By allowing it to happen quickly

“They need me to be able to stand in front of them and tell them: “Yes, this happened to me, but I’m going to move forward, be strong and not breakdown in front of them.”

Peru 🇵🇪 "My way of defending myself was allowing it to happen quickly. That day was the national census in Peru and I was supporting that effort. I started working for the census, because I like working with people. I knew something was going to happen to me that day because of his eyes.

I remember his face, the nausea, the disgust. The fact that someone you don’t want is touching you is ugly. Maybe it’s just sex, but it’s still disgusting. For days I kept taking showers, because I felt his smell was on me. The census organizers said to not declare anything to the press, because we would end up injured.

Surviving isn’t only surviving death, it is surviving everything. I lost my job. I stopped talking to my children. For two weeks, I couldn’t face them without crying. Then I began thinking they need me to be able to stand in front of them and tell them: “Yes, this happened to me, but I’m going to move forward, be strong and not breakdown in front of them.” Day to day, I'm motivated to see I can continue moving forward and by my kids, to know that if I’m not well then they won’t be well, that motivates me. I had a partner when this happened but after I went to the press, he felt embarrassed, and two days after, he left me. He felt bad that another man had touched me.

I’m beginning a new job at the Center of Emergency for Women. What I want to do is study psychology. I hope I can trust again, not entirely, but I hope I can trust the people who do deserve my trust."