"When women become victims of violence, there are those who immediately fight back and demand justice and dare to report it," he noted in a webinar titled "Bondowoso Sexual Violence Emergency" that was monitored here on Wednesday.
"However, there are also many victims of violence who need time because they feel helpless. (They) need time to work through and process their feelings. They need time to recover up to several months, and some take several years before they dare to speak," he remarked.
Sitohang admitted to feeling dejected when parties doubted cases of sexual violence, as the victim came forward to report the case that took place a long time ago.
"If there are people who doubt cases of sexual violence by saying 'why is the case only being reported now, why wasn't it (reported) when the incident happened', this is a disappointing question. This shows the person asking this does not understand the victim's condition," he pointed out.
He explained that female victims of violence experience different situations, so their condition is no longer the same as before.
"Even when the perpetrator has been sentenced to prison, the victim may not have recovered, and many are still suffering," he stated.
Veryanto said that the trend of sexual violence cases tends to increase, as many new cases have been discovered.
This phenomenon of female sexual violence victims coming forward to report the matter needs to be appreciated, as it means that many of them have the courage to reveal and report what they experienced.
"In the past, there may have been many cases of sexual violence but not many victims had the courage to report them. However, in 2022, 2023, and 2024, these cases appear. We must appreciate the victim's courage," Sitohang stated.
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Translator: Anita Permata Dewi, Katriana
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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