One of the Reasons I Started this Blog

Re-opening this blog makes me feel vulnerable and nervous. I may come across as tough in some of the things I say here, but inside, I'm pretty soft.

One of the reasons I started this blog over a year ago was because of something I read by a young woman who lived in the Middle East. She had been raped and started an anonymous blog to share her thoughts and feelings. I cried as I read her words, then I became angry. If you choose to read it you will witness from her words how devastating and long-lasting the effects of rape are on many girls/women.

This young lady felt that she was no longer a virgin, that she was damaged, and was afraid to be touched by anyone. Her English is not great but her message comes across loud and clear.

I had left her a comment and asked her to write me. She did! We talked back and forth for a while but then lost touch. I tried so hard to help her understand that it was not her fault, that it was what we call here in the USA "date rape" or "acquaintance rape".

I don't know if I helped her much, but I tried. If you want to read her blogs you can find them here. A few people accused her of being fake, of making up her story. Even if that were true the feelings she experienced are precisely what a typical rape victim feels.

Anyhow, just felt like sharing this because I was thinking of her today and wondering how she's doing.