#Ididnotreport

There is something beautiful happening on Twitter. A group of women and men are tweeting under the hashtag #ididnotreport in regards to reasons they did not report sexual abuse, rape and childhood molestation (rape) at the time of or after it occurred.

I’m not going to include graphics of the actual tweets. Even though brave women and men are being open, utilizing their Twitter handles and for some, their actual photographs – it’s not BohoMamma’s place to post their pictures. You can read the Twitter feed for yourself.

However, a few that caught my attention and moved me…

14 March “”I wrote #ididnotreport tweet and then I deleted it. Says it all really.”

18 March “Something amazing going on on Twitter tonight. #ididnotreport – a hashtag in which people come forward and talk abut unreported assaults.

19 March “For those who wish they could speak out: sometimes the bravest/strongest thing you can do is to simply survive the experience #ididnotreport.

The abuse reported runs the gamut. The central theme is the same…abuse. Being a New Yorker, I used to joke that I rode the subway with my elbows bent backwards. Really, I was just trying to get someone’s attention about an issue that really bothered me: I rode subways as a part of my existence. But a part of my transportation and travel was being touched “accidently” in the chest or on the rear. When I would tell people about the incidents, I would hear the same sorts of replies, “Oh yes, that happens to me all of the time.” I was incredulous that as women, we were supposed to what, enjoy it? Ignore it? Report it? Reporting it would have never occurred to me. Now, there are websites dedicated to posting images of men masturbating in front of women on the subway. It’s now an industry.

So, what do to do about the #ididnotreport hashtag? Well, if you feel strong enough, post a story if you have one. If you feel alone, read a story, because there are many. If you have a heart but tend to think these things are overblown, spend a few minutes on the thread.

#ididnotreportHashtagSexual AbuseThe Female VoiceTwitter