tw: rape, abuse, etc.
18+
hey all, my friend lives in india and is in serious danger. a family member rapes them and has explicit imagery of them which they hold over their head if they ever speak out. no one in their family would believe them, the police dont care where tjeyre from, and the rapist is a wealthy violent criminal. i know it’s distressing but what advice / help can you think of? im keeping them anonymous for obvious reasons. her life is ruined by this, it’s been going on for years. she has given me permission to post this
First, get them out of the situation. If they don’t have somewhere to go that the abuser doesn’t know about, see if you have a local women’s shelter. Leaving the area entirely, at least temporarily, may be a good option.
Second, help them take action about the abuse. Contact the police or find a lawyer to help with the process. There are lawyers who will work cases like this without charging. There may also be local government agencies that are specifically tasked with investigating abuse.
Third, get them to seek help in recovering. There are likely to be local organizations that provide counseling and other resources. This is not going to be a short or easy process, but working at it will make a world of difference over the rest of their life.
I’ve been through this with more than one friend. Every bit of it is tough. Having your support will make a big difference. Abusers try to make their victims feel powerless and alone. Having a friend who will help works against that, as well as providing comfort.
I wish you both all the best!
This would be good advice for general cases, but it seems like you didn’t read the details of their post. In her situation your advice could be extremely dangerous to her.
You may well be right. I do not have enough familiarity with the situation in India.
I think the principles still apply, but how to carry them out might well be very different.
Thank you for your comment.
what do you do about explicit imagery