THEMATIC REPORT 2017 SEXUAL TORTURE The stigmatisation of sexual torture “In DRC, victims of sexual torture, have to bear the burden of stigmatisation, exclusion and lack of family and community support, as well as insecurity. It is not easy for them to find the courage to engage in the lengthy process of trying to secure justice and reparation.” SaveCongo DRC “It is odd that we are noticing much interest for and support of victims of torture when it comes to their heroism, endurance and power. Survivors are often very appreciated and respected. Whereas cases of sexual torture are directly connected to weakness and inability, which causes the victims and their families disgrace, shame and depreciation.” TRC Palestine “In some communities, the stigmatisation can be destructive. According to our experience, women from the arabo-mussulman culture consider themselves stained to a point they cannot cleanse themselves anymore. The fact of having had sexual intercourse with someone from outside the well-defined family circle creates profound feelings of guilt in the victim.” CAPREC Senegal “When we started treatment he said: ‘They did everything to me.’ He did not say: ‘I was sexually tortured.’ It is something that they will not tell you straight away. You have to focus on building trust for a long time first, and then they might open up. And if not, you can see a lot of things from what remains untold, maybe even more than from what they tell you.” CTV Bosnia & Herzegovina “Only a few cases of sexual torture have been documented because this is a very patriarchal society. Therefore, people do not easily share this kind of experience with others. In our culture, people have sex only with their partners. If any other person invades their private sphere, people think that a person’s purity gets lost. It is considered to be bad behaviour.” TPO Nepal page 18