#RespectSurvivors Get rid of all rapists and sexual assaulters in Congress and the White House.

“The truth is, you are the expert in your own life. No one else knows what you lived through. No one else understands the choices you faced or the risks you calculated.”
#respectsurvivors
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“Survivors aren’t living in the past - they are trying to make sense of the present.”

Dismantling harmful messages because shame isn’t support.
#respectsurvivors #supportsurvivors
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“Being trauma informed means understanding the survivor knows more about their trauma than you ever will.”
#respectsurvivors

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When a survivor tells you their story that is not an invitation for you to analyze, judge, or approve their experience. It’s an opportunity for you to listen, learn, and support.
#listentosurvivors #respectsurvivors #expertinmyexperience

Survivors, you have the right to control your own story, the media does not. You have the right to decline an interview and request no photos.

To those hosting public events, please request people to ASK before taking photos of survivors.

#RespectSurvivors
#TumblerRidge

“Survivors aren’t living in the past - they are trying to make sense of the present.”
#respectsurvivors

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“You don’t owe anyone your silence.
You don’t owe anyone your story.
You do what is right for you.”
#respectsurvivors

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If someone tells you their trauma they are not asking for your opinion about it and if you have to decide whether their pain is justified, true, or reasonable - they don’t need you in their life.
#respectsurvivors

Trauma is exhausting. Fighting for basic dignity is exhausting. Survivors aren’t weak - they’re exhausted.
#respectsurvivors

Survivors don’t have to become a ‘success story,’ they just need to be able to live the life they want to live.
#respectsurvivors

If the helper/healer’s message uses the same tactics as the perpetrator - it’s probably abuse not healing.
#respectsurvivors

#believesurvivors
#protectsurvivors
#respectsurvivors
#honorsurvivors
#asksurvivors
#hearsurvivors
#seesurvivors
#holdsurvivors
#recognizesurvivors
#upliftsurvivors
#centersurvivors
#remembersurvivors

“Your light may irritate a lot of unhealed people” …or your self righteousness may irritate everyone.

Please stop using ‘healing messages’ to pit survivors against each other.
#respectsurvivors

“Survivors escape abuse when systems work, when friends believe them, when families protect them, and when perpetrators are held accountable. Until then, it’s not “staying”—it’s surviving.”
#respectsurvivors

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Survivors are pressured and expected to say “I’ve forgiven” so everyone else can move on and they be an ‘acceptable’ survivor. #respectsurvivors

Hurt people don’t hurt people - perpetrators do.
#respectsurvivors

Daily reminder: Don’t tell a survivor what they should’ve done - you don’t know what they ‘should’ve’ done.
#respectsurvivors

We’ve made being a victim worse than being a perpetrator.
#respectsurvivors

Stop telling survivors to forgive themselves and start telling survivors that they didn’t do anything to forgive because they didn’t do anything wrong. Surviving the unimaginable needs to be honored not forgiven.
#respectsurvivors

Survivor means someone that has survived abuse and trauma - no arbitrary ‘healing’ standard required.

#respectsurvivors #survivor

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Why shouldn't you ask a survivor if they've forgiven? The last thing survivors need is to be asked whether they will offer the perpetrator anything, let alone forgiveness.

“The bottom line is that a survivor’s forgiveness is private, personal, and not required for ‘healing’, ‘moving on’, or anything else.”
#respectsurvivors #forgiveness

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New in our shop!
The term ‘survivor’ simply means someone that has survived abuse or trauma - no other qualifications are needed. 🖤
#changetheconversation #survivor #respectsurvivors
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Why there is no one right way to heal | Quote Of The Day Survivors don’t need anyone else telling them what they should do or have to do to heal. The last thing you need is someone else trying to control you again.

If someone tells you that you’re the problem because you won’t do what they think you should do to ‘heal’ then they are the problem not you. There is no one right way to ‘heal’. You’re the expert on your experience and your healing.
#respectsurvivors

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“Why didn’t she just leave?”
The people asking this are not confused about a survivor’s actions, but rather refuse to acknowledge a perpetrator’s crimes.
#respectsurvivors

I always say “don’t should’ve a survivor” but what does that really mean? Nearly every piece of unsolicited advice someone might give to a survivor to try to help, can be traced back to demeaning victim-blaming. We need to stop this messaging.

