Four months ago I was raped by an Uber driver. I went to a party with my friends and decided to go home so I asked a friend to call an Uber for me, since I didn’t had the app, and when I saw a car stop in front of the building, I went out and asked him if he was the Uber and he said yes.
I got into the car and gave him my address. He told me that I had to pay cash and we got into an argument because I insisted that I should pay with the app. Because I really wanted to get home, I told him to take me to an ATM so I could get some cash and he did. Because I had had some drinks with my friends, on the ride home I sort of fell asleep. I woke up in a dark alley, not a single other car or person, and the driver jumping onto the back seat and taking my clothes off.
He strangled me, hit me and raped me.
After that, he dropped me at my place.
I called my brother, went to the hospital, got the rape kit exam and when to the police.
He is currently in prison waiting for his trail. I am trying to move on with my life but there is not an hour in my days that go by that I do not think about what will happen to him and if I will ever get over it. The flashbacks and the nightmares are the worst. I just hope that time will heal everything.
– Survivor, age 22
Dear Survivor,
I promise you that it gets easier. I don’t know that it ever fully goes away, but I promise you the flashbacks and nightmares eventually subside. Time, reaching out and talking about what happened to you, and surrounding yourself with supportive people are all things that help. Each survivor has to walk their own journey in their own time and in their own way. For some, the journey takes longer than for others. You take your journey one minute, one hour, one day, one week at a time and try to be patient with yourself. You will emerge on the other side of this stronger than ever before. You can heal from this. You are stronger than you know and you are braver than you realize. Thank you for sharing your story on the Brave Miss World website. There is an entire community of survivors here and we are all here in spirit, support and solidarity. You are not alone.
It gets easier…it just takes time. I was almost raped by my boyfriend, but by a total stranger.
I am so glad to hear he is behind bars. It really helps to feel safer. I employ you to testify against him, if you are able. I testified against a stranger that raped me and I felt empowered and in control for the first time. Trauma is like a scar. It is painful in the beginning but does heal with time, although never completely vanishes.