This International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women*, our gender experts Mathilde Umuraza and Jennifer Pitter-López spotlight an initiative in Mozambique where Light for the World is supporting survivors to reclaim their lives.
Rosa** was leaving her neighbour’s house one night when a man grabbed her, picked her up and raped her. Rosa, who has a speech impairment, shouted, but no one came to help her. “After this, her whole body was hurting,” says her sister, Anna**. “She couldn’t walk and up till now, she is afraid of men and completely traumatised.”
Rosa’s trauma started with the assault, but her attempts to get support and justice only added to her devastation.
Globally, 1 in 3 women experience gender-based violence – violence directed at them because they are women. For women with disabilities, it’s double that: 2 in every 3 women, a silent scandal that rarely makes headlines.