What she wore

A shroud of silence surrounds sexual abuse that makes it hard to punish, and check. The subjects feel that it is they and not their abusers who are responsible for the abuse. It's illogical but a common thread that runs through incidents of sexual abuse wherever it occurs.

So perhaps, the first thing to do to tackle sexual abuse is take away the silence. That's what How Revealing (www.howrevealing.com), a website founded by a Bangalore-based lawyer, aims to do. Launched on 13 January, 2017, it has received about 115 submissions so far. Besides a cathartic outlet, the site lists numbers of mental health support providers for the victims.

In an email interaction, the founder who goes only as Urmila talks about how the testimonies have been helping not just women in India but globally to change the narrative around sexual assault. Edited excerpts:
How did 'How Revealing' come about?

I've had the idea for a few years. I felt that a lot of people had experienced sexual assault and gone through life without talking about it. The reasons for this are multiple and complex. The project was born to serve as an outlet for these emotions, to help people know they are not alone and need not suffer in silence. The main idea is to reduce the victim's blaming and shaming that has become so normal today.

Another objective was to make it easier for people to access mental health support, and in the long run, contribute to policy changes as the stories can throw up patterns that could help impact policy.

What the victim of sexual assault was wearing at the time is written in bold below the testimonies. Why highlight this detail?

Clothing is often the first casualty i.e. most survivors are shamed and blamed for the assault and their clothing singled out as a reason for it. It echoes in the name of the website as well as the common refrain people hear is that those with 'revealing' clothes are bound to be assaulted. We want to show that one's clothing has nothing to do with this. In a sense, it is way of reclaiming the narrative.

Why is it that even educated, empowered women don't report instances of sexual abuse?

In most cases, it is fear, shame or the feeling that reporting it would be of no use or that they would not be believed. In terms of workplace harassment, the stress of subjecting oneself to the inquiry mechanism and risking disbelief are the major reasons why women don't report. Also, the fear of repercussion if they are working closely with the perpetrator.