Hashtag #ImNotAfraidtoSayIt Goes Viral in Russia and Ukraine to Open Conversation Around Sexual Assault

In two countries where it’s not very common for women to speak up about sexual assault, they are taking to social media to fight back.

According to Buzzfeed, women in Russia and Ukraine are using a hashtag to fight back against sexual violence in a somewhat revolutionary way. #ImNotAfraidToSayIt, according to Buzzfeed, is being called the first step toward change.

It all started with a man's Facebook post explaining how a woman he met in a park had been raped, and that she shouldn't have been out at night alone, Buzzfeed reported. Anastasiya Melnychenko, the head of the Ukrainian human rights organization Studena, posted a scathing response to the man’s victim blaming. Here’s what she wrote, according to Buzzfeed:

“… we do not have to make excuses. We are not to blame, a rapist is always to blame. I’m not afraid to talk. And I don’t feel guilty.

Do men ever wonder what it is like to grow up in an atmosphere where you are treated like meat? You didn’t do anything, but everyone feels entitled to f*ck you and dispose your body.

I know they are unlikely to understand it. I have nothing at all to explain, but, unfortunately, they constitute a whole half of humanity. Therefore, for us, the women, it is important to talk about our experiences. It is important to make it visible. Please speak…”

Women across Russia and Ukraine used Anastasiya’s post as a jumping off point, sparking a conversation about sexual assault and getting women’s stories out in the open — which is particularly remarkable since conversation about sexual violence is still not common in these countries, Buzzfeed notes.

In an interview with Russian newspaper The Moscow Times, Maria Mokhova, the director of the Russian crisis center Sisters, also pointed out this movement is "an unprecedented and momentous event."

"It is a big step forward for society as a whole to finally get rid of the taboo of talking about sexual abuse," she told The Moscow Times.

Head over to BuzzFeed to read more from women in Russia and Ukraine as they make their voices heard.

Related: How I Wish You Reacted When I Told You I Was Raped

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