WOMAN: I think first of all it’s important to declare that survivors don’t owe it to anyone to report what they’ve gone through. They also don’t owe it to anybody to explain the graphic details of their incident just so the listener can feel that it happened or that it’s a valid experience. For me, the first few times I tried sharing it my friends were like, “Oh no, I don’t think it happened”. I’m like, “I just told you it happened. What do you mean you don’t think it happened?” So, there’s a lot of invalidation. And the rape culture we have there’s a strong belief that if you survive sexual violence it was kind of like your fault like you kind of asked for it that you are kind of to blame. This victim blaming culture that doesn’t help survivors feel like they want to come forward. Also, if let’s say the attacker is the father or a boyfriend, or a friend they care about many women are conflicted because even though they know deep down that something terrible has been done to them against their will there’s this strange other part that worries about their attacker. And it doesn’t make sense to anyone who has never experienced sexual violence.

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In this case the survivor was put off from reporting by:

• People – even friends – doubting what she was saying had really happened; her experience was invalidated.
• The existence of a victim blaming cluture – they must have been ‘asking for it’ in some way.
• Conflicted feelings about the attacker/abuser if they know them.

You probably thought of many other potential barriers not discussed in this short video including for example:

• Feelings of shame.
• Cultural factors (where sex is seen as a taboo).
• Lack confidence to speak out.
• Not knowing how to report.
• Fear of discrimination in the community.
• Fear of the unknown.