“The child who was born as the result of my rape is my pride and joy.”
Emerance, Bukavu, Congo

The Parents

“We had no idea of the dangerous life our daughter led. Now we want to warn other people.”


Who:
Marta and Rick Omilian
What:
Manage the Remembering Maggie Fund, which spreads information about violence among young people and agitates against the US liberal weapons legislation. 


The Police

“Have you got any children he knows aren’t his? Does he spy on you, or leave threatening messages?”


Who:
Family Crimes Division, Department of Police
What:
Prioritise cases of violence against women.  


The Imam

“Sexual response is important. Mutual pleasure is good for the marriage.”


Who:
Hassanein Abdelhakam
What: Religious leader who has changed his opinion and is now oppose to genital mutilation.


The King

“I don’t want my daughter to be a ‘good girl’.”     


Who:
Kgosi Mabe
What:
Uses his position as tribal king to work against violence against women.    


The Therapist

Is your family more important than you yourself?


Who:
Maria Cristina D’Almeida Marques
What:
Runs group therapy sessions and offers counselling to abused women.

“Someone who lives in a violent relationship loses track of time and appointments – in fact, of everything that’s going on around her,” says therapist Maria Cristina D’Almeida Marques. “A woman who is the victim of violence focuses on the man and his demands.”


The Veteran

“I said I had two other options: I could become a beggar or a prostitute.”


Who:
Ana Maria Perez del Campo
What: Started a women’s shelter where the women stay for eighteen months. So far no-one has returned to her violent husband after her stay.


The Plastic Surgeon

“First it’s about saving lives. Then we can start to repair.”   


Who
: Muhammad Mughese Amin
What:
Operates on victims of honour crimes who have been burned by acid or mutilated.


The Youth Leader

“Partner violence in Santa Marta has not disappeared, but it is no longer hidden away.”


Who:
Itamar Silva
What:
Runs a project to raise equality awareness in the Grupo Eco youth group in the Santa Marta favela.


The Pioneers

“As far as the politicians are concerned, it’s a reality that doesn’t exist.”


Who:
Casa Amiga
What: Centre for support and advice for women who have been subjected to violence.

She was a retired accountant who settled in Juarez where, in 1993, she began to notice the many reports in the local paper of young girls who had been found murdered and raped. Why was this spate of murders not attracting any attention?


The Men’s Network

“Maybe it was time to shoot a few men … ?”


Who: 
Hans Hansson
What: 
Started the men’s network in Piteå and runs treatment sessions for violent men.


The Mothers

“Why didn’t the police show me the whole of my daughter’s body, just a left foot which was sticking out?”


Who:
Rosaura Montañez
What: Member of a network of mothers who have lost daughters. 

Araceli disappeared on the 30th of June 1995 and was found four days later on a refuse tip on the southern outskirts of the city. She had been raped and strangled. She was 19 years old. No-one has been found guilty of her murder.