Safe Space for Arab Women to Share Experiences of Sexual Violence

Tuskuteesh (Arabic for don’t remain silent, #تسكتيش), a safe space for Arab women to share experiences and testimonies of sexual violence, which I co-founded with my friend and sister in the struggle, Reem Jaramneh, was born out of the dire need to break the silence on this issue, which is still a huge taboo in our society, and for the lack of such a space. The page was initiated in December 2015, and so far, we published 52 stories and testimonies of sexual violence (harassment, assault, abuse, rape). We started outlocally, but very fast we reached the Arab world, and received stories from Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, Jordan, the Occupied West Bank, and Gaza. The page has almost 12,000 followers, mostly women, but also some men who support our struggle.

Please take a moment to invite your Arab female friends to the page and share the page on your timeline so that we can reach more women who are in need of this space.Also, we have printed t-shirts and tote-bags, and by purchasing them you will be supporting an independent, grassroots movement, and at the same time making our initiative more visible and accessible to women. Contact me if you’re interested in supporting us by purchasing a t-shirt and/or tote-bag or donating to our initiative. www.facebook.com/tuskuteesh/

Two articles were published on Tuskuteesh in English: one in 972 Magazine:Arab Women are Breaking the Silence over Sexual Violenceand one, originally published in the cultural section of the German leading newspaperDie Welt, with the English translation on my old blog platform:Palestinian Women Breaking the Silence surrounding Sexual Violence

I invite you to connect with me on my blog, where I share fiction, non-fiction, poetry and opinion: khuludkhamis.com

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