THE CAMPAIGN
Empowerment through Empathy
The Mission
In 2018, Rahellah Haidari and Chrystl Glasgow founded the WE BELIEVE YOU campaign to put an end to 'rape culture' in St.Vincent and the Grenadines and reverse the trend of rape and sexual violence against women in the country. Highlighting on the idea of using empathy to make another feel stronger and more confident, the WE BELIEVE YOU campaign was essentially created to make certain domestic violence survivors and victims are not alone and there are resources for healing.
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Our goal is to de-stigmatise the notion of the survivor and victim by creating awareness around the impact sexual violence has on women affected by it, as well as help those in need of rediscovering peace and true healing. We want to prioritise and treat 'rape culture' in St.Vincent and the Grenadines as a social justice issue granting us the opportunity to focus on imposing upon current systems in place that have perpetuated the normalisation of 'rape culture' in the country.
THE HARD TRUTH
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AGE OF CONSENT - 15 YEARS OLD
STATISTICS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN
THE ONLY SHELTER FOR VICTIMS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO FILE AN APPLICATION THROUGH THE COURTS
Sadly, victims and survivors of rape continue to struggle to be heard and believed. Cultural stereotypes and myths about rape usually prevent the stories of victims to be told, and when told, cultural assumptions of gender and sexuality bring the account of the victim into question. Ignorance from the public is the widest barrier that surrounds the victims of domestic violence when leaving their abuser or reporting the abuse.
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The assumptions and ignorance of the public multiply the victims' and survivors' suffering as well and lesson the effectiveness of the criminal justice system. However, it becomes a bigger problem when the abuser is a public figure.
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In the case of St.Vincent and the Grenadines, 'rape culture' has been normalised as a result of the actions of the 'head of state', Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves. The prime minister has been accused on many occasions of raping and sexually abusing women in St.Vincent and the Grenadines, however, justice has yet to be served as a result of power and corruption.