Rage

I was outraged to hear of an incident that happened on Friday night. A police officer had kicked a sex worker who fled to a room. She was kicked on the back and she reported project X that there is a shoe mark on her blouse. She was arrested at 6pm and released at 10:30pm the same night. Project X asked that she takes a snapshot of this shoe print for documentation.

When asked about reporting her experience to the police, she told Project X that she does not feel confident to do so for fear of future consequences. This is understandable for who knows what past experiences of other sex workers who faced the same treatment got out of reporting their abuse stories.

When facing trauma such as assault, it is natural for victims to not want any trouble thereon. It is this important information that many fail to see. Instead, we (the non-victims) question why the victim does not want to make a report. As a community of concerned individuals, we know what needs to right or wrong. And we suggest ways to solve issues that are logical and can be implemented immediately. But we fail to consider the comfort level of victims, the need to give them space and provide safety first and the need to be sensitive.

Learning from this incident made me realise we can work on some basic knowledge. The intention would soley be for the purpose of figuring out what to do after an incident.

Things to note:

1. Victims of assault must not be rushed to think of a solution.

2. A safe space should be an option eg: a listening ear, visit to the doctor.

3. Research and adding knowledge to the case workers is helpful than passing loose judgments.

4. Discussing as volunteers on what to do when faced with similar situations is good for preparation.