Many women experience sexual harassment at some point in their lives, ranging from calling out on the street to violent physical events. 54% of all women women have been harassed and 22% have been victims of sexual violence for at least once in their lives.
This topic comes up a lot in the news and on social media. We're tired that things like this still happening, despite all the attention. Or that we still can't talk about it. This topic needs to be normalized. People often react indignantly. There must be something “you could have done differently” is often said. When you hear that so often, you are no longer open to talk about what happened to you. And I think that's a problem.
My own research has shown that more than half of the women who have experienced sexual assault do not dare to talk about it. And almost everyone feels unheard. Seeing the results breaks my heart. The answers make a big impact on me. I just hope so much that this problem will become even more open to discussion, so that people will dare to speak up more. And perpetrators think first before they act. As a photographer I hope to be able to contribute in this way to make it more open to discussion.
