GBV Survivor from Mamre

A 22-year-old survivor from Mamre, who wished to remain anonymous, had several difficulties when reporting her story to the police. She had been sexually assaulted by the perpetrator but police doubted her narrative. A detective asked her if she had said “no” to her rapist, or even whether she was sure that she did not “want it.” She was able to open a case and receive a case number; however, the detective told her he would visit her perpetrator – who was in prison at the time – to ask him if he knew her.

She later received a message from the detective stating that the perpetrator denied knowing her, and because of the perpetrator’s denials, the detective was “unsure as to how we are going to proceed with the case.” Shortly thereafter, the perpetrator was granted bail. She never again heard from the detective. Only later did she learn from another victim of the same perpetrator that the detective had been re-assigned – “[w]e are however not informed about these changes and we discovered that a captain and other officials are now in charge of the matter.”

Over four years later, the survivor is still waiting for justice. Just as she was about to take the stand, the perpetrator fired his fourth lawyer, further delaying the trial.