Citation

Crosby A. Fem. Psychol. 2009; 19(3): 343-353.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0959353509105625

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The systemic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war was a profound social silence during the armed conflicts in Guatemala and Perú, and in Colombia, where war rages on, women's bodies continue to be the invisibilized site of territorial struggle and violence. However, in each of these contexts, women survivors are breaking this silence, speaking their truths, seeking healing, and demanding justice. These struggles for personal and collective liberation are inherently dialogical and relational processes, requiring the building of connections — with other survivors, and with those who can provide accompaniment. This article focuses on this latter group of `accompaniers', on their understandings and experiences of engagement in work on the issue of sexual violence, and their relationship to survivors, using as primary data an international workshop held in Guatemala in May 2007 that brought together psychologists, lawyers, researchers and activists who accompany women survivors in Perú, Guatemala, and Colombia.