Tag Archives: rape

To those who support us, I say THANK YOU

Posted on September 23, 2011 by

Supporting a survivor of sexual assault is no easy task. I can’t really know what it’s like, on the other side. The loving family member or friend who is restricted to the periphery as their loved one implodes, explodes and … Continue reading →

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Strike back

Posted on June 19, 2011 by

I want to strike back. I want to gather my fear, my loss, my distress and my suffering – that whole great tangle of emotion and experience – into one big, dark, monstrous cloud and then unleash it as a … Continue reading →

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Is there such a thing as an empowered slut?

Posted on May 11, 2011 by

Can the word ‘slut’ be redeemed? Or is it too loaded, too ensnared within millennia of misogyny and sexism, to be clawed back, reclaimed as a symbol of woman power, of sexual freedom and the right to be who you … Continue reading →

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The Work of Recovery

Posted on May 3, 2011 by

After the assault, I took a month’s annual leave. Ostensibly this was time to ‘recover’, to rest and recuperate. A necessary break from the stress and demands of ordinary life in order to focus my energy on surviving what had … Continue reading →

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Emerging/Submerged/Reemerging

Posted on March 20, 2011 by

The past few days have been difficult ones. Yet again, terror and grief, anger and bewilderment have welled up within me and then broken over me spilling distress and hurt, unleashing panic and sweeping away calm with a decisiveness that … Continue reading →

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10 Reasons We All Need to Care About Preventing Sexual Violence

Posted on March 8, 2011 by

Perhaps you think sexual assault is an individual problem? One that affects the victim, and those close to her and, of course, the police and the Office of Public Prosecutions but, beyond that? Why should anyone else care? Why is … Continue reading →

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What does victim/survivor mean, anyway?

Posted on February 1, 2011 by

One of the most bewildering things about being a victim of crime is all the new language that comes with it. No longer are you just another human being living out their life as best they can. Now you are … Continue reading →

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The Anniversary

Posted on January 17, 2011 by

A year ago, today. That twelve months have passed, that a full year lies between that day and today, is both inconceivable and illogical to me. My lived experience of the past twelve months barely allows for a sense that … Continue reading →

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Where to from here?

Posted on December 28, 2010 by

I have asked myself this question many times since December 10, ostensibly the final day of this blog. In many ways, 16 days gave me ample room to explore the impacts and effects of sexual assault, to develop and reflect … Continue reading →

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Day 16. RESILIENCE

Posted on December 10, 2010 by

I wish there were a neat way to end this. I wish I could say ‘and then it got better’ or ‘and then it all went away’ or ‘and then she lived happily ever after’. But it’s not like that. … Continue reading →

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