Not Afraid

Online movement aims to shift perceptions

a recent facebook dustup, where one side blamed a woman for provoking a sexual assault by dressing attractively, has unleashed an unprecedented public discussion in the Russian-speaking online world on violence against women – a topic normally far outside the mainstream.

Fed up with the narrative that blames the victim for wearing revealing clothing or engaging in “inappropriate behavior,” Ukrainian activist Anastasia Melny­­chenko posted a list of incidents of harassment, assault and inappropriate behavior she has experienced as a woman. This then led to two social media hashtags, #янебоюсьсказать‬ (Russian) and #янебоюсьсказати (Ukrainian), that have gone viral, exposing widespread sexual abuse of women throughout Russia and the former Soviet Union. ‬‬

The topic – normally spurned by mainstream Russian media as a marginal feminist concern and rarely discussed even among friends – was suddenly top news, leading “Sisters,” a Moscow NGO that encourages victims of domestic violence to seek help, to be swamped by incoming help-line phone calls.

“I was eight,” wrote Anna, a friend of this editor, describing how she was raped by a relative and, frozen by fear, unable to resist.

“I was 16, on a press tour,” wrote former Russian journalist Anastasia. “A drunken colleague kept breaking into my room all night, and the next day the whole group kept discussing whether or not he managed to have sex with me, but for some reason I’m the one who was ashamed.”

From Facebook posts, the topic spilled over onto the sites of glossy magazines after several celebrities said they too had been victims. “My story happened in January 2010,” wrote singer Victoria Dayneko, chronicling an incident in Montenegro when she was drugged by a barman and only managed to get home safely with great difficulty.

The discussion has divided government and society alike, with some officials hosting free self-defense classes for women in Moscow parks, while others challenge women’s right to defend themselves. “If a man is raping a woman and she stabs him with a screwdriver, she’ll be criminally prosecuted because her life was not in danger,” said Anton Tsvetkov, a member of Russia’s Public Chamber. After an uproar, Tsvetkov backtracked and said his words were misinterpreted.

Despite all the online coverage, most of the general public remains clueless; some 81 percent of Russians say they never heard anything about the hashtags or the controversy.

In large cities, 19 percent of Russians report having been victims of sexual violence, and 39 percent of those say they did not tell anyone, including by reaching out to police or seeking medical treatment or psychological counseling. Some 48 percent say they support the idea of talking openly about violence; 39 percent say it is pointless and victims should keep their experiences to themselves.

Russia does not have a law that defines and criminalizes domestic violence. The Russian saying, “If he hits you, he loves you” (Бьет значит любит) is a sign of how deep-rooted the idea is that a bit of battering – of women or children – comes with the territory. There have been efforts to introduce a bill against domestic violence, but all have been strongly opposed by the Russian Orthodox Church and conservative lawmakers.

Orthodox priest Makary Markish, for example, denounced the recent outcry as “exhibitionism,” advising rape victims to seek solace in a therapeutic conversation with a priest.

bit.ly/rl-notafraid