Don't Be Silent: Diaries of a Mountain Woman

There are no invented stories here.

Only facts.

Sometimes terrible and shocking.

Stories written by life itself—and commented on by a psychologist.

Violence against a woman is the most common human rights violation in the world.

Sexual violence has not spared any country or any society, no matter how advanced and deeply religious it is. The difference is only this: somewhere a victim of violence can turn to loved ones for help, and somewhere she can’t—because not only will they make her the guilty one, but they will wash away that shame with her own blood…

The Caucasus has always been known for strict morals and high demands placed on women—under noncompliance, punishment could mean death. That’s why victims of rape in the Caucasus, besides the basic reasons (a sense of guilt, fear of the abuser’s threats, fear of the police, society, a partner; the belief that the criminal won’t be punished; unwillingness to plunge back into the entire nightmare), have their own reasons to stay silent—fear of being accused by relatives and of tarnishing “honor.”

“Don’t be silent” is the pain, fear, disgust, suffering, and hopelessness a victim experiences. It’s a chance to see the full horror of violence through the victim’s eyes and understand, fully, that the victim cannot be guilty. After all, she does not decide whether she will be raped or not—that decision belongs to the abuser. It’s a chance to refuse the terrible stereotype and no longer become the cause of victims’ silence—and, equally, the cause of the abuser’s freedom.