, familial and platonic systems that we were told would protect us - and then heal us - keep us quiet so that the status quo will not change. But my rapist lives here. And yours might too.
Sexual violence of any kind is a weapon of mass destruction. It is a public health crisis. We are expected to live "regular" lives, wounds covered, for the sake of those who hurt us and the systems that allow them.
No more. They took our bodies. They will not take our voices. We will stand together to fight them and the systems they have built to silence us, because we believe each other.
We are not going to let the people who hurt us hide any longer.
If you feel the same and would like to share your story, please get in touch using the Contact page and tag us on socials as #myrapistliveshere.
Sexual violence of any kind is a weapon of mass destruction. It is a public health crisis. We are expected to live "regular" lives, wounds covered, for the sake of those who hurt us and the systems that allow them.
No more. They took our bodies. They will not take our voices. We will stand together to fight them and the systems they have built to silence us, because we believe each other.
We are not going to let the people who hurt us hide any longer.
If you feel the same and would like to share your story, please get in touch using the Contact page and tag us on socials as #myrapistliveshere.