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Allegations of Sexual
Abuse in NZ |
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South Canterbury's Women's Refuge
yesterday appealed for people to speak up about rape and not given offenders
a chance to strike again. Spokesperson Janet Lorimer was one
of the first to be called to help a woman abducted at knifepoint from the
Richard Pearse Tavern last week and taken to Caroline Bay and raped. She said it was terrible thing to
see. It was one of about half a dozen rapes she has dealt with in the four
years she has been with Women's Refuge. "There are rumours going
around, and you always get them with a rape, that she was crying wolf and
that is not true. They started because it was said she had no physical
injuries but was badly affected emotionally. "But what worse physical
injury can you get than being raped. She wasn't beaten up, she was raped.
What can be worse than that?" Ms Lorimer said she was first on
the scene after the rape. Jane, the victim who cannot be
identified, had gone home and done what comes naturally to women who had been
raped -- she showered. "When she got out of the
shower she was inconsolable. Her flatmate didn't know what to do and seeing
she has been a client of ours in the past she rang us. "It was awful. The sobbing
just wouldn't stop. She was sobbing but there was no noise with it. It was
the most terrible thing. "When we got there she was
just rolled up in a ball. She is just not the woman she was. She is a shell
of the woman we knew two weeks ago." Ms Lorimer said she had supported
her through some nasty stuff last year and Jane never flinched. But this had just knocked the
stuffing out of her. "I don't know she will ever
get over it. I hope she'll get angry soon." Ms Lorimer said. She said it was essential the
offenders were caught so they could not offend again and to give Jane some
peace of mind. That was why it was so important
for people to come forward with any information. Ms Lorimer said supporting women
through such trauma was a role of Women's Refuge. People thought of the organisation
as a place where battered women went when their husband assaulted them, but
it was much more than that. "A lot of people don't think
of coming to us over a rape because they don't know what we do. We would
always be there to support a person. "If they don't match our
criteria then we will put them in touch with the appropriate people. We would
never turn anyone away and we are always there to listen." And she said South Canterbury
people should not get complacent about the level of violence in their
community. "Work for the refuge
increased by 100 per cent before Christmas compared to the same time last
year, and the high load has continued since. "We are busier but I don't
think there is more violence around. I just think that women are speaking out
about it more. "That comes with education
and letting people know we are there and the role we can play." |
