Can you tell us the main point of your story?

More than anything, not to stay silent about things that happen to you. When I was a little girl, a man touched me without my consent. I was nine. At the time, I didn’t think about it as something bad. But the same guy touched two other girls, and they spoke up about it. My grandmother grabbed me and told me, “You don’t have to let anybody touch you.” Then something clicked and I understood what happened to me was wrong. I never wanted to say anything until now. So, I feel staying silent didn’t help me.

Why did you choose to tell this story?

Lately, I have had this story present on my mind. I have been working with girls between 11 and 14, and one of them has been abused. I haven’t told them about my story, but I have tried to talk about it with them, so that it doesn’t happen to them. One of the girls told her parents about the abuse, but the Chilean justice did nothing. Because there was no penetration from the guy, nothing happened. There was no proof. Her word was not enough.