The project addresses the lack of comprehensive support for women who have experienced sexual violence. The vast majority of those affected by domestic violence are women, over 227,000 in 2019, although the statistics are certainly underestimated due to under-reporting of cases. The situation has worsened during the pandemic. Available data shows a 40% increase in domestic violence. Awareness of sexual violence, such as marital and date rape, is very low. Unfortunately, the support system does not work well. Those who choose to report cases to the relevant institutions become secondary victims. There is also no active network of support for survivors of sexual violence.
The Project Promoter carried out several complementary activities to empower self-advocates – women who had experienced sexual violence. They received individual and group support, including psychological and psychiatric consultations and osteopathic sessions, and attended support group meetings. They also attended workshops on working with art in the treatment of physical trauma, nervous system regulation and somatics. The self-advocates created 10 pieces of art, which were exhibited in a community café in Opole. Educational sessions were also held on informed consent, dissociation and personality disorders, self-advocacy and self-care in activism. The women took part in self-defence and assertiveness workshops (WenDo). They put their skills and knowledge into practice by participating as speakers in 2 seminars and publishing 6 self-advocacy texts.
The project involved 15 women with experience of sexual violence from different places in Poland – 8 of them were actively involved in self-advocacy education. It was possible to create a support network of self-advocates of survivors of sexual violence and a safe space for their work and development. They improved their emotional and psychological wellbeing, regaining agency and self-confidence. The proposed activities empowered the participants, gave them tools for development and taught them how to handle the message of self-advocacy in harmony with themselves. The project is also an important contribution to the debate on self-advocacy for people who have experienced sexual violence.