Anne was raped in Brussels but received no help in her Dutch

“I was raped on a Friday night.” These are the words of Anne. That is not her real name. We are protecting her identity. The young woman lives in Brussels and testifies how she was raped a few weeks ago: “I said I didn’t want sex. I said he would hurt me. I also pushed him away physically, but he continued.”

After that, she says, she alternates between panic and guilt. “You think it’s your own fault, maybe you didn’t express it clearly enough. But rationally, I knew that I had already said it several times.”

“The next morning, I went to my roommate’s room and started crying. It took me almost 24 hours to even want to say ‘rape’ because it’s hard to admit to yourself that something so serious has happened.”

On Sunday morning, just over a day later, Anne decides to go to a support centre for victims of sexual violence. There are now ten of these in Belgium. They are based on the philosophy that victims can receive comprehensive support in one and the same place: from medical care and forensic examination to filing a complaint and psychological support.

French or Portuguese, possibly English, but no Dutch

The closest care center is in Brussels and is attached to the UMC hospital. “My roommate called and asked if I could go there. She asked if she could have the conversation in Dutch. The answer to that was already ‘no’. Then she asked if they could help me in Dutch and they also said ‘no’. They said that at that time they only had people who spoke French and Portuguese and that I could wait until Monday when someone who spoke English would be available.”

Anne saw no point in telling such a delicate story in French or English. “In general terms, perhaps, but many, many details are asked. It is not easy to conduct an interview like this. You have to mention every moment, say what happened in every minute, who initiated what, you are asked for intimate details. These are things I cannot do in French, and certainly not in a moment when I am very emotional and panicked. Then you want to tell everything in your mother tongue.”

Normally there is also the option of working with an interpreter, but Anne was not offered this option. “I don’t know if I would have done that, it’s more impersonal and unpleasant anyway.”

No choice but to go to Leuven

Knowing how important it was to have the examination done as soon as possible, Anne decided to go to the Leuven Care Centre.

“Actually, I was a bit late, although they didn’t want to express it that way in Leuven. The wounds had already healed, I had already showered. The earlier you leave, the better. Coming two days late is a much bigger problem than coming one day late.”

The whole incident makes her angry and outraged. “I live in the capital. It makes sense to me that someone can help me in Dutch.”

“For practical reasons alone, it is not so easy to get to Leuven because we do not have a car. So I had to rely on other people’s help at a time when I did not really want to talk to other people about what had happened. Emotionally, I also did not dare to go out the door in the first few days after the rape. Even going to the bakery made me panic. It is quite tricky to go to a care centre anyway, one in your own city is easier to go to than one in another city. It is not fair that I have to go somewhere else because I live in Brussels and speak Dutch,” she concludes.