Over 400 people at the Breaking Silence Conference: “It’s not just what we’ve experienced that defines us”

State sexual violence is intended to intimidate, humiliate and break political resistance. At the conference “110 Reasons to Break the Silence,” those affected make their experiences public – and show that they neither want to be silenced nor isolated from each other. – A report by Helena Platt.

9 a.m., Berlin-Kreuzberg. It's drizzling slightly and a long queue has already formed in front of the venue. Hundreds of people are waiting to enter the “110 Reasons to Break the Silence” conference. On this day, experiences will be shared that are otherwise kept silent: sexual violence by the police, during demonstrations, arrests, in custody and prisons. But it shouldn't just be about the experience.

Experiences across borders

Already in the first panel it becomes clear that sexualized police violence does not stop at national borders. Women from different political struggles report repression in Turkey, the Basque Country, Iran and the Philippines. The specific experiences may differ, but their purpose seems to be the same: sexual violence as a means to humiliate, intimidate women and break down their political resistance.

The Basque activist Nekane Txapartegi describes particularly impressively how the state has transformed her body into a patriarchal battlefield: “Because I was and am a body in resistance.” However, she not only talks about the violence, but also about what gave her strength afterwards: the solidarity of her comrades. She didn't have to prove what happened to her. It was enough to know “that I am one of you”.

The representative of Sosyalist Kadın also reports on how difficult it was for a long time to make sexualized state violence public. Shame and ideas about “honor” also contributed to silence in our own political contexts. The publication of the experiences of someone affected became a turning point. Women began to no longer bear the shame themselves, but to return it to where the violence was perpetrated - the state.

“In Turkey, sexualized violence is state doctrine,” says Sosyalist speaker Kadın. The perpetrators are protected by state and legal structures: there are no investigations, proceedings expire and torture is not adequately documented.

Reports from Iran and the Philippines tell of similar mechanisms. Prisoners Dialogue reports on sexual violence against political prisoners and so-called virginity tests.

The representative of the Philippine women's organization Gabriela also makes it clear how firmly anchored this violence is in state institutions and how it is publicly presented as a legitimate approach against resistant women. She quotes statements from the Philippine military chief who called for “resistance fighters to be shot in the vaginas to render them useless.”

The reports are moving. Nevertheless, there is never a moment of powerlessness in the room. Because every story about repression is also a story about how women came together against it.

"At this moment in history, we are on the right side in the fight and positioning against war, genocide and fascism. They cannot prevent our fight, our resistance and our passion for freedom," the representative of Sosyalist Kadın ended her contribution and received loud applause.

And in Germany?

After the break, the focus turns to Germany. Those affected and organizations report on sexualized police violence in this country. The Palestine Rights Fund 3ezwa, for example, addresses how closely anti-Muslim racism and sexual violence can interact - for example, when police officers tear off women's headscarves.

The question that comes up again and again is what happens after an attack: Does the person affected speak about it publicly? What does it mean to oppose a state institution? And how can shame and fear prevent those affected from isolating themselves?

One affected person describes going public as difficult but liberating. Making your own experience public becomes a step on the offensive. "We communicate what happened to the outside world. And in the same way, we communicate our will to fight against something like that happening to someone else again," emphasizes Anna from ZORA. “It gives us strength and encourages each other,” she continues.

The moderator also made it clear that the contributions at the event showed the opposite of what is often attributed to women: “Women go forward.”

For Paula Maier from the Federation of Class Struggle Organizations (FKO), this fight has a clear goal: “We must have a clear perspective in mind – the perspective of liberated women in a liberated society.” That same morning, the Unbroken initiative was launched to draw attention to Paula's case and other cases of sexualized torture.

Sexualized police violence, as the panel discussed, is not only intended to humiliate women in the specific moment. It is intended to intimidate and discourage people from being politically active. The public itself becomes even more of a place of resistance. “It’s not just what we’ve experienced that sets us apart, it’s what we fight for and that we don’t let anything or anyone stop us,” says Anna.

The mood in the room thickens. “Women who fight are women who live, let’s unhinge the system,” shouted hundreds of participants.

At the same time, the gaze is directed inwards. “We have to learn painful honesty,” says Maier. It's about creating structures in which those affected can speak and are believed.

“No cop will stop me.”

In the last panel, the discussion opens to over 400 participants. Now it's no longer just the invited speakers who speak. Participants from the audience share their own experiences with sexualized and racist police violence.

A young woman tells of a demonstration: "While I was standing in line with my comrades, cops came towards me. They tore the keffiyeh from my head - but that wasn't enough." While the police are pulling at her, they are also tearing off her headscarf. With such violence that it tears.

A young migrant man also reports on racially motivated, sexualized police violence that he experienced during a blockade during the Rheinmetall disarm camp. Police officers kick him in the genital area several times to free him from the blockade. Further attacks follow during the subsequent identification process.

The personal accounts are emotional and poignant. At the same time, the exchange does not stop at describing the experience. Those affected make it clear what the violence means for their political activism: “No cop will stop me from standing side by side with my sisters on the street.”

“You have to stay upright, you have to stand tall, you can’t let yourself be brought down here,” demands another.

At the end there is an invitation to join forces, make experiences public and organize together. Sexualized police violence should no longer be something that those affected have to deal with alone. This leads the discussion back to the claim with which the conference began this morning: to break the silence and fight together.

Together against silence

The resolution passed shows that the conference should not be seen as a one-off event: The organizers announce the founding of an initiative against sexualized police violence. Cases should be made public, those affected should not be left alone and joint responses to state repression should be organized.

This means that the conference does not stop at documenting experiences. Because the silence is not only broken, but also answered politically. Anyone who uses sexualized violence as a means of intimidation relies on those affected to remain silent, withdraw and isolate themselves. The conference's answer is the opposite: publicity, solidarity and association.

In the end, it's about more than just talking about what happened. It's about not letting your own voice and your own political space be taken away from you. Those affected band together and resist. And that is precisely the message of the conference: those affected are not just those to whom something has happened. They are the ones fighting for a society in which such violence no longer has a place.

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