“The first and most crucial reason why you should never “should’ve” a survivor is that you truly have no idea what the survivor should have done.”
#dontshouldveasurvivor #respectsurvivors
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Stop mocking rape victims on social media – Imalwa urges public Prosecutor general Martha Imalwa has urged the public to refrain from making social media posts mocking rape victims. She says such comments are traumatising the victims. This comes after the alleged victim in the high-profile rape case involving former agriculture minister Mac Hengari collapsed while preparing to testify in Imalwa’s office last month. “She was taken to the hospital and anyone can faint if they are not well. She is well and she has no mental issues,” Imalwa says. Imalwa denies allegations that the state had declared the alleged victim mentally unstable. She clarifies that no such declaration has been made and cautions against the spread of misinformation that could undermine the alleged victim’s credibility and well-being. “Namibians should stop lying about this matter. Where are we going as a country with these lies?” she asks. Imalwa urges the public to respect the alleged victim’s privacy, adding that the circulation of personal images and speculative narratives not only violates the individual’s rights but also exacerbates her emotional distress. “People are traumatising the girl on social media, posting pictures of her and her baby which is very wrong because she never said she was impregnated by Hengari. These reports are damaging her and destroying her and her rights. People are destroying people’s identities and they should wait until investigations into the Hengari case are done. “Even the media should be sympathetic with the victim. She is already traumatised . . . let us try to protect the rights of the victim,” she says. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah dismissed Hengari from his ministerial position and the National Assembly in April following accusations of raping the alleged victim when she was a minor. He was then arrested in April for attempting to bribe the alleged victim with N$230 000 to withdraw her complaint and was denied bail. However, Imalwa emphasises the importance of upholding the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’. She cautions against premature judgements and the dissemination of unverified information, particularly on social media platforms. “Allegations are just allegations and it does not make the accused guilty. . . Namibians take out things and make them big for nothing. They say 90% of Namibians are Christians, but they are not acting so,” she says. She adds that the only case she knows of is that of bribery. “The case that is in court is that of bribery. The allegations of the rape case has not yet reached my office because the police are still investigating the allegations.” Hengari’s arrest came after a sting operation near a restaurant at Eros after reportedly being lured to the location by a relative of the alleged victim. A police report notes that Hengari is also faced with allegations of defeating the course of justice, assault by threat, crimen injuria, abduction, administering substances in contravention of the Immoral Practices Act, pointing a firearm, supplying liquor to a minor, and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. He also faces multiple allegations, including rape, which is still under police investigation. He is scheduled to appear in court today. City Police spokesperson Marcelline Murapo says social media comments and posts often worsen the trauma of gender-based violence (GBV) victims, and in some cases, even lead to some taking their own lives. “Social media comments have a serious impact on victims. People don’t realise that even small remarks can deeply hurt those affected. These comments often discourage victims from reporting their cases because they fear being judged or ridiculed online,” she says. “These victims are already going through a lot, and such comments can push them to the edge. . . We all need to support victims, not destroy them. Some cannot cope with the stress or hurtful remarks. Let’s be mindful and responsible with what we say on social media,” Murapo adds. She says the police help victims and refer them for psychological support. “From the police’s side, we see that GBV victims are under immense pressure. We refer them for psychological help, but we also speak to them directly and encourage their neighbours or people close to them to report any abuse. “Sometimes victims are too afraid to report, and some worry that speaking out might take away their only source of income. That’s why we rely on the community to help us by reporting these cases to the police,” she says. The post Stop mocking rape victims on social media – Imalwa urges public appeared first on The Namibian.

#StopMockingVictims #SupportSurvivors #EndVictimBlaming #RespectSurvivors #MentalHealthAwareness

Do survivors ‘just not want to heal’? Are some survivors ‘treatment resistant’? Or are survivors just being given harmful victim blaming messages literally everywhere? How much easier could survivors ‘heal’ if they were respected and supported?
#Respectsurvivors

If the message doesn’t honor the survivor’s strength, courage, and intelligence- it’s the wrong message.
#respectsurvivors

Why Is Saying That "Survivors Are More Susceptible To Further Trauma" Incredibly Harmful? Not only is this message normally wrong, but the message is victim-blaming, cruel, and completely ignorant of the real problem.

We think this popular theory is wrong and has been used to wrongfully shame survivors. See why in our new blog.
#respectsurvivors #youretheexpert

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