"You feel relieved, healing, and feel better. There was a comprehensive team: a psychologist, social worker, and therapist who I spoke with. When I talked to them it felt like a weight was taken off my shoulders. They were very kind people. It was done in harmony, by the way they talk, their hospitality. Trust brings about trust."
"What motivates me to open up is the way you approach me, the way you answer my questions, or listen to me. If you listen to me and understand me, it lets me open up. It’s not easy to open up and speak, so if we do, it’s because it’s in a climate that I can."
"The documenter should allow the survivor to take the lead, let her tell her story as she needs to tell it. She might say something that is not important to the documenter, but she needs to say it for herself because it’s important to her. Documenters sometimes try to guide too much. They can help her, but not tell her what path to choose."
"When I know the organisation, I can open up. I know they value respect, confidentiality, and our dignity. When you know they value this, we can tell them. Every day we remember the violence, but we can’t tell all on one day. Maybe only 60% the first day, then the next day maybe 80%."