When a woman or girl is raped she is harmed both by the aggression and degradation.
If she should be brave enough to tell someone about it, the last thing she needs is further harm from friends and family. It is double jeopardy, and she pays twice: the actual physical and emotional harm caused by the assailant and the harmful words spoken by the unsympathetic pseudo-supporter.
When she thinks about or discusses an incident (or worse - multiple incidents) she needs support, and she very much needs to be able to see things clearly, not have waters muddied by some prejudiced and judgmental belief that the rape was in some way her fault.
The most important healing from traumas like rape occurs through a growth process that involves building an increasingly accurate and understandable narrative. This story is one you tell yourself and that you can - if you wish -share with others. By accurate I mean free from biased or ineffective understanding, part of which means realizing your role, which is entirely blameless.
Picture courtesy of Pixabay.
This post was written as part of a contest on social justice.
https://steemit.com/contest/@gandhibaba/steemit-together-against-injustice-contest-2-250-words-3-winners-6-5sbd-prize-pool-2sbd-bonus-to-the-highest-ranked-upvoters